Back in the day, Rob used to work for the design super store Moss, which was, in its time, the biggest thing happening in retail in New York. It was filled with incredible things by incredible designers. It was there that he met Chen Chen, a former colleague and product designer whose totally whacky stuff steals my heart. Essentially, he takes unexpected materials and bonds them together, like with the vase we own that hangs above our stairs: It’s foam injected through some sort of colorful netting, and it scares the crap out of our cats. Chen, together with designer Kai Williams, just keeps turning out hits. We own his ham hock coasters (they’re actually fully functional, but we use them in a decorative way), and I’ll be stalking the internet waiting for the gorgeous pocket knives they showcased at The Gift Show to go on sale. And how insane is this pink-topped stool? And I love this slender bench, which is topped off with abalone shell (you can see a detail shot on their site).
clockwise, l-r: CHEN CHEN VASE, price upon request, Chen & Williams; Chen Chen vase in our house; CHEN & WILLIAMS HAM HOCK COASTER SET, $190.00, The Future Perfect; CHEN & WILLIAMS BORER STOOL, $550.00, Matter Matters; CHEN & WILLIAMS POCKET KNIFE, price upon request, Chen & Williams; CHEN & WILLIAMS STOOL, price upon request, Chen & Williams; DETAIL OF CHEN & WILLIAMS BORER STOOL, CHEN & WILLIAMS HAM HOCK, $190.00, The Future Perfect.
omg those coasters are the greatest. i have to have those!