Brooklyn's Progress
August/September 2007

BY CHLOE MARIN

4-pli design is a partnership between four graduates of Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture. The firm provides interior architectural and furniture design services. After a positive and fruitful experience at last year's show, the Williamsburg based company returned for the 2007 edition of BKLYN DESIGNS™. Architechs Jeffrey Taras, Kenneth Tracy, William Mowat and Amy Stringer took time out to grant us the following interview.

Who is 4-pli?
4-pli design was founded by William Mowat, Amy Stringer, Jeffrey Taras and Ken Tracy in May of 2005, essentially the week before we graduated. We met during our time at the Graduate School for Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University.

What does the name represent?
4-pli has multiple internal meanings, but it is really about four designers coming together in a polemically lascivious way…or as a slogan, "for pliant architecture."

You're all trained as architects, but you founded a furniture design company?
We actually do "do" architecture. At this point we predominantly design spaces, and the furniture comes largely from those design challenges, hence the idea of spaces for furniture and furniture for spaces. We have been thinking about how to paraphrase our operation for a while. 

So what is Associated Fabrication?
4-pli and Associated Fabrication were conceived as separate entities that have a symbiotic relationship. Associated Fabrication is our fabrication company, which "owns" the shop and the CNC mill. 4-pli is one of Associated Fabrication's earliest and most "loyal" clients. We basically work in a loop – 4-pli designs and Associated Fabrication builds.

How would you define your aesthetic?
We define different aesthetics for each piece. We like to use different aesthetic influences and forms to create effects related to the piece's use, context and materiality. At times we corrupt the typical form of familiar pieces of furniture through the addition of details that afford a different use. 
Pieces such as the Puzzle Conference Table, Nesting Desk, or Petal5 result in an aesthetic which seems incomplete or mutable. This incompleteness, like a disassembled puzzle, signals the opportunity for interactivity in the pieces.
Rhythm is another aesthetic tool that we use in our work. We experiment a lot with integrating layered materials, textures, patterning and imagery to enhance both the visual and tactile appeal of our work.

How did you end up in Brooklyn?
Our first project was to design the offices for BrainPOP, an Internet company in the Flatiron District. We ended up designing not only the space, but the furniture too. We told the client we could make everything, so we needed space to make 24 Nesting Desks and a Puzzle Conference Table, all in about six weeks. We lucked out in sub-leasing a workspace in the Esquire Building, the Williamsburg home of the Taras family.

Our current shop straddles the Williamsburg-Greenpoint line, located at 72 North 15th Street, between Berry and Wythe.

How does Brooklyn influence your business?
We buy most of our material and supplies from local suppliers – plywood, lumber, hardware, metal as well as fabrication and other support services are all locally available.  And it's easy for us to get nearly anywhere in the city quickly.  We rely on architects and artists from both Manhattan and Brooklyn as our clients and collaborators in most of projects.

So you do a lot of custom work?
Basically all of our work is custom. The furniture comes from the needs of large renovation and interior architecture projects. We work very closely with our clients and try to assess their basic needs first and see what interesting experiences can come from the space and programs proposed for the spaces.

We met clients at BKLYN DESIGNS 2006 that provided us with work for the entire year. One project was a 20-foot closet for a loft in Union Square. We also did a lot of design and millwork for a brownstone renovation in the East Village, including another large closet, the entire kitchen, as well as some furniture pieces. We're just now wrapping that up.

What are some recent projects?
We've completed a number of projects in Brooklyn and Manhattan. We designed and renovated Urban Spring, a juice bar at the corner of Dekalb and Carlton, in Fort Greene. We then did the same for their neighbors, Thirst Wine Merchants. Associated Fabrication has also continued working with a great small group of Brooklyn furniture designers, fabricating parts and making prototypes.    

What's next for 4-pli?
After BKLYN DESIGNS, probably a vacation!
Immediately, we will be organizing and promoting our furniture. We got such a positive response this year that we feel ready to hustle and make more! We are also moving into an office space above the shop in the next few weeks. We'll finally have a dust-free office, without the constant banging and sanding, which will be good for us, and great for whoever calls us on the phone!

4-pli provides interior architectural and furniture design services. Associated Fabrication is a full-service fabrication company serving architects, contractors, furniture makers, artists and residential and commercial clients.  Bill, Amy, Jeff, and Ken can be reached at 718-387-7986, contact@4-pli.com or by visiting www.4-pli.com/.