Client: Haworth, 2024

Winner Best of NeoCon, Innovation Award 2024.

HiP Finalist, Lounge Seating 2024.

Honoree Best of NYCxDesign Award 2024.

Our Wyn Active Lounge Chair for Haworth is the result of years of effort alongside Haworth's design and engineering teams to perfect a much needed seating typology within the office floorplate.

Wyn combines the comfort and aesthetics of a modern, finely crafted lounge chair with the utility and mobility necessary for both private work and collaboration in today's workspace. The chair's ergonomics provide a healthy and engaged body positioning, while also allowing for a wider range of movement due to its overall scale. With options that include a tablet work surface, bag hook and beverage holder, Wyn was designed primarily as a tool for productivity and convenience, while simultaneously offering in its most pared down variation the quintessential modern conference chair.

Client: Quiet Town, 2024

Winner of Interior Design best of the Year Award 2024.

The Spot is an innovative modular shower organizer designed for versatility and convenience. Its unique construction from powder coated aluminum ensures durability and a sleek appearance, while its customizable features cater to individual storage requirements. The adjustable strap length allows for easy hanging over any shower head or wall mounting, adapting to various setups seamlessly.

Beyond the bathroom, The Spot excels as a multifunctional organizer in different areas of the home. In the entryway, it serves as a practical solution for storing keys, sunglasses, mail, and leashes. Transitioning to the home office, it can efficiently hold pens, staplers, and backup drives, helping maintain a clutter-free workspace. In the garage or garden, The Spot is ideal for tools and accessories, while in the home bar, it can organize mixers and cocktail essentials.

With its re-arrangeable storage accessories and components that can be added based on personal habits, The Spot stands out as a flexible storage solution that adapts to your lifestyle.

Be Original Americas: Member since 2023

Be Original Americas is a non-profit creative advocacy committed to informing, educating, and influencing manufacturers, artisans, design professionals, and consumers about the economic, ethical, and environmental value of authentic design.

Members include independent designers, large and small scale manufacturers, as well as architecture and interior design firms from around the country and the world including some of our own clients, such as Ligne Roset, Bernhardt Design, Carl Hanen & Son, Design Within Reach, Pablo Lighting and others.

For more information on Be Original Americas, or to learn how to get involved or become a member, visit www.beoriginalamericas.com

Client: In collaboration with Snøhetta for Martin Brattrud.

HiP Finalist, Bench Seating 2024.

Honoree of Interior Design Best of the Year Award 2024.

In October of 2022, the celebrated architecture firm Snøhetta invited us to collaborate on the design of the perfect bench to complement the firm's stunning expansion of the Omaha based Joslyn Art Museum. In the process, we found an exemplary manufacturing partner in the Los Angeles based furniture brand Martin Brattrud.

Aligning with our studio's "only what's needed" philosophy of design, and guided by Martin Brattrud's mastery of solid wood manufacturing, the Omaha bench series was designed with subtle gestures reflecting Snøhetta's sophisticated architectural solutions, while possessing a quiet, timeless form and scale well-suited to the Joslyn Museum's diverse range of environments and gallery spaces.

The Omaha collection is offered in both solid walnut and ash, and comes in a variety of sizes to accommodate a wide array of applications in corporate, higher education and hospitality environments.

Client: Darran Furniture

Winner Best of NeoCon Silver Award 2024.

Our first collaboration with the North Carolina based contract furniture brand Darran unveils our vision for a soft, inviting and highly functional modern work environment. Liaison brings to life our new concept for casual meetings and social hubs through a series of mobile, rocking and fixed seating options, occasional and conference tables, as well as a charging perch station, all designed to increase productivity and comfort within any corporate, higher education, ancillary or hospitality environment.

Client: Center for Advocacy, Support and Transformation, 2024

When CAST, a charity organization on Long Island’s North Fork, took over as their headquarters the old Southold Methodist Church in 2022, they were left with a chapel full of 150 year old chestnut church pews that were no longer needed. In an effort to raise money for the organization, and as a clever solution to unload the pews, CAST partnered with North Fork Contemporary, a local arts organization, and invited artists, designers and architects to reimagine what those pews could be.

Pieces by thirteen local artists and designers were sold at auction led by the notable Barry Bergdoll, chief curator of architecture and design for the Museum of Modern Art.

We partnered with our friends at Will Paulson Woodworks, a Cutchogue based woodworking studio, to help realize our concept for ‘Perspective.’ The folklore of Jacob’s Ladder is symbolic of the connection between Heaven and Earth, between humanity and God. It can be argued that a church pew functions in the very same way, to get one closer to God. In transforming an old church pew into something contextually relevant and meaningful, no object seemed more fitting than a ladder stretching to the heavens. But while a ladder to the heavens is of course not possible, we designed the ladder with a forced perspective, each measurement, rung and spacing mathematically calculated to create that illusion of the infinite.

Perspective was made entirely from the centuries old chestnut of the original Southold Methodist church pews, each piece milled, handcrafted and fastened to form the fourteen foot tall ladder. The traditional Japanese technique Shou Sugi Ban, which calls for a torch to burn the surface of the wood, gives the object its final blackened appearance.

Client: Kimball International, 2023

Honoree of Interior Design Best of the Year Award 2023.

Kithara is a lounge seating and table collection that features a mix of enduring aesthetics and master craftsmanship effortlessly combining to elevate the subtlety of form and function to the exquisite. From hand-stitched upholstery details to classic mortis and tenon joinery in the exposed wood frames, along with a wide variety of surface options including beveled glass and quartz, Kithara showcases both creative energy and restraint that was inherent in this collaboration between our studio and the development team at Kimball.

Client: Sutherland, 2023

The Radia collection was influenced by Sutherland founder David Sutherland's own nautical passion, the form of which was loosely inspired by the rudder of a ship. The series consists of three table options that nest perfectly together, though each piece stands beautifully on its own or paired with other collections. Radia’s dynamic yet humble aesthetic materializes through the combinations of stone tops and teak.

Client: Kateha, 2023

Verbena is our studio's second collaboration with the Swedish rug company, Kateha. The project started as a series of sketches exploring the dominant/sub-dominant/subordinate relationships of scale between objects on a page. The final design is the result of that exploration - a triplet of organic rings overlapping like a Venn diagram, but with the simplicity of a hand sketch or an understated, modest flower like the verbena.

Client: B. Lux, 2022

Crosshatch is a modular lighting solution that can be utilized on walls and ceilings, and can even transition between the two within a single configuration. In addition, it is also offered as a suspension lamp, or can configure to transition from wall to suspension. There is even an optional shelving element that easily attaches to give the user a perfect spot for a small vase of flowers or other decorative belongings.

Crosshatch is formed by a metal reticular structure that is available in three formats/sizes that can be combined to create an endless array of seamless configurations. Its visually light structure allows for the creation of volumes large and small, without ever overloading its environment. As such, the variety of configurations and the lighting generated by these configurations creates an entirely different space with every use.

As a light source, it uses a LED light with a phase-cut dimmer, which is located in a 15cm diameter opal white glass diffuser. The system guarantees optimal visual comfort, as well as glare-free lighting, while creating a unique, minimal sculptural showpiece for any room.

Client: Ligne Roset, 2022

Gemstone is our third and most recent collaboration with the famed French design house Ligne Roset. As a gemstone itself, which is meticulously faceted by hand over a long period of time, our Gemstone privacy screen and room divider features hand woven cane surrounded by an abstracted, organic gem shape sculpted from stained white ash. The concept, which was influenced by French Art Nouveau typeface, is intended to be used in both singular and multiple groupings as a sculptural solution for space division and visual privacy in home and hospitality environments.

Client: Kateha, 2022

While seemingly simple at first, Verso is a tribute to the process by which the color blocks within the rugs are created. The diagonal colorways work with the same 2:3 to 1:3 mathematical ratio as the actual dominant/sub-dominant color combinations that create the color blocks within those fields. The end result appears as a straightforward geometric design, while the second layer of context is what truly make these pieces both subtle and unique in their creation.

Client: Corral, 2022

Built for high-level thinking so you can get down to business, Summit Perch is made for casual hangs, collaborative sessions and meeting overflows. With upholstered foam and dual sided footrests, Summit supports a comfortable lean or full-sit solution for any office, lobby, cafe, hospitality or education environment.

Client: Civil, 2021

Winner of Chicago Athenaeum Green Good Design Award 2022.

Sosia (Italian for “Doppleganger”) was born from conversations on circular design between Ascalon and Civil’s owner, Kristoffer Vestre. The two sought to craft a table collection that would contribute to minimizing its environmental impact while meeting the highest design standards.

Ascalon and Vestre loved the idea of exploring different sustainability stories with different versions of the same table. Two different ways of wrapping our heads around the sustainability was an amazing challenge for the two. Doppio (meaning “double” in Italian) came first, with a reversible tabletop that adds to a longer product lifecycle, while Sosia, nearly a spitting image of Doppio, was designed to be flatpacked through its clever yet unassuming assembly that leads to an 80% reduction in its carbon footprint.

Client: Sindo Collection, 2021

Made from sustainably harvested Indonesian Teak, the Andrea Collection for Sindo was designed with a modern simplicity and in a wide range of applications created to elevate outdoor dining, lounging and entertaining in any residential, hospitality or corporate setting.

Client: Sindo Collection, 2021

Made from sustainably harvested Indonesian teak, Mezzanine is a modular outdoor sofa system designed for versatility. Consisting of an array of upholstered seating elements and platform tables with either slatted teak or Neolith sintered stone tops, the layouts and functionality of Mezzanine can range endlessly, from a paired down basic sofa to a sprawling landscape of seating and surfaces.

Client: Sindo Collection, 2021

Made from powder-coated steel and sustainably harvested Indonesian teak, Julep is a playful and functional rolling bar cart for entertaining guests. Perfect for both indoor and outdoor environments.

Client: RH, 2020

Honoree of Interior Design Best of the Year Award 2021.

Our Vietri aluminum collection was designed to feel ethereal and graphically striking from every angle. Taking advantage of the outdoor environments in which these pieces will live, the designs focus on the juxtaposition of both light and shadow, and negative and positive space, while offering a continuity of line that is expressed as reductively as possible, highlighting the strength of the material.

Client: RH, 2020

Our new Reyes Collection for RH was inspired by the North Fork of Long Island. The time spent with friends drinking wine by the water and around fire pits inspired us to completely rethink the ubiquitous Adirondack chair and its rustic allure for RH's more contemporary outdoor market.

The project was an exploration in reductive form by way of simple gestures of line and plane, with the sit proportions of the traditional Adirondack. Reyes finds itself perfectly suitable for the home, as well as in hospitality and contract environments both indoors and out. Reyes is available in both sustainably harvested teak and handcrafted aluminum, with or without matching ottoman.

Client: Umbra, 2020

Versatile and decorative wall hooks, Alouette was designed as a set of three hooks of slightly different sizes, giving the illusion of three birds in flight at varying distances. Providing additional storage on unused wall space, Alouette hooks also double as wall decor when not in use. Made from nickel-plated aluminum.

Client: Hightower, 2020

Versatile series of touchdown tables and stools for the contract, education and residential environments.

Winner of Interior Design Best of the Year Award 2020.

Winner of Metropolis Likes Neocon Award 2020.

More about Ziggy

The modern workspace is built around versatility and adaptability. Pieces need to fit in with a user's changing needs throughout the day and the Ziggy Table and Stool were designed to do exactly that. Whether utilized for solo work or combined in groups for collaboration, these pieces fit with the needs of the ever-changing office and public environments.

Geometrically striking and playfully unique, the Ziggy Table is a fun and functional addition to any multi-use space. Its lightweight and compact nature allows the table to easily be moved to create a safe and comfortable workspace anywhere. Utilize the Ziggy as a laptop or side table with existing lounge pieces, or pull up a pouf to create a small-footprint work station wherever needed.

The Ziggy Table was intentionally designed with a 60° angle, allowing for 6 tables to come together to create a larger group breakout area. Once the meeting is done, stack up to 4 tables and tuck them away to save precious space.

With a crafted leather handle and base, the Ziggy Stool is ready to slide wherever you need it. Pull one up to any meeting table for a collaborative work zone or bring over a Ziggy Table to create a space for focused individual work. The foam top and unique shape will ensure a comfortable seat, no matter the duration.

The triangular shape and contoured foam top of the Ziggy Stool create a comfortable and directional seat while also distinguishing it from other poufs on the market. With a refined and simple design, this stool will easily fit into any space, whether for work, play, or education.

While they're great pieces individually, the Ziggy Table and Stool really shine when brought together. The shape of the stool was designed to nest directly under the table, saving space when not in use, but providing a personal workstation when needed. Create a winning combination for productivity with these two pieces.

Client: Loll Designs, 2020

Outdoor hospitality and residential furniture collection made from recycled HDPE plastic. A collaboration with Ghislaine Viñas.

More About Sunnyside Revisited:

In 2015, Loll Designs launched the original Sunnyside collection by design collaborators Brad Ascalon and Ghislaine Viñas at the annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair in Manhattan. The collection was received extremely well by the design public, even taking home an ICFF Editors Award. Over the following years, Ascalon, Viñas and the team at Loll discussed the collection in terms of a simpler, lighter offering that maintained much of its imaginative charm. The goal was to take some of the cues from the original collection, as well as some of the lessons learned, and create a minimal, flat packed, more cost-effective version of itself, ideal for both indoor and outdoor environments within the hospitality and residential markets, and with a core focus on lounging and entertaining in those environments. In 2020, Loll relaunched Sunnyside as its collaborators envisioned, which is now available through Loll in a variety of colors and fabric options.

Client: Skandiform, 2020

Line extension of our lightweight, versatile stacking and guest chairs that launched in 2018 for the contract market.

Winner of Interior Design HiP Award 2020.

Winner of German Design Award 2018.

More About Soft Top Extensions:

The Soft Top family started with four chairs but now has some new companions. With two new bar stools and three new benches – where a tabletop joins together one of the benches – Soft Top makes taking a break a little easier. And a little more comfortable.

“In the original chair series, our goal was to first create a stacking chair that had a more unique, whimsical character, as well as a softer, more comfortable sit than most in the market. We also wanted the variations to lend themselves to numerous environments, from the home to hotels and restaurants, to corporate office, lobby and education settings. Essentially, wherever Soft Top is – in a public environment or behind closed doors – the comfortable, warm, charming feeling of home comes with it.”

Client: Glimakra of Sweden, 2020.

Winner of German Design Award 2020.

Honoree NYCxDesign Award 2019.

Siluett Deskup is a complement to Siluett Floor, a series of acoustic panels and privacy screens launched in 2019. With its organic forms, this series gives a unique expression to office environments. The soft shape is simple and soothing. The forms link the office workplaces in a comfortable way without making it strict or straightforward and contribute to a better focus due to its soft, organic nature. Siluett Deskup enables a workplace that attenuates noise, removes visual disturbances and gives a sense of integrity and character for better employee focus and output.

Client: Civil, 2019.

Winner of Chicago Athenaeum Good Design Award 2019.

Doppio (Italian for "Double") is a table collection featuring a top made from varying materials (woods, stones and lacquers) mounted back-to-back, allowing the user to change the appearance of the table by simply flipping the top (no hardware required). Furthermore, should one side lose its luster after many years of use, rather than going through the trouble of having the surface refinished, or even relegating the table to the trash, the user can simply flip the top to give the table a brand new life.

These ecological concerns, along with the fact that the series has a carbon neutral footprint, are in line with Civil's commitment to bringing a new level of design and environmental thinking to the industry, as well as our studio's own thinking about the responsibilities of the industry, for both manufacturers and designers alike.

Client: Glimakra of Sweden, 2019.

Winner of German Design Award 2020.

Honoree NYCxDesign Award 2019.

Siluett is a series of mobile acoustic panels and privacy screens for the office with embedded magnetic glass writing surface, and solid wood rail with built-in magnets and dry eraser. 

Client: Landscape Forms, 2018. In partnership w/ Times Square Alliance

Island was designed as a modular solution for incorporating seating and planters into public outdoor settings. The collection was commissioned and developed as part of a new initiative by the Times Square Alliance called the Times Square Design Lab. The program is intended to highlight the city’s best design talents and bring new ideas for public space onto the historic Times Square plaza. Island is suitable for public and private spaces, as well as contract, hospitality and residential settings.

Client: Most Modest, 2018

Honoree of Interior Design Best of the Year Award 2018.

Named after the grandfather of the studio’s founder, Henry is a grandfather clock for minimalists. Made from powder-coated steel tube and solid wood, Henry simply leans against the wall to add a contemporary feel to any residential, hospitality or office environment.

Client: Carl Hansen & Son, 2018

Seating and table collection designed for contract, hospitality and residential markets.

Winner of Mixology Award 2019.

Honoree of Interior Design Best of the Year Award 2018.

More About Preludia:

Preludia is the result of our creative and strategic collaboration with Carl Hansen & Son, designed to meet today's demands for functionality, quality, comfort and aesthetics. The seating series is crafted from 3D wood veneer and is available bare, partially or fully upholstered with the finest textiles and leathers. The table series is available in both dining and bar heights with solid wood frames, and is offered with round, square and rectangular laminate tabletops.

Client: Skandiform, 2018

Lightweight, versatile stacking and guest chairs designed for the contract market.

Winner of German Design Award 2018.

More About Soft Top:

Conceived as a highly versatile and affordable guest/stacking chair, Soft Top was designed to meet the various demands of the contract market. With a subtle sense of warmth and whimsy, Soft Top works equally well in private offices and waiting areas, as well as corporate, educational, hospitality and residential environments. The chair is offered with sled base or four-leg options, both with and without armrests.

Client: Nude Glass, 2018

Glass cocktail collection with metal accents, designed for home and hospitality environments.

Winner of Elle Deco International Design Award 2019.

Winner of Interior Design Best of the Year Award 2018.

Winner of Chicago Athenaeum Good Design Award 2018.

Winner of IF Design Award 2019.

Winner Elle Deco International Design Award Turkey 2019.

Winner Elle Deco International Design Award Ukraine 2019.

More About Hepburn:

Inspired by Audrey Hepburn, the collection is at once bold and subtle, playful and nuanced, and elegantly tailored. Designed for, and in consult with, expert mixologists from around the world, the collection features a variety of glassware forms and metal accents that elevate the experience of both making and enjoying a well-crafted cocktail of any kind.

Click here to see a short video of the Hepburn collection in action.

Client: Gunlocke, 2017

Upholstered wood side chair designed for the contract market.

Winner Best of NeoCon 2017 Editors' Choice Award.

More About Calia:

A merging of frame and upholstery in a singular form that speaks both to Gunlocke's century old history of woodcraft and the brand's continuing evolution. Calia manages to bridge the gap between classic and modern, appealing to the company's longstanding traditional customer base and its evolving, design driven audience.

Client: Pablo, 2017 and 2018

A re-envisioning of the traditional fabric shade lamp but with the warmth and preciousness of hand crafted furniture. Belmont’s iconic, yet reductive form creates a natural canvas for displaying an exquisite array of textiles from premium wool to colorful woven fabrics that can be paired with a crafted solid wood armature in white ash, walnut or black-stained ash. Belmont can be hung individually or in stunning groupings to provide warm and comfortable illumination for any contract, hospitality or residential environment.

Client: Othr, 2017

A simple, reductive candleholder made in 3D printed bronze. Numbered Edition.

More About Trois:

Trois is a series of candleholders that includes both a single version (Trois Petite) and a double version (Trois Grande), designed to elevate the candle's role in its design. Trois was inspired by a fortune cookie's words of wisdom that hang proudly in our studio - "Everything should be made as simple as possible...but not simpler." This phrase has become our mantra over the years, and it is reflected in the simplicity and functionality of this design. The three branches of the object simultaneously provide as much and as little support as needed for the candle to remain stable. 

More About OTHR: 

By bringing together the world's best designers and transformative technologies, OTHR creates unique objects, made exclusively for you, with minimal environmental impact.

OTHR believes better things are created by great designers. They partner only with the world's best designers to develop useful, aesthetic and unique objects.

By using technologies such as 3D printing, OTHR avoids having to create more objects than there are homes for. These objects do not physically exist until you choose to own one - each is embedded with a unique number to reflect your participation in its creation.

OTHR does not manufacture more than is needed, create excessive waste, or warehouse products. This greatly reduces their environmental footprint and gives true meaning to good design.

Client: Mitab, 2017

Contract lobby and airport seating system made from upholstered bent plywood and wood beam.

Winner of Interior Design Best of the Year Award 2017.

More About Ascent:

Our goal was to rethink the notion of lobby and airport seating by establishing a completely new, reductive visual language for this category of furniture. While other areas of the contract furniture market have taken on softer, more inviting attributes, airport seating in particular continues to feel cold and institutional. The design accentuates the soft, organic seat by contrasting the form with a monolithic base. The combination of these opposing dynamics brings unexpected whimsy and beauty to a static seating category and the environments in which they reside.

Ascent was also designed to consider the needs of its users by incorporating charging options, while the base acts as a table surface for personal belongings. And because each seat is separately upholstered and incorporated into the base, specifiers of the Ascent system can play an integral role in the design of its dozens of configurations by way of spacing, upholstery combinations and the various charging and electrical options.

Client: Othr, 2016

A modern wine bottle tilt for the design enthusiast. Made in 3D printed porcelain. Numbered Edition.

More About OTHR: 

By bringing together the world's best designers and transformative technologies, OTHR creates unique objects, made exclusively for you, with minimal environmental impact.

OTHR believes better things are created by great designers. They partner only with the world's best designers to develop useful, aesthetic and unique objects.

By using technologies such as 3D printing, OTHR avoids having to create more objects than there are homes for. These objects do not physically exist until you choose to own one - each is embedded with a unique number to reflect your participation in its creation.

OTHR does not manufacture more than is needed, create excessive waste, or warehouse products. This greatly reduces their environmental footprint and gives true meaning to good design.

For NY Design Week 2017, Frog Design invited our studio to participate in Dart x Design, a charity design auction to benefit Art Start, a non-profit that aims to provide art programs and creative workshops to homeless and underprivileged youth in NYC. Designers were invited to create one-of-a-kind dart boards for a silent auction which took place during NY Design Week. We recruited long-time collaborator Naula to help fabricate our board in black leather.

photo credit (images 1 - 3): Mike Allen

Studio Collection, 2016

Indoor/outdoor teak dining chair designed for the hospitality market. Made from sustainably harvested Indonesian teak wood.

Studio Collection, 2016

Indoor/outdoor teak dining chair designed for the hospitality market. Made from sustainably harvested Indonesian teak wood.

Client: Council, 2016

Contract and residential sofa collection and lounge chair defined by a slim metal frame that supports the upholstered shell and cushions. The frame is made from a powder-coated oval profile steel tube.

Client: RH, 2016

Outdoor lounge and dining collection made from teak wood.

More About Ciel:

The Ciel collection brings the feeling of modern, casual and light indoor living to the outdoors. The purposeful tensions between both the hard and soft detailing, and an attentive control of the negative and positive space of each piece, make the collection a rarity in outdoor teak furniture in their ability to merge the indoors with the out.

The Ciel collection includes sofas, chaises, lounge chairs and tables, as well as dining chairs and tables. 

Client: Othr, 2016

A beautifully austere modular system for the bath, bedroom and office. Made in 3D printed porcelain. Numbered Edition.

More About OTHR: 

By bringing together the world's best designers and transformative technologies, OTHR creates unique objects, made exclusively for you, with minimal environmental impact.

OTHR believes better things are created by great designers. They partner only with the world's best designers to develop useful, aesthetic and unique objects.

By using technologies such as 3D printing, OTHR avoids having to create more objects than there are homes for. These objects do not physically exist until you choose to own one - each is embedded with a unique number to reflect your participation in its creation.

OTHR does not manufacture more than is needed, create excessive waste, or warehouse products. This greatly reduces their environmental footprint and gives true meaning to good design.

Client: Loll Designs, 2015

Outdoor hospitality and residential furniture collection made from recycled HDPE plastic. A collaboration with Ghislaine Vinas.

Winner of ICFF Editors Award 2015.

More About Sunnyside:

A collaboration between Brad Ascalon and interior designer Ghislaine Vinas, Sunnyside finds a perfect balance in its logic and its whimsy. Designed as a kit of parts that lends itself to the streamlined processes of production, inventory, shipping and assembly, the project allowed for its producers and collaborators, Loll Designs, to take their company's vision to an even higher level of up-market upholstered sophistication while still holding onto their fundamental desire to create sustainable furniture through the use of 100% recycled High Density Polyethylene (HDPE).

Studio Collection, 2015

Occasional table made from American walnut with glass top.

More About BA1:

BA1 is a study in manufacturing simplicity. The design is comprised solely of two cleverly designed wood parts, each of which appears four times to produce each table (with a glass top). From a logistics and production standpoint, the table has a perceived value far greater than its cost, while visually, the reinvented form is made to feel like part of any mid-century or current-day modernist's existing collection.

Client: Stylex, 2014

Contract seating collection designed for a wide variety of office and hospitality functions.

Honoree of Interior Design Best of the Year Award 2014.

Winner Metropolis Likes Neocon Award 2014.

More About Nestle:

Design is all about problem solving, and that's how we approached Nestle. How could we create a chair that is so versatile that it can be specified everywhere in an ofice for a uniform look? With Nestle, we developed a subtle dialogue between hard and soft that fuses mid-century, modern and traditional elements that, combined with the wide range of bases, successfully maximizes flexibility.

Nestle is designed to be adaptable. It works well for informal dining, formal executive offices, or any area in between. Base options include cantilevered sled frame, traditional sled frame, wood leg, fixed four-blade base with return swivel, and five-blade base on casters with height adjustment.

Nestle's form is both inspiring and highly adaptive, and its engineering is equally impressive. Stylex's expertise in ergonomic seating gives the chair an edge-cleverly inserted lumbar support adds comfort without detracting from its streamlined aesthetic. The Nestle shell and seat incorporate highly resilient molded foam to ensure not only great comfort but also long product lifecycle.

Studio Collection, 2015

Experimental 3D printed and metal plated decorative object. Edition of One.

More About Vessel: One of the advantages of 3D printing is that a designer can create forms that cannot otherwise be replicated by traditional manufacturing means. Our goal for Vessel was to create a high level of complexity, while holding onto a certain simplicity and familiarity within the viewer. In doing so, we eliminated function from the equation so the viewer could evaluate these dichotomies of foreign and familiar without the evaluative lens of usability. In evaluating the object on its own accord, separate from function, our hope was to create desire solely through intrinsic means.

Through a highly specialized process, the 3D print was copper plated, which allows for a natural patina to take over the surface over time, giving the object a sense of history that far exceeds its short time on the earth.

Client: Design Within Reach, 2013 and 2014

Occasional table collection made from American walnut with a variety of surface options, from white and black marble to travertine and glass.

Winner of Interior Design Best of the Year Award 2013.

More About Atlas:

How do you design the perfect occasional table collection for a brand that offers its customers the better part of a century of classic and new modern masterpieces? Furthermore, how do you design that collection to fit beautifully within that entire span of design? These were the questions we asked ourselves when designing Atlas. The answer lies in that perfect balance of classic and modern and the painstaking attention to every detail, from the joinery and the softened edges, to the table's scale in relation to the numerous soft seating options that the brand offers. In residential, hospitality and contract settings, Atlas was designed to work harmoniously with such classics as the Eames lounge chair and the Florence Knoll sofa, to the brands more contemporary offerings by Jeffrey Bernett, John Gasca and others. In its various surface options, the collection truly offers something for everyone.

Client: PBA Italia, 2014

Contract bathroom accessories collection. Made from Polymide 6 resin.

Winner Global Future Design Award 2021.

More About Platform:

When PBA approached us with this project, we saw it as an opportunity to help differentiate the company from its competitors in this sector. Our strategy was to expand upon the original brief, which put a strong focus on healthcare environments. We wanted to create a line that would naturally fit into other environments as well, such as hotels, restaurants, offices, education and residential spaces. In attempting to create products to work within so many environments, the design language needed a perfect balance of visual simplicity and interest.

The Platform concept was a way to offer a touch whimsy and beauty to the product line, while giving the products the functionality required of any bathroom environment. Each platform, as it turns out, offers two roles. The first role is in presenting a sculptural counterpart upon it, while the second role is to act as the sheathing for the mounting mechanisms. Visually, we are left with sculptural objects pared down to their essential forms and functions; elements that become integral and highly considered details within their environment.

Studio Collection, 2013 and 2014

Occasional table made from solid walnut, with glass top

More About Peasant:

The Peasant table was built on the foundation of creating products almost entirely from off-the-shelf stock materials, helping reduce development costs while retaining a focus on quality.

The table's interlocking design bridges the gap between high quality and flat-packed furniture. The series is available in a broad variety of contrasting finishes and materials, from mixed brass, powder coated steel, and satin nickel, to SFI-certified American Black Walnut and Ash.

Client: Holly Hunt, 2013

Walnut cocktail table with back-painted smoked glass top.

Client: Mitab, 2014

Upholstered contract sofa collection with polished steel frame.

More About Caslon:

The Caslon collection is our first partnership with a Swedish furniture producer, as well as Mitab’s first collaboration with an American design studio. The collection was inspired by the typeface of the same name. There is a pure simplicity to the font, which draws the perfect balance of hard and soft, of pure geometry in its form and unexpected beauty in its details. The sofa is at first glance, simple, easily understandable, unadorned. But as one examines it in greater depth, one sees the details - the stitching, the treatment of its upholstery, the attention given from every angle. Most importantly for our studio, as was accomplished perfectly by the typeface centuries ago, was to create both tension and balance between the hard and the soft, and to meld two dichotomies into one. The end result is a design that will blend into any environment without saying too much, but while saying everything. From our perspective, this is the core DNA of Mitab – producers of simple, balanced and beautiful designs, those which don't scream for attention because they don't have to.

In 2013, we were invited as the sole American design studio to represent our country during Moscow Design Week. Our goal was to create a commissioned installation that had both visual and symbolic substance, a project that struck an emotional chord with its onlookers whether they empathized with our meaning behind the work or internalized their own personal meaning from it.

De-Evolution is simultaneously a critique of the US in both its political and moral decline, but at the same time, it is an homage to the country’s underlying beauty and spirit. In essence, many feel that the US is nearing its end as a global empire, following many of the same patterns that history’s past global empires have followed. This notion is represented by a series of upholstered chairs that appear to melt, or de-evolve, before the viewer’s eyes. Where the gaps and deterioration begin to occur, however, the fabric remains beautifully intact, following the broken-down forms in their entirety. This is meant to represent that although we’re not perfect, although we’re a nation that may be losing its way, it is still a beautiful place, a country with beautiful ideas and people. Through all of its faults, its tensions, its brokenness, we learn to live within and among it all, and we make it home. We accept it both because and despite all of its imperfections.

This installation was created in partnership with the famed Italian fabric house Dedar Milano, who was essential in the development, production and logistics of this project.

Client: Dedar Milano, 2013

Studio Collection, 2013

Series of optical illusion rugs, made from designer 5mm German felt.

More About Wedge:

With the popularity of design blogs across the globe, the positive effects for the industry are obvious, but the negative effects less so. Design is a three-dimensional endeavor that needs to be experienced, touched, sat upon and used. Online, however, this is sometimes forgotten to the point in which our endeavors are simply relegated to eye candy status. Wedge drives a figurative wedge into that way of thinking, by offering a two-dimensional object (not unlike the screens by which we wrongly experience design) that manifests based upon one's vantage point. From an unfamiliar series of color blocks comes to light a visual illusion of dimension as the viewer walks around the object and observes it in real time, in an actual environment, the way design is intended.

Client: The NWBLK, 2013

Occasional table made from powder-coated steel, with glass top

About Rely: Three elements, each without function on its own, come together to form this unique take on a three-legged table. These elements must lean on one another, rely on one another in order to create functionality. 

To celebrate the 2013 installment of NY Design Week, the Chambers Hotel in midtown Manhattan hosted French Design Connection, an exhibition organized by Francesco Pirrello (founder of Meet My Project) and curated by the French journalist Clement Sauvoy.

The scenography was provided by Brad Ascalon Studio NYC, which partnered with two additional American companies, the Massachusetts-based metal laminate manufacturer Chemetal and the Philadelphia-based design and production house DraftWorks, to produce the site-specific exhibition.

In partnership with DraftWorks' Mike Avery and Chemetal, Ascalon created an environment that showcased work by such designers as Andree Putman, Jean Nouvel, Christophe Pillet and many others, as well as such brands as Emeco, Dedar, Christofle, Saint Louis and more.

The juxtaposition of materials by Chemetal and its sister company Treefrog, in combination with reclaimed wood provided by the Philly-based arts organization, RAIR (Recycled Artists in Residence), illustrates the duality of glamour and grit that is New York City. We used these materials as our muse, combining beautifully polished metal veneers with raw woods to create the pedestals, surfaces and settings upon which the beautifully curated collection of objects were displayed.

Client: Meet My Project, 2013

Studio Collection, 2013

Occasional table made from stained or painted oak veneer and powder coated polished steel

More About Darwin:

An exercise in manufacturing simplicity, Darwin utilizes a single bent metal part, cut at three different points, to create an early human-like quality to this otherwise basic side table. 

Client: Gaia & Gino, 2013

Reflecting table lamp made from handblown, colored glass and handcut pattern brass base and reflector.

More About Dusk: Inspired by the Sophia Hagia in Istanbul, Turkey, home to Gaia & Gino's founder Gaye Cevikel, Dusk melds the feelings of traditional and modern both visually and in its production. Like many of Gaia & Gino's products, this lamp merges dichotomies of old and new, traditional and modern, complexity and simplicity in a way that only this brand can do. 

Friends for years, designers Brad Ascalon and Frederick McSwain agree on little when discussing their craft. As a result, their conversations commonly revolve around other subjects entirely. This dynamic of communication became the basis as well as the challenge for their debut collaboration. Engaging in a creative tug of war, the resulting objects could exist only as a by-product of an ongoing dialogue of self-reflection, personal narrative, and interaction. As concepts began to crystalize, they searched for an appropriate mode of realization. Mesmerized by a handful of material samples, the duo not only found common ground but also a perfect partner in Alex Rasmussen, president of the third generation American manufacturer, Neal Feay Company. Adding a rich history of experimentation and digital innovation to the colloquy, the three began shaping their intertwined stories in anodized aluminum.

Using personal experiences as inspiration, they converged on subjects deeply embedded in American culture. Organically, the respective objects slowly began to take shape, at least in concept. The first step towards the physical realm came in the form of solid blocks of aluminum. Utilizing Neal Feay’s digital expertise and theatrical programming, tool paths danced through raw material, leaving behind a spectacular trail of pattern and texture. Chips flew, anodizing baths made way for radiant color. The final products boast a rich visual vocabulary that invites viewers to actively explore and discover the inherent subtleties within. In design as in life, everything is an experience, no two perspectives the same.

Partner: Frederick McSwain, NYC

Client: Neal Feay Company, 2012

Historically, the white picket fence has been seen as a symbol of the ideal middle class suburban life in America. This ubiquitous American object was used as a commentary on a dream which has become nearly impossible for most Americans to realize. Within the boundaries of a society largely living above its own means, an unregulated banking system that plays by its own rules, and a government that idly stands by as millions of homes are being foreclosed upon, there lies an absolute truth which is that the direction we’re moving as a society has become unsustainable and toxic. The distance between the upper and middle class has increased exponentially, and within a limited time frame, the dream for too many Americans has shifted from living a comfortable and picturesque suburban life to wondering if today’s the day the electricity will shut off. This is and has been the sad new promise of the American dream for far too long.

Client: Gallery R’Pure, NYC, 2012

For the second installment of the Reclaim NYC charity exhibition and sale to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy, we teamed up with Angel Naula of Naula Workshop to create a 'Time Capsule' edition of Naula's popular Glide Ottoman. Rather than building an internal wood structure, we utilized a core of discarded magazines that cover the current topics of design, architecture, technology and popular culture. We chose to upholster the ottoman in Maharam's 'Stripes' fabric by Paul Smith, mimicking the patterns that the unexposed magazines create. At a point in which traditional magazines are a thing of the past, this time capsule will likely be discovered by a future generation, exposing them to a moment in 2013 that has been frozen in time by way of a simple piece of furniture.

Partner: Naula Workshop, 2013

Studio Concept, 2013

Fragrance packaging design.

More About Water & Fire:

We found great interest in the simplicity of a form that can signify both a drop of water and a flame. We also used color to accentuate those dichotomies in order to create both the female and male version of the product.

In 2011, the venerable French design brand Ligne Roset launched our Lovey side table. In 2012, we reinterpreted that design for Reclaim NYC, a charity design auction that we helped to organize in collaboration with Jean Lin of Designer Pages and freelance design writer Jennifer Gorsche, for the victims of Hurricane Sandy, which ravaged the region. The table frame is that of Lovey, the surface wood is reclaimed and formed to take on a pixilated version of Milton Glaser's I LOVE NY heart, and the branched leg is from a tree felled by the storm.

With help from Ligne Roset NYC (who provided the table frame and event space), Tinsman Brothers of Lumberville, PA, (the oldest lumber yard in the country, dating back to 1766) who donated the wood, Kevin Michael Burns of Long Island City (who assisted in the production) and Daniel Quinn of Brooklyn (who provided his workshop for the production), this table truly symbolizes the spirit of our community and the extent to which people will come together in order to contribute toward a greater good. As a New Yorker for almost seventeen years, there is no greater cause than lifting up this city in times of crisis.

Partner: Ligne Roset, 2012

Client: Fasem, 2012

Modular shelving system made from leather and glass with steel inner structure.

In May 2010, the New York design community lost one of its most prolific and influential designers of the current generation, Tobias Wong. Blurring the boundary between conceptual art and design, the work of Tobias questioned the value system of objects and pretensions of designers with wit, satire and humor.

Brokenoff Brokenoff is an exhibition inspired by the life and work of Tobias Wong. Nine celebrated New York based designers have come together to interpret and reflect the work of Tobias through their unique and individual design sensibilities. Through the lens of Tobias we hope to gain new insight into our own work by questioning our personal values, design processes and the necessity of humor by remembering never to take life or yourself too seriously.

Tobias Wong created 'Mirror Puzzle' in 2002 to reflect environment versus the static image typically assigned to a jigsaw puzzle. Because the subject of 'Mirror Puzzle' will always change, it is never final. It is never complete.

Reflection refers to this notion of continuity and incompleteness by signifying that a physical representation, while fleeting and temporary, is merely part of that which is remembered once it continues on. Physicality fades while recollection, impact and memory shine on. The light of that physicality continues on.

Reflection is made from opaque black stained and mosaic glass, brass lead came (a nod to Tobi's obsession with gold plating) and a pressed wood light box which houses a narrow halogen spot lamp.

Dimensions: 72"H x 40"W x 8"D

Always the prankster, Tobias made a name for himself by downplaying the preciousness of design and art, both his own and that of others. ‘What Would Tobias Wong Do?’ was created as a way of carrying on that legacy. As part of the exhibition, 100 editions of the work were made available to the viewing public for a suggested “donation.” The first 50 were signed and numbered “1 of 20,” giving each owner of this edition the false feeling of pride and egotistical leaning in owning the first of the series. The second batch was signed and numbered sequentially from “51 of 50” to “100 of 50,” a criticizing jab at the notion of the limited edition market as a whole through the obvious over-run of pieces.

We like to think that this is something Tobias Wong would have eventually done, thus the print becomes self-referential, a proverbial M.C. Escher.

Dimensions: 14”H x 11”W Edition of 100

Partner: Gallery R'Pure, NYC, 2011

Client: Design Within Reach, 2011

Hanukkah menorah made from polished carrera marble

*Included in the permanent collection of the National Museum of American Jewish History

Learn more about the Ascalon Menorah on Vimeo

Intel, the world’s largest semiconductor chip maker, and the immensely popular blog Design Milk asked us to develop a concept laptop bag to coincide with the launch of the new Acer Aspire S Series Ultrabook. So in two days’ time, we conceived the next gen laptop bag.

The casing is made from replaceable, customizable molded neoprene panels with a hard plastic interior casing. The design utilizes wireless charging technology, popular among communication and electronic devices, by incorporating the technology into the bag’s inner tray. In other words, the bag is the charger. The carrying strap features a USB connector and built-in adaptor so you can plug your bag directly into an electrical outlet. Or you can use the USB port to connect directly into another computer, thereby allowing the bag to charge. That same USB port can allow for the laptop bag, with its own build-in memory, to act as a thumb drive.

Because the new Acer features speakers on the bottom edges of the computer, the charging tray also features two amplification cavities to allow for the sound to reflect upward, offering greater audibility.

We live, work and move more quickly than ever before. Even the simplest of tasks (i.e., charging a laptop) can eat up valuable time. This new take on the laptop bag questions not only what our rituals are with regard to our technology, it begins to challenge and redefine what the laptop bag is and our relationship to it. This is a vital way of thinking about the future of computing and our role within that future. We have to work better, quicker and smarter. Everything that we live with should accommodate this way of working and living, not impede it.

Clients: Intel/Design Milk

Client: Ligne Roset, 2011

Powder-coated steel side table with European walnut leg detail

More About Lovey:

An exercise in the minimal use of material, Lovey utilizes a bare minimum amount of steel while still being structurally sound for everyday use. 

The decision to use the walnut leg was twofold. First, it was incorporated tongue-in-cheek to suggest that we were so focused on minimizing the amount of steel, that we didn't use enough, thereby having to resort to a secondary material. Second, a brand like Ligne Roset is world renown for, more than anything, its incredible use of upholstery. Each piece screams with impeccable craftsmanship and human touch. We wanted the otherwise stark white, cold steel table to exhibit those very same qualities, ultimately pushing the design closer to the brand. The wood addition felt like the right way to accomplish this.

Client: Bernhardt Design, 2010

Upholstered lounge chair with optional swivel base

More About Pillar:

Within the discipline of true Modernism, comfort is not a word that comes to mind. We saw this as a challenge for our inaugural collaboration with the legendary brand Bernhardt Design. While the geometric form is rather straightforward, we worked with Bernhardt to ensure that the piece was deceivingly comfortable. To make the chair visually and physically inviting, the seat, sides and back are shaped to form an interior cocoon while the exterior remains clean and crisp. The result is a chair that is soft yet monolithic, true to both Modernism and to the expectation of comfort.

Studio Concept, 2010

Fragrance packaging design.

For NY Design Week 2010, designer Joe Doucet and Kid Robot's Chad Phillips organized The MunNY Exhibit. The duo invited 23 of NYC’s most innovative designers, including Ascalon, Jeffrey Bernett, Frederick McSwain, Tobias Wong, Vladimir Kagan and others to interpret Kid Robot’s iconic Munny character.

For this project, we partnered with Swarovski, the famed crystal manufacturer, to create Swarovski Munny, an object that speaks to the tension between the two materials involved: vinyl—nondescript, cheap, and extremely durable, and fine crystal— luxurious, costly and highly fragile.

Following the success of the exhibit, a selection from the original exhibition went on display, and for sale, at the Cappellini showroom in Soho. From there, Swarovski Munny sold to a private collector, the proceeds of which went to the Robinhood Foundation to help fight poverty in NYC.

Partner: Swarovski, 2010

Client: HighTower, 2009

Upholstered bent ply lounge chair with powder-coated steel base

Client: Redken, 2008

Packaging design for the Redken's professional Shot Phase/Chemistry product line.

Client: Ligne Roset, 2008

Clear curved glass occasional table with lacquered wood spindle

More About Spindle:

An elegant balance of two diametrically opposed styles that truly celebrates the history of both minimalism and ornamentation. The intention of this juxtaposition is not to be ironic or humorous (as were many "period" references of the time), but rather respectful of the qualities of each style. The glass and spindle have a unique symbiotic relationship that creates a beautiful and harmonious take on two completely polarized eras of design. 

Client: HighTower, 2009

Occasional table and stool collection with various base and top finishes

We were invited by Esquire Magazine and designer Marc Thorpe to design the Esquire Signature Bar for the 2009 Esquire SoHo luxury show house in New York's SoHo Mews. The bar, Service II, resided on a 3,000 square foot outdoor terrace beautifully designed by Thorpe. The design of the bar was inspired by both the architecture of the building (a Gwathmey Seigel design), as well as the negative space that falls between the vast cityscape from the terrace view.

For ten straight years, 2003 - 2012, Esquire brought leading designers together with luxury brands to create the “ultimate bachelor pad.” These dramatic spaces then became the venues for a series of gala charity events that raised over $7.5 million in that time.

Partner: Naula Workshop

Client: Esquire Magazine, 2009

Client: Naula Workshop, 2009

Black stained oak occasional table collection with lacquered top surface

Studio Collection, 2007

Two-tone upholstered contract sofa with steel base

Featured in Bernhardt Design/ICFF Studio Exhibition, 2007

Partner: Bernhardt Design

Client: Maybelline, 2007

Eyeshadow packaging designs

In our first venture into space design, our studio was commissioned by Architectural Digest and Ligne Roset to create the 2009 PULSE NYC Collectors' VIP Lounge. In keeping with the motif of our Spindle table for Ligne Roset, a featured piece in the space, we wanted to create an environment filled with 'symbiotic contradictions.' With the library of Ligne Roset furniture and lighting at our disposal, this temporary lounge space incorporated subtle (as well as not so subtle) juxtapositions of styles, textures, materials and shapes throughout. 

With an extensive background in music composition, Ascalon took this environment one step further by collaborating with his brother Josh, a Los Angeles based music producer, to compose an audio element of the installation entitled 'Ouroboros.' This 30 minute looping ambient soundscape, like the visible space, blurred elements of classical, modern, analog and digital with layered textures and melodies. The soundscape is not intended to be an add-on to the environment, but rather part of its design, from both an experiential and a conceptual standpoint.

Custom pieces for the project included Broken/Fixed, a limited edition of five shattered mirrors made in our southern New Jersey fabrication studio, and Service I, a white lacquered wood bar which features a shattered glass mosaic facade, also produced at our fabrication studio.

Clients: Architectural Digest/Pulse NYC, 2009

Studio Collection, 2005

Lacquered MDF and oak sculptural toilet paper holder

Client: Sintesi, 2007

Powder-coated steel frame with frosted glass surface

Studio Collection, 2004

Upholstered chaise longue with internal steel frame