Sight Unseen OFFSITE 2017
4/21/2017
We're showing at Sight Unseen OFFSITE this year as part of NYCxDESIGN. Hope to see you there!
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Grain Home and Studio in Sunset
1/26/2017
Our former home and studio, a 1901 farmhouse on Bainbridge Island, was recently published on the Sunset site. Above and below are all the photos by Thomas Story. Read the full story by Jess Chamberlain here.
The American Design Hot-List
12/5/2016
We made the list! We have so much respect for the editors at Sight Unseen and for all of the designers that have made The American Design Hot-List this year and since its start in 2013. What an honor to be an American artist and entrepreneur in the strange and wonderful time that we live. Check out the 2016 list here. Our interview will be up on December 7.
Candles in Exhibition at Triode
11/21/2016
We're thrilled to be one of twenty American designers selected to show signed candlesticks made of noble materials at Triode in Paris this week. Above are our Stick Marble Candle Holders. Below is work from Gentner Design, Felicia Ferrone, and Fort Standard.
The Jennings Hotel Residency
11/16/2016
Last month we had the incredible experience of traveling to Joseph, Oregon to attend an artist residency at The Jennings Hotel. We hiked through mountains, along rivers, and through prairies and later used the inspiration from our outings on a series of watercolors. Check out our photos above and below. Huge thanks to Greg Hennes for the invitation!
Design for Progress
11/9/2016
To anyone feeling powerless, marginalized, scared, or angry today, our friends at Sight Unseen have created a fundraiser to benefit some organizations doing important work to protect groups and issues in need of the most support after this election: Planned Parenthood, Everytown for Gun Safety, the ACLU, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Human Rights Campaign, EarthJustice, and the National Immigration Law Center. Learn more and donate here.
2016/17 Collection
8/18/2016
We're thrilled to finally share these new photos of our recent collection shot by our friend Charlie Schuck in his new Seattle studio. The collection includes our Drift table and lighting series made in collaboration with local glass artist John Hogan (see hot shop process photos here). The collection also includes our Pool rug series made in partnership with Colonial Mills in Rhode Island. We have been blown away by the response to the rugs and promise to have more photos of the extended series soon!
Also included in this collection is our new Reflect bottle opener shown with our Plank trays. We have a shiny new copper sconce that we are calling the Ripple Sconce available in a natural oil/wax or black oxide finish. Last but not least, we introduced a new bench shape to our popular Dish table series. Shown in a black stain finish here, it is available in natural ash or custom stain colors. See everything new here now.
Totem Candles for Areaware
8/15/2016
We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Areaware, the Brooklyn-based producer of everyday objects, who will be producing our Totem Candles from here on out.
When Lisa Smith of Areaware first approached us about working together, we were excited about the partnership. Areaware represents many small independent designers like us as well as a few of our design heroes. They create work that is playful and inventive. We live with several of their products in our own home - such as Jonas Damon’s Torch Flashlight (we lose power a lot at our house in the woods) and Pat Kim’s Alphabet Blocks (our daughter Ada’s favorite) - and want to see our candles take on a new life by reaching a larger audience than we have the capability to serve through our in-house production.
Above and below are photos of the new candles, now available in three colors (Forest, Terracotta and Sand), taken by Carson Fisk-Vittori at The Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems, an experimental green architecture lab located just outside of Austin, TX. The new Areaware Totem Candles are available for purchase on their website here now.
Summer Intern: Soren Ferguson
8/4/2016
Summer is almost over, but we've had some great help in the studio with Bainbridge Island-native and Rhode Island School of Design student, Soren Ferguson, as our intern. He is back to Providence at the end of the month, but before he goes, below is a quick interview to get to know him better.
3 Rooms at King Street Station
8/2/2016
Come check out 3 Rooms at King Street Station in Seattle this weekend, August 4 -7, 2016. We'll be one of the 20 featured local designers in the JOIN market sponsored by Civilization. Designers include: Apartment on Belmont, Blk Pine Workshop, Bremelo Press, Brian Beck, Delgado House, Faris, Five Ply Design, Fruitsuper Design, Gabriel Stromberg, Grain, Jennifer Ament, Mavro/Tawny, Meg Callahan, Piano Nobile, Pine & Boon, Rachel Illingworth, Rachel Ravitch, Small Craft, Turnco Wood Goods and Urbancase. More info here.
Grain Studio Bainbridge Island
7/28/2016
It's been almost a year since we moved out of our home-based shop into our new studio space off Day Road on Bainbridge Island. We're so happy to have made the move to an industrial space better suited to our needs: design studio, fabrication shop and packing and shipping.
Our neighbors include businesses such as Fstopcafe, Iggy's, Bainbridge Yoga House and we are meeting more each month. Above and below are a few photos taken in early May. If you are local and curious to see more, email us to set up a visit!
Hot Shop With John Hogan
7/7/2016
Above and below is a look into the glass fabrication process of our new Drift lighting and furniture series recently launched at ICFF. For this series, we worked with Seattle glass artist John Hogan (who also makes the diffusers for our Circlet lighting series).
John helped us develop a series of graphite molds to cast our solid glass shapes. As the shapes cool, you are left with these amazing chill marks, making each piece completely unique.
Spring 2016 Launch
6/1/2016
Drift Bump Sconce
Efficient LED lighting components are neatly hidden behind a thick cast glass diffuser to illuminate without a visible bulb. Precision cut aluminum frame can be custom plated or powder coated, and custom colored glass is also possible.
REFLECT
5/27/2016
During NYCxDESIGN we also had the chance to show at Sight Unseen's OFFSITE with 15 other studios from across the United States in REFLECT curated by JOIN Design. The designs centered around the common theme of reflection and were restricted by size and a single material.
Our contribution was our new Reflect bottle opener cast in solid bronze. Its overall shape is reflected on two planes. Its materiality shimmers warmly with reflected light. And its use as a bar tool aids in the often art of reflective drinking.
The amazing photos above and below were taken by Amanda Ringstad. Read more about the show at Fast Company, Design Milk and Core77 or by checking out the hashtag #reflect_SUO. Huge thanks to JOIN curators fruitsuper and Melanie Abrantes as well as Civilization who created all the graphic design.
Booth Tour: ICFF 2016
5/20/2016
Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by our recent display at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York. Above and below are a few photos from booth 803. Find all our new work here.
International Contemporary Furniture Fair 2016
5/10/2016
We are proud to debut our latest collection of furniture, lighting and rugs at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, Booth 803, May 14 - 17, at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York as part of NYCxDESIGN.
Our new collection includes a series of furniture and lighting utilizing large graphite cast glass elements (seen above) made with Seattle artist John Hogan and biomorphic braided wool rugs made in partnership with Colonial Mills in Rhode Island. In addition, we will be showing new lighting that explores layered texture, as well as new shapes and finishes of our popular Dish table series.
Along with ICFF, Grain is also showing a new piece in the REFLECT show curated by JOIN at Sight Unseen's OFFSITE at The Grace Building, May 13 - 16.
For more info on any of our work, please email Chelsea Minola at chelsea (at) graindesign.com. Hope to see you in New York!
Circlet + Geremia + Architectural Digest
12/16/2015
We couldn't have been more thrilled to see the work of our friends at Geremia Design up on Architectural Digest this week! The icing on the cake was seeing our Circlet Chandelier hanging happily in the dining room (above) next to those Richard Serra prints. See all the photos by Laure Joliet above and below and read the full article here. See our Strung Chandeliers in a previous Geremia Design project here.
Island Headquarters
12/9/2015
We're up and running in our new space! Above and below is a little tour around. We are so happy to be settling in here and have been having so much fun getting to know our new neighbors. Huge thanks to everyone who came out last weekend to celebrate with us! Follow us on Instagram for more scenes from the studio.
Grain Holiday Wish Lists
11/30/2015
We've put together our annual holiday wish list just in time! Above and below are wishes from everyone in the studio. For more info on these and even more items, check out our Pinterest. We'll be keeping our fingers crossed!
Chelsea's wishes (from left to right): Cos Rib-neck Wool Coat $275.00, Portland Apothecary Ritual Mister Set $36.00, Zanbunni Moon Juice Bar $3.00, INNA Shrub Gift Set $30.00, Grain Stitch Round Mirror $1,185.00, See Sun Matter Top $140.00, Alessi La Cintura di Orione Stockpot $275.00, Black Crane Cocoon Dress $156.00 and The Arcs Yours, Dreamily $11.00.
Grain Open Studio and Holiday Sale
11/18/2015
After seven years of operation from our home-based studio, we are thrilled to announce that Grain has moved into its very own headquarters. Our new studio finally has the room it needs in a three story space within the Island Craft community on Bainbridge Island. To celebrate, we're hosting an open studio and holiday sale on December 5, 10:00 - 4:00 pm, at our new address: 12935 Islandcraft Lane NE, Studio A3, on Bainbridge Island.
Directions: To get to Islandcraft Lane from the ferry, drive north on Highway 305. Turn left at Day Road. Islandcraft Lane is just past Miller Road on the right. If you enter "7800 Day Road" in your GPS/Google Maps, it will get you pretty close.
Please stop by and celebrate with us! More info here.
Maison de Luxe
11/7/2015
If you are in Los Angeles, don't miss the Maison de Luxe Designer Showcase at the Doheny Greystone Estate in Beverly Hills November 7 - 22, 2015. We were thrilled to be asked to participate in our dear friend Brit Kleinman's amazing kitchen redesign with our ceramics, candles, textiles, hooks and candle holders. Brit is the founder of AVO and she totally transformed the kitchen with her hand painted leather tiles. Also included in the space is work from Uhuru, Brendan Ravenhill and Heath Ceramics. Get tickets here and see images of the whole mansion in the Los Angeles Times here.
Wallpaper* Manor
10/30/2015
We're thrilled to be a part of Wallpaper* Magazine's 200th issue. One of the features is this brilliant recreated modern Tudor Manor (above and below) realized with 21st century design objects including our Totem Candles, Grail Cassoulet and Zacapa Rug. Interiors: Amy Heffernan. Photography: Michael Bodiam. See the full spread here.
Plank Tray
7/17/2015
Our new Plank tray is a beautifully simple and sturdy tray made in our studio from sustainably sourced ash. We use ours to serve food and drinks or as a low pedestal to display objects. Available in our shop now in natural or black.
Guatemala Studio Visit: Part Two
7/7/2015
A few months ago, photographer Kristen Marie Parker visited a few of the Guatemalan artisans that we've been collaborating with since our RISD days. We posted part one, the workshop where our Antigua Towels are woven, a couple weeks ago. For part two, Kristen visited the group of weavers that do all of our natural dye work as well as weave several of our pillows in a small village on Lake Atitlan. Above and below is what she brought back. Thanks so much Kristen!
The New Homesteaders on Remodelista
7/3/2015
A few weeks ago Remodelista ran a story on our home and studio on Bainbridge Island. Above and below are some of the photos shot by Ben Blood which are also a part of our newest catalog. Read the full story here.
1 Hotel South Beach
7/1/2015
We were thrilled to be asked by Meyer Davis to make a series of our Dish Side Tables for the new 1 Hotel South Beach. Above and below is the July cover and spread from Interior Design Magazine with photography by Eric Laignel. Read the full article here.
Grain Moving Sale!
7/1/2015
We're moving our home and design studio!
Saturday July 11 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Sunday July 12 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Find old stock, prototypes, seconds and materials from our product and furniture design studio as well as good condition housewares from our family moving sale. Will be posting a few previews on our Instagram: @grain_design #grainmovingsale.
Design studio items include: jewelry, textiles, rugs, furniture, mirrors and printed cards. Studio items will be 50% off or more. Family moving sale items include: furniture, kitchen items, textiles, books, clothing, ceramics, frames, pots and art. Family moving sale items will be priced to sell.
More info here. Hope to see you there!
Guatemala Studio Visit: Part One
6/17/2015
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This past February, Seattle-based photographer Kristen Marie Parker traveled down to Guatemala and visited a few of the artisans that we've been collaborating with since our RISD days. Above and below are some of the stunning images that she took of the workshop where our Antigua Towels are woven. Over the next few weeks we will be sharing more of her incredible work. Thank you so much Kristen for documenting this special process.
Gray Magazine: Tight Knit
5/28/2015
Huge thanks to writer Lindsay J. Westley and Gray Magazine for the three page spread on our artisan work in Guatemala. The amazing photos from Guatemala are from Kristen Marie Parker (more on those soon). Read the full article here.
ICFF 2015
5/20/2015
Huge thanks to everyone who stopped by our new booth at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair. Above and below are a few photos.
For our fifth year, we moved into a larger booth closer to the front where we were better able to show off our Momostenango, Zacapa and El Prado rugs, Circlet Chandelier with black gridded glass diffusers and our new Circlet Chair.
It was our best show to date and left us feeling so fortunate to be part of such an incredible American design community.