The Hudson Company + FAIR at Collective Design Fair 2016

FAIR Showroom, NYC.

The FAIR exhibit space at Collective Design Fair 2016.

the right balance of artistry and thoughtfulness

The designer behind FAIR is New Yorker Brad Ford. 

Back in October, 2014, Ford organized a modern makers craft fair in upstate New York called Field + Supply. The focus of that fair was on modern, elevated craftsmanship showcasing artisans from the Hudson Valley area as well as makers who work in New York City and Brooklyn. FAIR is an extension of that concept and is now a permanent showroom at the New York Design Center. It is more edited and elevated than the original event upstate, but the focus remains on high-end, handcrafted design and craft. Many of the same designers who showed their work at Field + Supply are represented at FAIR and several of them are craftspeople that Ford has worked with over the years on his own high-end design projects.

With FAIR, Ford's emphasis is on the people behind the products, “I have established relationships with a lot of these artists and know how beautifully executed their workmanship is. They have the right balance of artistry and thoughtfulness so there’s a timelessness to their work which I think has a lot of value. For me, their work should be considered future heirlooms that will last for generations.”

THE HUDSON COMPANY & FAIR

Whether he is collecting bespoke furniture, lighting, textiles, or ceramic objects for the FAIR showroom, Ford's has established an aesthetic that fits well with The Hudson Company's own design values.

So, we were proud to collaborate with Brad for this year's Collective Design Fair in NYC. As a part of FAIR's exhibit space at CDF, Ford incorporated Hudson Company Select Harvest White Oak [French Cut, Bare Finish] flooring, as a contrast to the glossy white concrete of the event space flooring.The end result was an exhibit space that felt warm, clean, welcoming, and modern - all adjectives that clearly describe what FAIR is all about. 

Click here to learn more about Hudson Company Select Harvest White Oak [French Cut, Bare Finish] or contact us for a quote for your next design project. 

Hudson Company Select Harvest White Oak [French Cut, Bare Finish] floors used by designer Brad Ford at Collective Design Fair 2016.

Interior design by Brad Ford.

Designer Brad Ford.

The Hudson Company + ASH NYC at Collective Design Fair 2016

Collective Design Fair 2016, VIP Lounge by ASH NYC.

The Hudson Company + ASH NYC 

Over the past five years, we've watched as ASH NYC has made a name for themselves in New York's competitive design community. In that time, ASH NYC has grown from five to twenty five team members and has gained a reputation as an innovative and bespoke urban design shop that's right at the cutting edge of what's happening today - in interior design as well as in development, staging, and furniture and object production.

This past year, The Hudson Company had the opportunity to meet up with ASH NYC and share the story behind our brand and sustainably-milled products lines. One thing led to another and, before long, ASH NYC was incorporating Hudson Co. Reclaimed Heart Pine [Chalk Finish] into one of their residential design projects. 

'OFFICE SPACE' Lounge BY ASH NYC

Not long after that, ASH NYC was asked to design a piece for the 2016 Collective Design Fair VIP lounge. From the design brief, the designers' developed a concept they called, "Office Space." Here's how they explained their final concept:

"Employing office culture as a conceptual framework for the VIP Lounge at Collective Design 2016, OfficeSpace conflates the banal - cubicles, dropped acoustic panels and ready made office furnitures with the exuberant - art and design. For moments of rest from the chaos, we would like to invite visitors to mingle and relax by the proverbial water cooler."

To help reach their overall design objectives, ASH NYC turned, once again, to The Hudson Company's Reclaimed Heart Pine [Chalk Finish] for the custom, one of a kind conference table they crafted for the VIP lounge's (see above and below).

The result of our collaboration with ASH NYC was both very satisfying and very inspiring - to see the Reclaimed Heart Pine [Chalk Finish] used for a furniture build out was such a creative contrast to how Chalk is best known, as the flooring installed at the new Whitney Museum of American Art. 

Bravo to the whole team at ASH NYC on their success at Collective Design Fair 2016. We are honored to have been a part of the process. We look forward to seeing the designs you bring to life in the years to come.

You can learn more about ASH NYC at their website and on Instagram.

Lounge space before.

After.

The ASH NYC Team at Collective Design Fair 2016.

The Hudson Company + Collective Design Fair 2016

THE HUDSON COMPANY + COLLECTIVE DESIGN FAIR

The Hudson Company is proud to support the 2016 Collective Design Fair. At this year's fair, you will find samplings of our very own Reclaimed Heart Pine [Chalk Finish] and Select Harvest White Oak [French Cut] being utilized in exhibits by two exciting creative forces: ASH NYC and FAIR (curated by Brad Ford ID).

Collective Design Fair 2016

Collective Design is dedicated to exploring the significance of design across creative disciplines and everyday life. Through its annual fair, Collective Design illuminates both the design process and the diversity of today’s material culture, originating a robust series of conversations and education programs to foster dialogue, encourage the exchange of ideas, and build a growing audience for collectible design.

The Collective Design fair is a commercial and educational platform featuring thoughtfully selected works from an international roster of established and emerging galleries. The fair has leveraged the city’s energy to become a vital part of New York’s cultural calendar, cultivating a spirit of discovery that appeals to both avid patrons and those new to collecting design.

Learn more about Collective Design Fair 2016 and get tickets here.

Interior Design by Brad Ford ID

Products and Design by FAIR

Sag Harbor Cottage, Design by ASH NYC (both images)

Installation in Focus: 'Stonewood Farm' private residence, New York

The Pleasures of Country Living

‘Only by letting nature in can we create a sense of coherence and kinship among house, landscape and environs. Only with that connection can a home be nurturing and invigorating.’ -Designer Ken Holzberg

When designer Ken Holzberg was ready to build his dream home at Stonewood Farm, near Millbrook, New York, the goal of his project was to create something new, while still retaining a sense of continuity with the past.

Describing his inspiration for the project, Ken writes, ‘Farmhouses and their outbuildings have always been thoughtfully tied to the land...they are made of honest, natural materials – typically what is locally available – further connecting them to their surroundings.’

When Ken approached The Hudson Company in search of the perfect materials for his project (reclaimed wood flooring, exposed beams, and vintage doors), we knew we were collaborating with an accomplished designer with an eye for detail. From hand picked cabinet hardware to custom-made light fixtures, Ken curated the perfect palette of materials and textures. ‘If I had to describe my style in one word, I would call it eclectic,’ writes Holzberg, ‘I love to take old, beautiful materials and objects from different eras and places – pieces that would never have otherwise known each other – and put them together to give them new life against the backdrop of an understatedly elegant room.’

perfectly imperfect: The Right Materials for home

Upon visiting The Hudson Company Mill, Ken was able to find flooring materials, exposed beams, and antique lumber that fit his precise vision. Choosing to incorporate 1,000 square feet of Reclaimed Hemlock floors, Reclaimed Softwood Beams [Original Face]. and an additional 3,000 square feet of Reclaimed Mixed Softwood [Threshing Floor] flooring - both sourced from historic farm buildings in the area - Ken was able to achieve the desired effect of a modern, informal home that is rich in historical character.

‘When all is said and done,’ writes Holzberg, ‘I think Stonewood’s interior spaces work so well for me because they are infinitely approachable...everything is perfectly imperfect...nothing is too precious to touch, eat at, or sit on. Everyone can feel welcome and comfortable in our home.’

This installation profile originally appeared in The Hudson Company Journal, Volume 1. To request a print copy of The Hudson Company Journal, please contact us at info@thehudsonco.com.

RECLAIMED MIXED SOFTWOODS [THRESHING FLOOR, BARLEY FINISH]

RECLAIMED HEMLOCK [MUSHROOM WOOD] FLOORING

RECLAIMED SOFTWOOD BEAMS [ORIGINAL FACE]

The Ming: Bryan Nash Gill + The Hudson Company

Artist Bryan Nash Gill working on 'The Ming' at The Hudson Company's Brooklyn Showroom, April 2013.

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‘The best art is simple, direct, and resonates without explanation. It is connected, simply, to the way things are.’ Curator and friend of the artist, Steven Holmes

Simple. Direct. Resonant. If there was ever an artist and craftsman whose work was powerful through its simplicity - it was prolific sculptor, painter, and printmaker Bryan Nash Gill (1961 - 2013).

For three days in April 2013, The Hudson Company was proud to collaborate with and host Bryan in our Brooklyn showroom, where he created the extraordinary ‘Ming’ duo-tone woodcut print. At sixteen feet in length, the ‘Ming’ became not only Bryan’s largest ever woodcut print, but also the last print he would make before his unexpected death in May of that year.

This unique collaboration was born after The Hudson Company acquired a hardwood beam originating from a temple from the Ming Dynasty of China (14th - 17th centuries). As long time admirers of Bryan’s work, we wondered what stories he might be able to draw out of such a venerable artifact; what history the grain and knots of the ancient beam could reveal?

With his signature passion for exploration, Bryan applied his creative process to the ‘Ming’ project with a childlike excitement. During those three days, Bryan described what drove him to continually experiment and develop his craft: ‘...it’s a process of discovery, a process of learning, a process of putting yourself on the edge and kind of having the courage to go forth and see what happens, and learn from the process.’

At the end of his three days of ‘discovery’ at The Hudson Company showroom, Bryan produced a large-scale print that is both beautiful and surprising. Far removed from its place and era and utility of origin, ‘The Ming’ shows us a new perspective on the patterns of life encapsulated in the lines and layers of wood. Like a massive fingerprint from a distant time and place, ‘The Ming,’ like all of Bryan’s woodcuts, draws viewers into the very heart of wood - past it’s surface and color and hardness - to the nucleus of it’s identity.

Steven Holmes describes the woodcuts of Bryan Nash Gill as a way to, ‘participate in historically anchored beauty,’ by understanding wood, ‘not as an object, but as a verb.’ Today, ‘The Ming’ hangs proudly in The Hudson Company showroom as a symbol of the new perspectives that can be gained from reimagining historical artifacts. It hangs as a tribute to our friend Bryan. It hangs as an example of beautiful craftsmanship and innovative vision. It hangs as a reminder of the resonance that comes from simple beauty found in the way things are.

Watch the video below to see Bryan at work on The Ming in The Hudson Company's Brooklyn Showroom, in April 2013.

'The Ming' [The Hudson Company + Artist Bryan Nash Gill] HD from The Hudson Company on Vimeo.