New From BDDW

In case you’re not familiar with the work of New York design studio BDDW, two words should spread some light: captain’s mirror. If you haven’t seen this widely coveted, frequently blogged about and now much copied design, I’m going to assume you’ve been trapped under a boulder with James Franco.

Far from a one hit wonder, BDDW is also behind equally praise-worthy storage, lighting, tables and clocks. So when I was in New York recently, I popped into BDDW’s showroom at Crosby and Howard streets. Here are a few pics I snapped:

As you can see, the company (headed up by designer Tyler Hays) specializes in emptying pockets in exchange for gorgeous wood furniture that manages to be fresh and familiar at the same time. So I was surprised when I found out what they were working on next.

I’ll wager one of their tripod lamps you’ll never guess what it is. I’ll even give you a hint: one appears in the picture above.

Bows and arrows!

Each is beautifully made on these giant presses. I could see them becoming objet in a country cabin or hung on a wall to add rustic grit to urban spots, but they are also fully functional.

To test them out, the team built a shooting range at one end of the showroom.

Unfortunately, I was one day late to participate in the neighborhood competition, which — judging by the scoreboard — was a stylish affair. Among those taking aim were teams from Hable Construction, Ted Muehling, Opening Ceremony and Derek Lam.

Don’t be surprised if their wild west inspiration proves just as influential as their furniture designs. Navajo-print pillows anyone?

To find out about Suzanne Dimma’s favourite BDDW piece, read her Cottage Inspiration Photos blog post.

Photo credits:
1. Captain’s Mirror, BDDW
2-14. Kimberley Brown