last friday i woke up early, got my camera ready and grabbed an extra umbrella because the first morning of bklyn designs was a really, really rainy one. as i rode over to dumbo i had a huge knot in my stomach because i wasn’t sure what to expect. i’ve been a little disappointed by the show over the past few years and was worried that this year might be a similar situation- but to my delight, the show was much better than previous years.

over the past few years, i felt like bklyn designs had become a showcase for entirely sustainable/eco-friendly work. before anyone gets too upset- i don’t think sustainable design is a bad thing- but as someone interested in the aesthetic aspects of design as well as the functional/ethical, i was looking for something that pushed beyond several rooms of bamboo furniture. obviously there were interesting bits mixed in, but i felt like the marketing for the show was really pushing that angle and after the press breakfast this year it became clear that would still be the angle they were going with. but thankfully this year there was a really nice mix of students, people using eco-friendly materials in new ways, and people trying out new techniques and materials in unexpected ways. overall i’d say the show was a really strong ‘B’ or A- this year. i’d still really love to see more student work and more of the local, handmade etsy crowd represented, but overall it was a much stronger showing (for me) than the years past. i’ll be breaking up coverage into three parts over the next few days so here is the first roundup of some of my bklyn designs 09 favorites.

for me, the um project booth was one of the most memorable of the show. they were showcasing some incredible woodworking (that inlaid wooden wall shown above was stunning in person), furniture and lighting all of which were made from wonderfully rich-looking woods. my photos are a little dark because of the weather but you can click here for more on um project.

another favorite booth of mine belonged to designer kiel mead. i first met kiel back when we was a graduating senior at pratt and now he’s gone on to expand into furniture design and a lovely line of men’s jewelry and accessories. in addition to falling head over heels in love with his gold rope money clips, i loved his st. sebastian-inspired arrow coat racks. i’d use one in my hallway any day. kiel is definitely a young designer to watch to click here to see more of his work.

i’d mentioned charlie brokate‘s work on d*s last week but his lighting was so much more beautiful in person- and i loved the new styles- especially the little girl on the phone. click here for more information on charliedoes.

i loved designer nina dinoff‘s new ‘swizzlets‘ line. cast from vintage plastic swizzle sticks, nina’s new collection of bracelets are a really fun play on those disposable plastic stirrers we all remember. i also enjoyed the small pins she cast from plastic meat signs. click here for more information on nina dinoff.

joey roth’s sorapot (in eco-friendly packaging) made for a really fun booth. everyone crouched down to try out the teapot in action and was delighted to see how easy it was to use- in addition to looking pretty slick. you can pick up your own sorapot for $179 right here.

dvider debuted some beautiful new black and gold wall decals at their booth in the smack mellon gallery. i loved the bright gold sea-themed decals against matte black wall. click here for more information on dvider.

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