Design*Sponge_Backup: May 2006

i spent all weekend browsing through the booths and galleries at this year's brooklyn designs show, held at the st. ann's warehouse in dumbo, brooklyn. it's always such a fun time of year when design season kicks off and everyone comes out of their apartments to see some beautiful, exciting new design. this entire post will be devoted to covering my favorites from the show, but you can also click here for a huge slideshow of photos (with links) from the show.

my overall impression of the show was that it was a really nice showing of the artists working in brooklyn. the overarching trend was ECO-DESIGN- everyone was working with sustainable materials and trying to give a special nod to all things green. as always, woodworking and beautiful, unique wood pieces were a highlight of the show and there were definitely some standout designers for me. but i think my overall excitment for the show was slightly dulled compared to some of the people walking the show (who all seemed to really love the show). one of the perils of covering any industry (and especially a particular area within it) obsessively is that you see a lot of what's out there before it debuts. because of that, there was a large portion of the show that i'd already seen and written about. it was still beautiful work, but sometimes that dulls my excitement a bit, so i just wanted to explain any lack of enthusiasm that i normally express during a design show. that said, my favorite part of the show was two fold: it was so wonderful to meet designers face to face and get to hear about their work in person, rather than over email. and second, it was wonderful to be surprised by some pieces i'd seen before that didn't represent well in photos, but were stunning in person. so, without further adieu, my highlights from brooklyn designs 2006!

[these stools by brookyn's the design can were one of my favorites at the show. after seeing so much product, these were one of the few pieces that really stuck out in my head. i love the detailing on the seat and the fact that they seem like really fun pieces. win win in my book.]

[meeting amy helfand was another highlight of the show for me. i've always enjoyed amy's work but her rugs are so much more beautiful in person than you can even imagine. rich, thick and full of vibrant color, amy's rugs are really works of art. amy was super nice and really fun to talk to as well]

[the work of palo samko stuck with me the most of any other designer at the show. palo's work was emotional, beautiful and had such a loving touch to it that it was hard to shake the feeling that this was someone really, really special. palo has a young son and designed a lot of his beautiful wooden pieces with him in mind (including the adorable birds that swivel in the table above). i was just really floored by the beauty and the honesty in his work. it's really something special to see. great work, palo]

[gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous wooden screens by aswoon studio. even more stunning in person]

[uhuru design had some really lovely pieces as well. this metal and glass table was one of my favs]

[i was super psyched to see some of pratt student chrissy angliker's work in action. i mentioned her here before but now you can see her acrylic "brass knuckle" fishing "rod" in person]

[i love decoradar. they're always the fun booth at any show. this year they debuted a prototype of their new "east" paint kit that will allow you to paint and create a beautiful cherry blossom vine on your wall. they also debuted some fun painted screens, tood]

[andreaclaire's lighting was gorgeous. the subtle images on the inside of the shade shine through beautifully. don't miss their collab with esque design in the flickr slideshow!]

[eric manigian's woodworking was STUNNING. so smooth and rich, i loved it. this bed was a must-see for anyone visiting the show]

[i love carlos and bart at scrapile. these guys are always making green look fabulous. this new chair (which was as comfy as it was stylish, surprisingly) uses reclaimed wood in the classic scrapile style]

[the design team at desu debuted these beautiful colored coat hooks and some really nice modern votive holders. i was pretty crazy about the votive holders, it's a nice alternative to traditional frou frou candleholders]

[nicholas furrow's lighting was really impressive in person. i loved those little round table lights]

[bravespace's gorgeous tetris shelving was on full display at the show. rena took a closer look while i snapped this pic]

[lighten up had some really nice table lamps- i loved the piece with the lace detailing. so lovely]

[amy adams' perch products were so much more adorable in person. i loved the little cross hatch pattern pieces]

[eric from oso industries could not have been nicer. he had a gorgeous new desk set to show off and of course the adorable rolling stool!]

[design firm a&g launched a lovely cherry blossom sofa and a great side table with built-in lighting]

[swigg and small factory represented with their fun, functional furniture like this storage unit with faux bois cushions. great furniture made by great people- you can't beat that]