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      Friedman Benda showcases furniture pieces with a story to tell

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      A mirror-cum-observatory and a lockdown lounge chair with an integrated bar feature in an exhibition at New York’s Friedman Benda gallery that explores the value of design objects beyond just their practical use.The show, titled Split Personality, was curated by Alice Stori Liechtenstein and features furniture and homewares from 17 different designers.
      Each piece was chosen because it has a symbolic value beyond what meets the eye, exploring topics from immigration to biodiversity loss through different materials and production methods.

      Top image: Split Personality is on view at Friedman Benda until 6 February. Above: Toomas Toomepuu contributed to the show

      The exhibition focuses on the stories the objects have to tell, Liechtenstein told Dezeen, using chairs as an example.
      “There are thousands of chairs and the most comfortable chair has already been invented and reinvented 100 times,” she said.
      “So a lot of the time, what we want when we’re looking for a chair is not just something to sit on. But what makes an object particularly interesting are the stories it is able to tell once you have the time to discover them.”
      In this way, Liechtenstein explains, the exhibition rejects the strict Bauhausian ideal of form over function. “We’re over it,” she said. “I see the message as a form of function.”

      Limited grasses table by Mischer’Traxler
      Several of the projects on show are the culmination of extensive research projects, among them a coffee table from Viennese duo Mischer’Traxler. Protruding from its gridded frame are brass effigies of a near-extinct grass species known as agropyron cristatum, of which only around 200 specimens remain in Austria.

      Tour of design exhibition at historic Austrian castle with curator Alice Stori Liechtenstein as part of VDF

      “They are only making five editions of this table because on each table there are 40 brass stems. So it’s a way of representing the number of plants that really exist in nature,” Liechtenstein explained.
      “I think this kind of exercise is very useful because a lot of the time, we don’t realise what a number means until we see it visualised.”

      Christien Meindertsma grew the flax for this rug herself
      Disillusioned with the fact that she couldn’t trace a piece of linen yarn back to the flax field where it originated, Dutch designer Christien Meindertsma decided to acquire a piece of land and grow the crop herself.
      From her yield she created a chair and a series of textiles, including a shaggy rug on show at the gallery.
      “For her, it’s not just about one rug,” said the curator. “The real design project is about making sure that she knows where the material is coming from, that it’s treated properly, that there are no damages to the environment.”

      Commonplace Studio’s Observatorium Mirror shows images of space
      A more abstract exploration of our relationship to nature is the Observatorium Mirror by Commonplace Studio – an obsidian screen in which Liechtenstein says you can see yourself “just well enough to put lipstick on”.
      Simultaneously, the mirror also shows NASA images of far-flung galaxies that visitors can zoom in and out of using a focus pin.
      “We’re so used to seeing ourselves in the mirror and the mirror is all about you. Whereas in this instance, you’re really confronting yourself with the immensity of the universe and reflecting on the larger world,” added the curator.

      Arnaud Eubelen’s designs make use of abandoned building materials
      Other designs subvert function in a literal way by repurposing objects for new uses, with Belgian designer Arnaud Eubelen assembling a light and side table from discarded building materials.

      Jonathan Trayte turns the American landscape into fantastical furniture

      Similarly, Eindhoven-based Ismaël Rifaï made a bench by taping blankets and plastic bottles to an iron trolley frame, inspired by the inventive ways that goods are transported across the border in the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta in Morocco.

      Ismaël Rifaï’s bench uses rugs as upholstery
      A small room off the main exhibition space is covered from floor to ceiling with checkered, plastic mesh bags, as is the furniture within it, creating the claustrophobic impression of stepping inside one of the bags themselves.
      The installation by South African photographer Nobukho Nqaba is based on her Umaskhenkethe photo series and explores how these bags have come to act as emblems of migration, known by different names around the world – such as Ghana Must Go bags in Nigeria.

      Nobukho Nqaba created her installation especially for the exhibition
      “They are always associated with immigrants and the people who use them are seen as homeless. And at the same time, the bags are a symbol of home because their home, most of the time, is carried in these bags,” said Liechtenstein.
      “Although Nobukho is not a classic furniture designer, I think she really has a sense for what the symbology of an object can be.”

      Jonathan Trayte’s Kula Sour was another commission
      Several pieces were commissioned especially for the exhibition, including a lounge chair by British designer Jonathan Trayte that can help to create a sense of escapism for its user during lockdown.
      It features a built-in lamp, a bar with an icebox and a side table on which to prop a laptop, creating a kind of island onto itself that allows the user to pretend they’re somewhere more exotic.

      Wieki Somers also contributed to the show
      Also taking part in the exhibition are Wieki Somers, Rich Aybar, Thomas Ballouhey, Emma Fague, Fernando Laposse, Chris Schanck, Brynjar Sigurðarson, Katie Stout, Soft Baroque and Toomas Toomepuu.
      Split Personality is on view at Friedman Benda Gallery in New York until 6 February 2021. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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      The Brooklyn Home Company designs Passivhaus in Brooklyn

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      American studio The Brooklyn Home Company has designed a Brooklyn townhouse using Passivhaus principles in New York’s Carroll Gardens neighbourhood.The Sackett Street townhouse comprises four storeys as well as a rooftop with views of the Manhattan skyline, along with a basement and a drive-in garage.

      The four-storey townhouse has views of the Manhattan skyline
      Stairs from an outside decking area lead to a back garden, and a private terrace is accessed from the main bedroom.
      Passivhaus is a recognised European energy standard for homes that require minimal energy to heat or cool and promote high indoor air quality.

      The Sackett Street townhouse’s back garden

      For the townhouse project, The Brooklyn Home Company used an energy recovery ventilation (ERV) filtration system.
      “The air quality brings health and cognitive benefits that the developer believes will become the new standard for home building in New York City,” co-founder of The Brooklyn Home Company William Caleo told Dezeen.
      “The homes also maintain humidity levels to prevent virus spread, which is common in both dry and cold weather. In short, our opinion is it’s the best way to build new homes,” he said.

      A living room leads to the back garden
      Adopting Passivhaus principles addresses two of society’s greatest threats, argued William Caleo.
      “As society grapples with not only the current public-health crisis but the reality of climate change, builders and home designers are using Passivhaus design as an alternative technique in the wake of Covid-19.”

      The house’s walls are painted in white Farrow and Ball paint
      William Caleo and his sister Lyndsay Caleo Karol worked closely with his sister’s husband, Fitzhugh Karol, the studio’s in-house artist, to design the interiors.
      Madera white oak hardwood floors and walls painted with white Farrow and Ball paint were chosen to create a “bright and airy” home.

      A hand-crafted bed by Fitzhugh Karol in the main bedroom
      Hand-crafted pieces of furniture designed by Fitzhugh Karol include the wooden four-poster bed in the main bedroom.

      VonDalwig Architecture brightens Brooklyn townhouse House 22

      Other one-of-a-kind pieces include a bespoke dining table and a dresser, and the elegant twin beds in the children’s room were also made bespoke for the property.

      The twin beds in the children’s bedroom were made especially for the house
      The townhouse’s open-plan kitchen is a mixture of exposed beams and custom built-in wood, also designed by Fitzhugh Karol. A reclaimed ceiling by The Brooklyn Home Company hangs overhead.
      These rustic features are offset with sleek Pietra Cardosa countertops and a range cooker by La Cornue. Hardware fixtures by Waterworks and Restoration Hardware tie the space together.

      The property’s kitchen is a mix of rustic and polished features
      Selected artwork is also integral to the townhouse’s interior atmosphere. A notable piece is Tyler Hays of BDDW’s painting of a woman, made of puzzle pieces, which hangs in the dining room.
      Artistworks by Jen Wink Hays, Paule Morrot and Caleb Marcus Cain also decorate townhouse’s light and open rooms.

      Artist Tyler Hays’ puzzle painting adds depth to the dining room’s white walls
      The Brooklyn Home Company has recently launched 25 new homes also built according to Passivhaus principles across two Brooklyn developments in South Slope and Greenwood Heights.

      More Passivhaus projects outside of Europe include the upcoming 1075 Nelson Street skyscraper in Vancouver, designed by UK studio WKK Architects. When completed, it will be the world’s tallest Passivhaus building to date.
      Photography is by Matthew Williams and Travis Mark.

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