One of the show-stoppers at this year’s BKLYN Designs was the Pratt Institute’s student exhibition. There’s no better place to catch great new work by young designers, and we were particularly impressed by Ian Collings’ reclaimed wood “Urban Driftwood” stools. They’re beautiful pieces that balance reclaimed natural and man-made materials in a design that is simultaneously rough and refined.
Here at Inhabitat we love industrious reuse of
found objects, since some of the most sustainable designs use no new materials at all. These “Urban Driftwood” stools are constructed out of reclaimed materials salvaged in Brooklyn, where all kinds of large-scale construction and renovation projects are currently in progress.
Collings has beautifully refinished the rough-hewn cabers to display the delicate subtleties and depth that aged wood can express. Each timber tree-stool is topped with a comfortable neoprene cushion that fits flush to the trunk, seamlessly mirroring the wood’s texture. A set of casters rounds out the design, giving the stools a gliding ease that you wouldn’t expect from their solid stature.
Ian Collings first stunned the design cognoscenti in 2006 with his award-winning work on the Splat Doorstop. It’s great to see him turn his attention towards sustainable materials as his work progresses!
+ BKLYN Designs
+ BKLYN Designs 2008 – Inhabitat Reports
The edges of neoprene will shred quickly with use. I hope you like bits of cushioning everywhere.
Actually, I purchased one of these stools from Ian shortly after the show, and after five months of use, the neoprene is still immaculate, and comfortable. Although they raise a very important point about materials and value in today’s design world, they are also incredibly playful in the sense that the wheels make rolling around like a kid, easy and fun to do. It’s a nice surprise, whether it was intended or not.