Maker Movement
By Dehne Sibbernsen
The second trend, or iteration of an already existing trend, seen at NeoCon was the refined maker movement, where fine-craft was formally expressed through minimal materials used in a maximal way.
It is the coalescence of simplicity of form, exposed joinery, honesty of material. Solid, light wood construction with a natural, soaped finish; natural honed stone; leather and wool upholstery; molded plastic; colors that range from muted, almost weathered pinks and greens, to darker non-colors (deep navy, ochre, and burgundy); blackened steel and a few mixed metals; and lots of woven materials for an almost transparent feel.
This brought back many of the same ideas seen at last yearâs SightUnseen Offsite, another favorite design fair, which serves as a springboard pop-up show for up-and-coming designers to showcase their work during New York Design Week. One such exhibit that caught my attention was one titled, “Furnishing Utopia: Shaker Design Influence Now” led by the design firm Studio Gorm which explored the simplistic forms common to the Shaker movement, where function and form are one and the same.
I felt OFS Brands, Keilhauer and HBF did a beautiful job of capturing this in a fresh, unique way.
Loving the new molded-plastic Beetle chair by the Copenhagen-based design house Gubi and distributed exclusively through HBF. Love the blackened metal legs and the molded plastic seat. Definitely a new classic!
I thought this pegboard and dowel shelving unit by OFS Brands definitely captured the refined maker movement aesthetic. Everything feels so simple, yet beautifully detailed. Side note, kudos to their styling team. I’m completely in love with graphics on the cover of the books. Perfect!
Keilhauer took objects and accessories to a whole new level with this stunning wall hanging and hanging metal planters. The wall hanging adds an added element of texture and layering on the vertical surface. The forms of the planters feels fresh, unique and unexpected.
Dehne Sibbernsen is a New York-based designer in HOK’s New York studio, and is sharing with us the trends he spots at NeoCon 2017.