Brooklyn's Progress
April/May 2006

Now entering its fourth year, BKLYN DESIGNS™ 2006 will be premiering a record number of new, never before seen designers and products.  The unique, juried exhibit, presented by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, will feature the work of Brooklyn’s brightest stars of contemporary furnishings, including: furniture, lighting, linens, rugs, and decorative accessories.  

The 2006 BKLYN DESIGNS exhibitor line-up has grown to 56 firms (up from 47 last year), which is nearly double in size since its inception in 2003. With 24 brand new exhibitors, new product launches planned by show veterans, and an expanding schedule of seminars and off-site events, the show is sure to be an action-packed kick-off for NY Design Week.

An exciting feature of this year’s program is a keynote presentation entitled “Design Like You Give a Damn,” by Cameron Sinclair, founder of Architecture for Humanity (AFH).  Visitors to http://www.brooklyndesigns.net/ will have the chance to contribute to AFH by ordering a subscription to Time Out NY or Time Out NY Kids. 

Other show highlights include a TONY Kids promotion, “Supe up Your Stroller” featuring decorating pit stops and celebrity judges; and “Selling Out/Selling In,” a lively debate about design as commodity versus design as art with Rima Suqi, New York Magazine’s Best Bets Editor, The Conran Shop, Target and Jonathan Adler.

Helping to make the 2006 show bigger and better than ever is a line-up of sponsors that has grown to include such premium brands as Benjamin Moore, Mini Cooper, Bosch, Thermador, Gaggenau and Brooklyn Brewery.  Brooklyn Industries, a new sponsor, will be selling show tickets at its retail locations throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan.

According to Kenneth Adams, President of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, “The growth of BKLYN DESIGNS highlights our borough’s burgeoning creative economy. Year after year, Brooklyn’s reputation for design excellence and craftsmanship attracts new talent, business and investment. Each year we work to develop new features to enhance the show.  In addition to blockparty, an art installation that will open to the public in conjunction with the show, we have reached out to DUMBO businesses from gallery spaces to restaurants and bars to create a neighborhood experience for visitors.”

Show hours are Friday, May 12, 10am to 8pm; Saturday, May 13, 10am to 7pm; and Sunday, May 14, 11am to 6pm.  Pre-registered professional members of the design trade attend for free all day Friday.

Free shuttle bus service will be provided from DUMBO to State Street to Union Square.  Visit http://www.brooklyndesigns.net/ for more information on this as well all off-site events.  BKLYN DESIGNS 2006 is made possible by support from Speaker Sheldon Silver and the Brooklyn Delegation to the New York State Assembly, Speaker Christine Quinn and the Brooklyn Delegation to the New York City Council and the New York City Department of Small Business Services.