Old suits, new seats – feature in NY TIMES

WHEN February gets to be too much and you need a little fun, you could do worse than hop over to Voos, a furniture store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The designers there think so far outside the box that very little is squared, so good luck finding a familiar-looking place to sit down. But the gallery is guaranteed to make you smile.

You might find Deger Cengiz’s portable seat in the shape of the head of former President George W. Bush, with a belt for lashing it to a pole, or Laurie Beckerman’s Corian loveseat rocker in which two people must sit facing each other — so seductive and sociable, it is astonishing no one has found a way to mass produce it (at $12,000, it’s too expensive to own otherwise).

Lately, Voos has been having Friday night cocktails to introduce their designers. The most recent event, on Feb. 19, was for seven designers from the Rhode Island School of Design, a few of whom had not yet graduated. They approached furniture as philosophical inquiry, their conversations beginning with, “The problem I was investigating” or variations thereof.

Environmental responsibility was a given. Friday night, among the jeans and dark purple nail polish, one could find Andrea Summerton’s environmentally correct Bella Bench side table ($800), which was made, the catalog noted, of “urea formaldehyde-free bamboo”; Jennifer Tran’s eco-resin Flow chair ($950), which resembled a sheet of plastic curved in upon itself in a welcoming arch; and Debra Folz’s 100-Percent Wax side table ($1,350).

No, it does not easily melt, Ms. Folz explained, because it is industrial wax with a melting point of 240 degrees. She likes that it is made from a material that can be reused, she said. This was also helpful when she had difficulty getting the legs right.

There were decorative objects as well, including Jeremy Leichman’s “Suits” ($300), a small tabletop sculpture of a man in a suit, slowly spinning upside down on one arm. The designer, 29, was wearing a Borsalino porkpie and a leather jacket. When the hoary ritual of business-card exchange was initiated by the reporter — who, while not literally suited up, is an admitted suit — Mr. Leichman offered a business card that appeared blank.

“I can’t read this,” the reporter said.

“It’s in Braille,” he said playfully. “I like the gag of it.”

(Oh, no. Have we reached the age where the jokes must be explained? We are Old Suits.)

Explain the work, if you will, you impudent, uh, Hat.

“He’s a Suit, a man in a suit,” Mr. Leichman said. “He’s doing the dance — the daily grind.”

Why so grim? Can’t a Suit be happy?

“One only has to look at the new patterns of greed by people who wear suits,” he said. “That’s looking at it in derogatory terms. This is a more comical way of saying what that uniform says about somebody. Of course, I guess you could say my uniform says something about me.”

What does his hat say?

“I have to be protected from the elements,” he said. “Also, I needed a hat because I got married last month.”

So many young designers, so little space: There was James Lear’s gray upholstered Fail Bench ($1,450), which resembled a Parsons table given a good thwack in the middle so that it angled down (“From a series examining how you can devise function out of failure,” Mr. Lear said). And Frank Cresencia’s Splay Bench ($1,800), a barrel-shaped wood stave bench (“It’s about how furniture interacts with its environment, the space it’s in,” Mr. Cresencia said).

There was also Hyejung Park’s Constellation hanger and seats ($400), a vertical wooden plank on which four convex padded discs hung from wooden dowels. The idea, explained Ms. Park, 27, was that guests remove a seat, hang their jackets on the now-vacant dowel and sit down. In South Korea, where Ms. Park grew up, it is normal to sit on the floor, she said, though some Westerners struggle with it.

She offered a seat to the reporter and they sat. It was not only difficult to sit on, it was also very hard. Ms. Park said this was by design, as it helps straighten the spine. Then she helped the Suit to her feet and the Suit, surely as a man on a wire, rotated off to work.

Good Night Moon – Daily Candy

Good Night Soon

Acme Zoo Lights

Good Night Moon was your bedtime ace-in-the-hole.

Until Junior started complaining about being afraid of the dark.

Set the stage for deep sleep with the gentle glow of an Acme Zoo night-light.

Available in a range of soothing hues, these ecofriendly lamps cast a soft light guaranteed to bring on sweet slumber. Choose from the simple Angel Collection (all white), the brilliantly colored Crayon collection (in green, yellow, orange, or pink), or the playful Candy collection (backlit in green, yellow, orange, or pink).

Each series features whimsical cutouts — a bunny, a deer, a bear — illuminated by a fluorescent bulb that plugs easily into the wall.

So you can turn back time with just a flip of the switch.
Available at Babesta Cribz, 56 Warren Street, between West Broadway and Church Street, Tribeca (646-290-5508 orbabesta.com); online at acmeworldzoo.com.

Our story in Giggle Guide

The kütelight Helps Bring Animals’ Plight to Light!

For animal lovers everywhere, the Acme World Zoo offers a stylish way to help displaced animals and teach children to do the same. The Acme World Zoo offers the kütelight, a modern, back-lit wall light with enchanting animal silhouettes. This luminary’s creation spans generations, from its salvaged vintage 1950’s animal silhouettes to its initial inspiration drawn from the hurricane Katrina disaster. The Giggle Guide™ is pleased to spotlight this innovative product and its socially-responsible beacon of hope and caring.

To read more click here

Cool Mom Picks on the kütelight

Our friends from Cool Mom Picks, recently wrote an article about us:

“Think of the kütelight as an illuminated wall sculpture; the compact fluorescent bulb behind the powder-coated metal box lights up the cute bunny or kitty or Scottie dog on the front, and the effect is both subtle and striking. The all white on white is great for a baby’s room, but if you’re not afraid of bold color, get your hands on that awesome orange one. “

To read the full article visit their site.

 

 

A Toast to Crest fundraiser at Eyelevel BQE

Eyelevel BQE Gallery is now carrying some our kutelight limited edition collection. Take a look at the pictures from their latest event with Grantees from FEAST (Funding Emerging Art with Sustainable Tactics), and Luisa Gloria Mota-Velasco and San Honesto’s participation.

 

Guests wearing their newly purchased San Honesto Tshirts and our lights

 

Charlie Dog and Polar Bear lights

The Baby Guest was really into the polar bear

New York Times

The New York Times wrote a piece about our friends at  Voos, a Brookyn store that sells furniture designed in Brooklyn. Some of our angel collection is being sold there. It looks so fun along with the other furniture tastefully selected by them. Read the full article

NEW YORK TIMES

Minor Details

Our friends of Minor Details wrote about us

The Acme World Zoo is Brooklyn based design team that designed the Kutelight. I was happy to meet them both at the Bubble Trade show this year. The lights are powder coated metal that is easy on energy and the eyes. Not only are the animal cut outs playful in design but 5% of all sales go to the Brooklyn based animal shelter BARC.

And yes we do, please take a minute to visit Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition site as well.

Hello world!

Hello World is generally the way to say your blog has been born, but so has the Zoo.

We were so excited to have done or first Bubble show, where we met a lot of different people, some of our friends are already writing about us. Check it out