11 reasons (and Counting) Why You Should Buy Furnishings Designed and Made in New York

You are building a relationship with a local craftsperson. There may come a time when you have a job which is very custom or so small that is going to be nearly impossible to track down someone to do it. If you have built a relationship with a local craftsperson you understand their abilities and often they will be willing to take on odd or small jobs which others would not.

You are keeping to money local. New York may seem like a large community but the amount spent on furnishings is also large and by keeping that money here you are helping the local economy. Otherwise that money is very likely to leave not only the state but the country as well.

You are a patron of the arts. The decorative arts have long traditions and as a client you are a patron of the craftspeople, helping to maintain the knowledge and art for future New Yorkers. Recently I heard that many homes in Puerto Rico which had ornate exterior ironwork and castings were being restored but that the local techniques had died out and the shops had closed leaving the clients to settle for poor imported versions of the decorations they once had.

You can see things as they are being built. How bright is that blue? Does it match with the tile? Will my odd collection fit in the drawer? With a local designer you can get real answers to these questions and very often make changes to avert what would have been a disaster with an out of town designer.

You eliminate a lot of wasteful steps. Shipping of finished pieces great distances is always nerve racking as well as expensive and wasteful. Buying local saves miles of bubble wrap, crating materials and fuel as well as saving your sense of calm.

You know what the ingredients are. Items made here are made from only approved and tested materials. You know the paints and glazes are lead free. You know the dyes are nontoxic. If an item says it is green certified you have a way to check on the sourcing of that product.

You can talk directly to the designer or builder of your piece. You may have a picture in your head of exactly what you want but if your designer can't understand that vision the craftsperson won't be able to create it. Meeting face to face, discussing samples and finishes, sketching things out or mocking them up will be your best chance of communicating your vision, and you seeing when the designer "get's it".

We can make anything. The best craftspeople in the world come to New York to work for the most exacting clients. The skillset that most designers and craftspeople bring with them to The City is incredible and when you add in the networks we have built between us we can build anything you could possibly dream up.

That New York cache. A New York makers mark carries an unexplainable value. Perhaps it the the tradition of leading design or the aspiration to be in the heart of things, but a piece made in New York carries a bit of the city with it always.

New York has access to the finest materials and suppliers. A design market as big as New York can support the very highest end importers and suppliers. Whether it's parchment, veneer, marble or huge slabs of exotic woods the very best are sent here.

New York is a city with a long design history which is on the cutting edge of design. This means that whether you are looking for a traditional piece or something truly new we can design it here. What's more we can integrate the newest technologies and materials within the tradition of design.

Furniture New York at the ICFF

Thanks to the members for a great showing at the ICFF and once again

congratulations to the winners of the Furniture New York contest.

                      

  Solace Square Table by Farrago Design                 Club Chair by Paul Chandeysson

                             

         Fanback Chair  by Ethan Ames                        Glass Hall Table by Nico Yektai

                                        

           Indigo Bronte on Cinder                                The Sphere by Travis James

                 by Aviva Stanoff                                        May Furniture Company

In addition to our group booth other exhibiting members are

Susan Woods/Aswoon

Tucker Robbins

Matthew Fairbank Design

Hellman Chang

Peter Harrison/Lavassa

Boca Grande Furnishings

Eric Manigian Studio

Iglooplay by Lisa Albin

Laurie Beckerman Design

Featured Member Piece, Laurie Beckerman's Ionic Bench

The Ionic Bench by Laurie Beckerman, is currently on exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Jacksonville, Florida.

The Art of Seating - 200 Years of American Design

January 21, 2011 - April 3, 2011

www.mocajacksonville.org

 The Ionic Bench is inspired by the capital of an Ionic column.  Instead of the look of dense stone, the lines of the form are extracted to create a light, spacious and resilient bench.  The lines of the plies evoke a feeling of movement and vibrancy.

Made from 1" thick Baltic Birth plywood, the bench's profile is cut out 18 times with the use of CNC technology.  The slices are laminated together for a strong, curvaceous form.   The surfaces that reveal the plies are finely sanded, and coated with a high-quality acrylic;  the result is a seat that is sensuously smooth to the touch.

Dimensions:  49" length,  21" height (18" seat height),  18" depth