I wanted to get this post out quickly because the BKLYN Designs Expo has just past, and yet I have not talked about the most prolific and possibly the most fun design collective: UM. Their work is just so damn clever. As my cop out, I’ll let them speak for themselves:

At the core we are designers and makers, sometimes designing, sometimes fabricating, most often doing both. We rely on one process to inform the other often exploring new ways to realize projects.

We are regularly called to work beyond the built world. To date we have developed identities for our clients, mapped experiences for their customers and designed TV sets.

uhuru, to me, may have been the most impressive furniture designers I saw at BKLYN Designs in terms of their creative reuse of industrial products. For example: the Stave Bench and the Bilge Lounge reuse whiskey barrels from the finest white oak. These barells are charred and used only once in the barreling process then discarded or sold. uhuru purchases these barrels and leaves the barrellsin a state very close to where they found them to make these beautiful chairs and tables shown above and below. This is what I would consider a very low energy intensive form of recycling which in my mind is the best form of recycling.

Butuhuru’s commitment to this type of recycling does not stop with whiskey barrels. They have a variety of products that make use of whatever industrial scrap might be around. Their website features products such as the Fenced In Table made from repourposed fence parts- this table you won’t believe.

I’ve been thinking about how to create a fresh approach in my own kitchen recently, so it’s no surprise that I was extremely excited to see the work of Produce to get some inspiration of what my kitchen could be. Their work, as shown in their pot and knife rack, wall bins, and wine rack have a thread that ties their work together perfectly. Clarity, simplicity, and a juxtaposition of rugged wood mixed with slender steel profiles dominate their design aesthetic. It got me thinking, ” What if I got rid of my boring old cabinetry and replaced them with these bins?” It would really open up the kitchen while creating a very unique spatial character. I’m hooked.

Another great find from BKLYN Design: Takeshi Miyakawa. Why is this guy not a superstar designer? Good question. His pieces are clever, refined, simple, and extremely desireable. And maybe most important of all (at least for design stardom),Miyakawa’s work isiconic. His fractal 23 shelving just has this timeless feeling about it. And this cabinetry is so incredibly useful. From small jewelry up to blanket storage and everything in between, this piece accomodates you. It’s almost as if every part of your life can be conveniently stores in the fractal 23. This piece passively unclutters your life while being aesthetically clean with its clever joinery.

Equally as impressive is Miyakawa’s shelving tower he calls 14+1. But I have so many more pieces to tell you about from BKYLN Designs that I’ll just show it to you. Enjoy.

This Sunday, I attended BKLYN Designs in the Dumbo Neighborhood of Brooklyn and was impressed with the level of craft by the offerings. Over the next few days, I hope to feature a few of the most exciting small companies I observed.

Today, I’d like to mention Vexell. Vexell’s furniture, as was the case of many of the exhibitors, is predomintated by exquisite metal fabrication juxtaposed with fine wood joinery. Their work is quite modern and yet not cold as you might see in sleek European furniture companies. Probably my favorite pieces they exhibited were from the BK series which brings together hand tooled steel bars with the rish red color of padauk. They also make fabulous chairs cut from single sheets of steel as well. But I really don’t do their work justice given that I’ve got fifteen posts I’d like to do today, so definitely check them out at Vexell.com.