Last year, Dutch-raised, Brooklyn-based designer Alissia Melka-Teichroew curated a show of Dutch design at the CITE showroom, during New York's International Contemporary Furniture Fair. And that was cool and all. But this year, she's back at CITE, and the show--which was co-sponsored by Fast Company--hits closer to home. "CITE Goes America" focuses on American-made design. And perhaps more than any other show in recent memory, it show that America is finally producing world-class, lust-worthy design to rival Europe or Scandinavia. The show will opens tomorrow, and runs through June 11. But here's a teaser, to whet your appetite and tickle your retinas.
Here, this amply endowed young lady wears a piece from Melka-Teichroew's Jointed Jewels series, which was produced with rapid prototyping. Each bead is a working ball-and-socket joint, so that the piece drapes over the wearer.
The Xylem Brooch by Nervous System, which was based on a cross section of the circulatory systems of plants. The brooch's minute details would have been impossible without rapid prototyping.
Manuel Saez's Trancient clock is a reference to sun dials: It shows the time as a shadow between where the clock hands would normally be positioned.
"Master Switch" by Materious. The tassel is embedded with piezoelectric generators; when you pull it, the energy you expend powers a RF signal, which in turn shuts off the power at a wall socket. As they write, "Referencing the Victorian bell pull, switching everyday appliances on and off now becomes a more resplendent act and better reflects our (supposed) mastership over our electrical domestic ‘servants.'"
Materious's silly umbrellas for Kikkerland, which have handles in the shape of sword hilts to encourage "aggressive fantasies" of "more manly, sword-bearing times."
The Holly shelf bracket by Brooklyn designer Henry Julier, which simultaneously holds the shelf and functions as a bookend.
It also ships in a flat envelope.
The USB Boat, designed by Chicago-based Giffin'Termeer. It serves as a USB hub for your computer peripherals.
Manymals by Marcus Diebel. Five percent of proceeds go to WildAid.org. Diebel, formerly the Design Director at IDEO, is now VP of Design at Incase.
One of Incase's laptop sleeves.
Evan Clabots's Slight Awkward Desk Lamp. Notice the rear leg, which lifts slightly from the table surface ...
... and allows the lamp to be adjusted simply by tipping it back.
Karl Zahn's Phrena Lamp from Artecnica, a young American company that focuses on sustainable products. The lamp's shade unfurls from a single sheet of Tyvek--better known as the stuff that FedEx uses in its soft envelopes. The base is whisper thin, which allows the whole thing to be shipped while occupying vanishingly little space.
Artecnica's Stretch bag. When not in use, it collapses into a slip of Tyvek, for easy storage and energy-efficient shipping.
Kikkerland's Dog Stapler.
Stanley Ruiz's AnnoDomini calendar, which transforms the cross into a simple peg calendar.
Lindsey Adelman's Terrarium pendant light.
Paul Loebach's Hammer Time clock, which comes with a brass peg to hang it. The peg can be seen on the clock face, and becomes its single piece of functional decoration.
Timothy Liles's charming, goofy Braid Dead rug. The rug is hand-braided in New England, as part of a collection titled "New New England," composed of new products that lean on traditional, local craft-work.
Crayon, a series of rings by Timothy Liles which use the same wax as Crayons, so that you can doodle with the ring.
