One of the best finds I made at BKLYN Designs this weekend was discovering new design collective EverySpace Designs. The three designers have a portfolio of beautiful pieces which take simple, basic components and combine them in innovative ways to create fresh, unique designs – inevitably evoking a “why didn’t I think of that?”
This beautiful Arrange shelf is a perfect example: take a shelf, add test tubes, insert flowers! Straightforward as it is, I have never seen anything quite like this before. The contrast between the basic wooden shelf, the fragile glass test-tubes, and the sprig of flowers makes it a stunning piece. If only all furniture came with test-tube vases attached!
Designer Jill Ayers says that she started the Arrange line with the goal to integrate nature and furniture. Originally intended for a front hallway, the shelf functions as a catch-all for your comings and goings, and doubles as a modern receptacle for flowers, small plants or knick-knacks. The tubes can be easily removed and filled with water as needed, and the test tubes could hold small pieces of bamboo or pencils as well as they hold flowers. All components are sustainable, simple to put together and easy to dismantle.
EverySpace is a Brooklyn-based design collective which was started in 2004 by Jill Ayers, Christy Coleman and Yuichiro Nishizawa. Their body of work, which includes swiveling tables, chairs and eco-resin shelves, is gorgeous and very impressive for such a young group of designers.
Crazy simple, here I was thinking they used some super special flower that grew in an inch of water or something.
Bummer.
Very nice way to show off your flowers. I would put it near the entrance, so people can check it out while they take their shoes off, and put whatever on the table to free their hands. If it can be flipped over or comes reversed, I’d get two for both sides!
I’m not feeling it. First, while I appreciate whimsy and have a modern style sensibility most times, I really like vases. You can use them with flowers or without and they look just as pretty sitting empty on shelf as they do complimenting lovely fresh flowers. This without flowers? Kinda weird. Additionally, vases are much simpler. I feel like this thing is a bit of an overdesign. I mean, if you have flowers in it, watering will be a pain (turkey baster?) and cleaning the tubes will take time. Additonally, if the tubes are empty, Id still feel like Id have to lift each one out and blow some air in to get the dust out. Modernity in design is meant to make everyday things more fun and improve quality of life, and this just screams maintenance to me.
I hear you Elizabeth. While I do like the look and feel it’s presenting, I also know from keeping a lot of fresh flowers that you need something that’s easy to clean, vases can get pretty dingy.
I suggest that instead of a dozen or so little tiny test tubes, why not one large, square, removable peice which takes up the same space? Keeps the sleek square design, the glass/wood feeling, can hold objects other than just flower stems or pencils, and is easier to clean out.
The pics look really cool, its delicate because of the flowers yet classy as well… Thanks for showing different ways to display flowers, will definitely try them out than just chuck flowers in one vase.