Upon first look, one might correctly guess the new Made of New York furniture collection has a history. Not in it’s silhouette of course, which ranges from chunky, masculine and minimal, to lighthearted, geometric and colorful. It’s obvious in the well-worn texture of each surface. Centuries-old saw blade impressions ripple across the 3 inch thick slabs, sometimes split and often featuring an uncountable number of nail holes.
The wood in these designs is very old; but that’s not the most interesting part. These massive slabs once served as the structural support for some of New York’s lost and forgotten buildings of the 19th-century. (To top that, some of the lumber they have found was actually grown on Manhattan Island, long before the city reached it's towering scale.)
MoNY came to life after John-Michael Ekeblad, former creative director of IKEA of Sweden and current head of Daytime Projects, a forward-looking design consultancy, went on a material search for reclaimed lumber. He then met Brian Kane of Gotham Forest Products, who shared with him his detailed knowledge of the history behind Manhattan timber, including the original locations of it’s growth.
With such a unique and rich discovery in his hands, Ekeblad approached furniture designer Jonathan Locke of Timerhi Studios to see what he could do with the raw material. Accustomed to working with fine woods such as teak and walnut, it took a bit of convincing from Ekeblad for Locke to look at the material and it’s history in a different light.
Apart from removing innumerable nails, little is done to prep the wood for the assembly process. Some surfaces are sanded, but overall the trio works to preserve the “found” state of the beams. They use only water-based stains and sealers, and wood plugs when needed.
They have received a great response to the introduction of MoNY from interior designers, especially those outside of New York, looking for a unique piece of the Big Apple.
For more information, check out www.madeofnewyork.com
Alan Pepin / Creative Director
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Reply #1 on : Fri January 28, 2011, 07:56:44