BKLYN Designs Weekend Is Christmas for Creatives

BrooklynTheBorough.com stopped into BKLYN Designs in Dumbo over the weekend to check out the work of some of our borough's most forward thinking design companies. 

First up we chatted with Bill Hilgendorf, 30, of Uhuru, a design company based in Red Hook whose work features sustainable and reclaimed materials.  In their most recent project – the Coney Island Line – Bill and his partner Jason Horvath, both graduates of the Rhode Island School of Design, reclaimed discarded ipe wood from sections of the Coney Island boardwalk, and based their design on the aesthetics of the park. A lounge chair features the stilts of the Cyclone, while a revolving coffee table imitates the Wonder Wheel.

"The pieces reflect some of the rides in Coney Island," Mr. Hilgendorf told us. "The ones that we chose though are the ones that are landmarked, the old ones: the Cyclone roller coaster, which has been there for I think 80 years now, and the parachute jump which is no longer in action, but it's still been designated as a landmark, and the Wonder Wheel here, which actually spins."

The pieces are limited to 10 editions of each of the six styles. The design duo, who founded Uhuru in 2004, run a full woodworking and metal shop in Red Hook and plan to open a showroom on the ground floor by mid-June. 

"I found out my wife got pregnant and I got this inspiration to put together a show," said Jeff Mayer, 40, of 718 Made in Brooklyn, whose designs also reflect the character of New York City.  Mr. Mayer's branded pieces are inspired by the transit system – a Lantern stuck out to us as particularly cool, as did a glowing bench featuring an authentic decommissioned subway sign. Mr. Mayer's first foray into the design world also features t-shirts, skateboards and a custom bike and bike rack, a collaboration with Brooklyn Machine Works.

"The subway bench, that's my favorite," he said. "The lanterns go hand in hand with it – I have two of these on my wall at home, you know, you put some nice loungey music on, you're hanging out with friends on the couch, it just creates a really nice light glow."

718 Made in Brooklyn will launch an online store later this summer, and feature its wares at design shops around town.

As this reporter meandered through the various booths showcasing unique and intricate designs, we found a variety of other pieces we fell in love with: book shelves and a TV stand by Eco Systems, a long boarding hanging sculpture by Daniel Moyer Designs, and a long dining table with a gorgeous lighting scheme suspended above it by Andre Joyau.  Check out our slide show below for more images from the show.