10 Favorites: Stealth Glamor at ICFF

At New York’s ICFF and satellite design shows, amid the big and the bold, we discovered a refreshing undercurrent of summer-camp arts and crafts presented in high-style ways: woven leather baskets, dart lights, chrome oil lamps, and more. Here’s what we see on the horizon:

Above: New York studio Apparatus describes its new line of Horsehair Sconces and Pendants as “a robust study of material that evokes the grace and strength of its equine contributor.” The lights are Palomino (shown) or Jet horsehair with brass or tarnished silver and etched glass; the sconces are $4,440. Photograph by Ingalls Photography courtesy of Apparatus Studio.

Above: London artist Deborah Bowness specializes in photographic trompe l’oeil wallpaper. Shown here her new Crystal pattern. Did you know that cut glass is looking good again? See Trend Alert: Your Grandmother’s Crystal Makes a Comeback. And have a look at more of Bowness’s designs in our post Instant Heritage.

Above: Toronto design studio Castor partnered with Canada’s oldest gas lamp manufacturer, Harnisch, to create this 21st century Oil Lamp. Part of Castor’s new Black Metal line, it’s made of plated brass finished in black chrome and uses lamp oil. The lamp will be available in the coming months from Castor. (In the meantime, have a look at Castor’s Tube Lights Made from Recycled Fluorescent Bulbs.)

Above: “We’ve pared down light into its two elemental ingredients: the source (the bulb) and its illumination (highlighted by a brass ring),” explain Dylan Davis and Jean Lee of Seattle’s Ladies and Gentleman Studio. Their Aura Lights are brass with a brass or copper base, and come hardwired with an 8-foot cord for ceiling mounting and a brass canopy; $375 each. See more of their work in Standard Socket Shines a Light in Seattle.

Above: Spotted at Wanted Design: a Perpetual Calendar of porcelain, maple, and brass by Fruitsuper Design, a Seattle industrial design studio. Watch for the calendar at Fruitsuper’s online shop.  

Above: Made in Long Beach, CA, by BYAMT in collaboration with Mimot Studio, the Strap Basket is leather with copper-plated rivets; $174. In an earlier post, Izabella presented 5 Favorite Leather Baskets (including one by BYAMT) and then she showed us How to Make a Tray Made from a Piece of Leather. Also have a look at Alexa’s DIY: Wall-Mounted Leather Knife Rack and Erin’s DIY: Braided Leather Drawer Pulls for $1.25 Each. 

Above: Fredericks & Mae’s Lamps are made of hand-turned maple or walnut detailed with colored cotton cord; $280 each. Not coincidentally, the company has also just designed a collection of darts and a dartboard. And have your seen their Modern Take on Worry Beads?

Above: We’ve been detecting a hippie art revival. Twilight Hues 3 is one of a series of weavings by husband and wife team Mimi Jung and Brian Hurewitz of Brook & Lyn, a design studio that started in Brooklyn and relocated to LA. The tapestry hangs from copper rods and is $4,900. 

Above: From Grain Design, James and Chelsea Minola’s studio on Bainbridge Island: a series of hand-thrown terracotta designs called Grail (each is stamped with Grain’s modern hieroglyphics). The covered pot is the Grail Cassoulet with a glazed interior; $295; the Grail Large Pot, $135, can be used as a planter or vase;  and the Grail Small Bowl is $45. See Grain’s Strung Pendant lighting design in Standard Socket Shines a Light in Seattle.

For more of our ICFF finds, have a look at Naomi Paul’s Organic Modern Crocheted Lamps from London and today’s Gardenista post on Polarmoss.