Made in New York: Bringing You New York's Creative State of Mind
Home grown food, fashion and other products made in The Empire State
Mokuchi Woodworking, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Mokuchi is a composite of the Japanese word for wood, MOKU, and the Chinese word, CHI, for the ancient Chinese concept of vital energy. Yann Giguère is the master woodworker behind the company. He has been a professional woodworker since 1991. Originally from the province of Quebec, he came to the US and began his training in Western woodworking at the Maharishi University program for Cabinet and Furniture Making in Fairfield, Iowa. He quickly found inspiration in the Japanese woodworking traditions and hand tools. In 1999, he focused on Japanese techniques by entering a 9-year apprenticeship at the Takumi Company in Seattle with acclaimed woodworker Dale Brotherton.
Giguère’s work is unique in the Japanese techniques used for complex joinery and elegant hand-finishing. His design and build experience includes entire timber frame homes, interior features ranging from stairs and shojis to cabinetry, garden structures, and furniture. He is a passionate educator on Japanese tools and techniques that can be incorporated into existing woodworking practice.
So when you finally decide to build that tea house you dream of, or just need a tea table, or want a new asian inpsired porch or partition, Yann is the guy to contact. I don't know about you. But when I build my off grid compound upstate New York, I plan on having some Mokuchi mixed in with the modern PV technology. No point in living in the 21st century if you forget the beautiful techniques of the artisans from the past.
3rian Radios, Brooklyn NY: Redfurbished Radios with MP3, Bluetooth and USB
3Rian is one of our all time favorite finds! I bought an old wooden radio in High School for $20 that was gorgeous and about 4 feet tall. It didn't work but it was so beautiful I could not pass it up when I saw it at a yard sale. Luckily, now there's a company that not only refurbishes vintage radios, they transform them into secret 21st century docking stations which can play digital music, connect to Bluetooth and have USB charging.
This Brooklyn based company unearths vintage radios radios and has them disassembled, cleaned, refinished, rewired with new components, and tested to ensure a long, beautiful, proper-functioning-life. Once restored, the radio is then converted to play your MP3’s through your choice of either a top-dock on the radio or a slightly more hidden direct line-in coming from the back of the unit.
You can connect just about any audio device to a 3rian radio. If your audio device has a headphone jack, line-out, or Bluetooth, then you can connect it to a 3rian radio! Upon request 3rian has converted radios to connect to Musical instruments (guitar and keyboard) Digital radio receivers, and Wifi audio network devices. They also have added a line-out on the back of some radios to connect to PA systems.
What's next? Converting an old radio to a teleportation or time travel machine? Maybe 3rian will save those tricks for vintage televisions.
Leather Rugs from AVO, a New York based design studio founded by Brit Kleinman.
AVO is a New York based design studio founded by Brit Kleinman. Her dynamic PAINTED PLANIS (Pictured above) utilizes cowhides and bold graphics to create a modern juxtaposition between material and pattern. The rug’s outline is natural and unique to each piece. The base leather is full grain vachetta, a strong and flexible vegetable tanned cowhide without pigment. This leather still has all of its natural characteristics and will beautifully deepen in color over time. Brit uses a water-based stain with high penetration and dyeing power. Formulated with natural and synthetic waxes, this stain will never bleed or rub off. The rug is fully protected from wear and tear with a durable clear topcoat and fitted with an industrial anti-slip fabric, ensuring it will stay in place on the floor.
Brit takes an anthropologic approach to design, studying how objects that surround us reflect the culture in which we live. From travels around the world to daily adventures, Brit gathers inspiration from the ingenious ways people find different solutions to similar problems.
Brit Kleinman was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. After receiving a degree in Industrial Design from The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), she began her career designing bags for Samsonite and Timberland. She then spent five years as Head Bag Designer for Jack Spade. Brit has also worked with other standout companies such as Shinola, Grain and Wejetset. Before creating AVO in 2014, Brit started The Way We Carry, a website that looks into how we transport our daily tools.
AVO's approach is rooted in exploring the use of traditional materials used in innovative ways; playing with the juxtaposition between shape and pattern. Each product combines Brit’s design vision with a strong attention to detail and high level of craftsmanship. AVO’s mission is to inspire a new appreciation for the beauty of objects and their use in the home.
For More info about AVO Check Out Brit's Web Site.