Core77

Guest post by Zachary Weiss.

If there is one thing that should be said for this year's BKLYN Designs, it's that the level of craftsmanship, creativity and attention to detail seen throughout was consistently inspiring. Many of the exhibitors showed pieces with unique functional details that underlined the ingenuity that defines American design.

Here are just a few of Core77's favorite details from BKLYN Designs 2010:

KWH (top) showed a selection of smart furniture from their "Vice" series. The turned brass, single-cigarette ashtray on top of the Cigarette Table tied the collection together by adding a bit of film noir-esque narrative to the set.

Furthur Design, the only exclusively glass exhibitor at the event, demonstrated the skill of their craft with the intricate and delicate lattices seen on their "Hexagon Vases" and "Grid Pendant".

Colleen and Eric exhibited a bookshelf with a built-in and adjustable bookend called "Hold on Tight". The chunky, little powder-coated cube and the oversized wing nut added both function and playfulness to this clever (and darn cute) shelf.

RockPaperRobot's "Float" table required a double take to comprehend. Constructed of a series of cubes with embedded magnets that are tethered with tensile steel cables; the table is literally trying to fly apart. Yet, the opposing forces create a firm surface that is simultaneously kinetic and stable.

UHURU presented a playful series of furniture inspired by Coney Island and built with "wood taken from the demolished iconic boardwalk". Their "Wonder Coffee Table" was built around a large exposed bearing that allows for the whole table top to effortlessly spin, and hearkens to the mechanical aesthetic of amusement parks.