A Co-Operative Home Goods Studio Comes to Canal Street

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Remember when we speculated that Canal Street would be the next place to shop? Well, here's a start—Colony a home goods exhibition space, opened there last week. Its purpose, co-founder Jean Lin told T magazine, is to help out designers who have "grown out of their 450-square-foot bay in Red Hook" but still haven't worked their way up to a solo Manhattan showroom.

However, Lin believes that combining the individual strengths of these designers multiplies their powers. "I wasn't interested in opening another furniture showroom. I was searching for a way to harness the talent of the designers involved and collectively use that to help everyone thrive and succeed," she said, adding that designers who'd like to be included in the space are expected to work with others in residence.

Which leads to their current display, "In the Making, which is open through August 1st. All 13 designers in Colony were involved in creating "open-plan living arrangements" featuring their furniture, lighting designs, and textiles. Individual details about the designer's process are adjacently displayed.

"We're operating with their bottom lines at the front of our minds," Lin told the magazine.. "As they grow, we grow. As they find success, we'll find success together."
· A Cooperative Hub for Emerging Talent Opens in Tribeca [T]
· Is Canal Street Poised to Become the Next Retail Destination? [Racked NY]
· 38 of New York City's Best Home Goods and Furniture Stores [Racked NY]