AM HOME New duo puts Brooklyn in the house by Paul Laster Fresh out of grad school, Todd Seidman and Paul Galli founded the design firm 54Dean just in time to land a coveted spot at the 2004 Brooklyn Designs show at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Dumbo in April. Since then, the duo’s dynamic designs for furniture and housewares have been featured in numerous articles and exhibitions. Marrying form with function, 54 Dean is posed to transform our style of living. We recently sat down with the partners in their Cobble Hill workspace. AMNY: How did you get your start? PG: Todd worked in NY as a set designer for film and television for 12 years while designing and making furniture for himself on the side. I was a digital designer for 8 years, but became disenchanted by the impermanence of it all. Seeking more tangible design, I apprenticed as a furniture maker and then went back to school for industrial design. AMNY: What was your first big break? TS: We were just completing our master’s degrees at Pratt and preparing to pursue independent careers in furniture design. Recognizing that our design aesthetics and skill sets worked well together, we formed 54Dean. The Brooklyn design show was forthcoming so we decided to use it as an impetus to get the company off the ground. The reception we got there was better than we could have imagined, garnering us a great deal of press and a number of clients. AMNY: How would you describe your style? PG: This is the question that all designers dread as style is a potion of so many combined ingredients, some of which are always a bit of a mystery. We've both been very influenced by Scandinavian design. That said, we're also fairly enamored with Dutch design, which is more experimental. AMNY: What's your most popular product? TS: We’ve received the most press and sales for our ReFRAME poster hanging system, followed by the Mag Rack, but we also get a lot of interest in the Georgie Table and Watershed Outdoor Furniture Set. AMNY: What's your personal favorite? PG: That's like asking to pick your favorite child! I'm going to cheat and say that it's a tie between the Georgie table and Watershed Outdoor Furniture Set. TS: The way the Watershed chairs balance forward on their knee to let the rain spill off when they’re not in use is simultaneously utilitarian and fun. AMNY: Who's most influenced your style? PG: We’re big fans of Danish designer Poul Kjaerholm. He didn't produce a massive body of work, but he also never phoned it in. The resolution of each and every detail in his designs is wonderful. TS: We’ve both been influenced by time spent studying furniture design in Denmark and by studying with the furniture designer Mark Goetz at Pratt. He really emphasized the need for clarity and purpose in a design. His method pushed you to the point where there was a real obviousness to the work, like it was an idea that should have always existed. AMNY: Where are your products sold? PG: We sell all of our products from our web site (http://www.54dean.com/) and Elsewares (http://www.elsewares.com/). Matter in Park Slope and The Future Perfect in Williamsburg carry our items. In the fall, things will be available at stores in Manhattan. AMNY: How did you choose Brooklyn for your designs? TS: I have been living in NY for 12 years. I first moved to Red Hook because it had the only rent I could afford. Now I am such a lover of Brooklyn that I can’t imagine living anywhere else. PG: We love it here! We have been really lucky to find great vendors and collaborators in the borough. : Back |
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