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RED HOOK, Brooklyn (May 18, 2012)
Uhuru, a Brooklyn-based furniture design company dedicated to sustainability and local craftsmanship, is pleased to announce several collaborations this year for New York Design Week, May 18-22.
Uhuru relaunches their most iconic pieces in fresh styles and finishes for an installation at Phaidon, purveyors of beautiful books on everything from design to travel. Included in the display are the Bilge Lounge, a chair made from reclaimed whiskey barrels and truck springs from FDNY fire trucks, and the DK Chair, a Danish modern-inspired lounge chair outfitted with custom black leather cushions. The iconic Stoolen has been fabricated out of reclaimed ipe from the boardwalk of Coney Island. A special edition of the Striper End Table is also on display, made with wood to pair with a rosewood Eames Lounge Chair.
New DK Chair shown in vintage black leather, blackened steel and black walnut.
As part of Noho Design District, Uhuru presents a collaboration with knitting aficionados Wool and the Gang. Together, they created a line of furniture that explores the idea of self-created home environments, with a central focus on the craft tradition. WATG produces their high quality wool in the mountains of Peru, and they sell both ready-to-wear and knit-your-own pieces. The metal and wood components, handmade in the studio, combine with a textural mix of cotton and wool.
Fusing both the crafts of knitting and furniture making, the line features a round steel sling chair with a cotton knitted seat. Also included is a sculptural chandelier, consisting of a minimal steel frame wrapped with the soft texture of wool. The shape is inspired by naturally occurring isometric crystal systems, and juxtaposes the sharp edge of the frame with the woollen diffuser. The thick wool also contrasts the narrow steel rods, casting shadow patterns as they both filter light. The shape also loosely references a ball of yarn. Racks for sets of knitting needles both store and highlight the artistry of the tools themselves.
Knit chair and lamp.
Uhuru is representing Brooklyn in the first Core77 Open, curated by the online magazine and design resource. Five designers were selected from each borough of New York City. Uhuru is proud to present the Strap End Table, a reference to school days past. Stacked sections of reclaimed antique pine are held in place by thick strips of leather, like belts cinching a pile of textbooks. Algebra and history are re-envisioned in the pine beams, reclaimed from heavy timber factory buildings in New York City. The hand-dyed vegetable tanned leather is inset into the rough wood, deliberately juxtaposing the two textures. The laser cut steel base holds the bands mechanically in place, providing a sturdy and innovate place to rest your latest read.
Strap table in recalimed heart pine and brown leather
The 12 X 12 exhibition showcases twelve contemporary furniture designers who have crafted furniture out of twelve woods reclaimed from demolished New York structures. Uhuru worked with scaffolding that has been used to repair and maintain public elementary schools around the city, particularly the Henry David Thoreau School in Long Island City. Utilizing both the black spruce planks and the steel structure, Uhuru created a grown up school desk. The PS 17 Desk features a spruce top held flat by dovetail splines. The base utilizes the metal parts as legs, sandblasted and powder coated with a steel shelf for storage. The exhibition will be on display as part of the annual Wanted Design Show.
PS 17 desk shown in reclaimed black spruce with school house green frame.
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