Brooklyn’s real estate market may be shattering records, but you don’t have to actually reside in the borough to achieve its look. Whether you’re in search of a raffish objet d’art or hand-crafted, rustic-chic furniture, the following shopping destinations should meet all your Brooklyn design needs.
First things first: Make the most of The Factory Floor at Industry City in Sunset Park (241 37th St.) — an airy, 22,000-square-foot pop-up marketplace. The space — whose two-week run ends this weekend — showcases furniture and home goods from local designers and artisans. Expect a wide range of makers and products, such as handmade wood furniture from Mi Mesita in Red Hook and beautiful, functional record cabinets from Atocha Design; “Milk crates are for milk. Atocha Design record cabinets are for storing records,” is a brand credo.
Be sure to bring the kids — and your appetite: there will also be food trucks and free, “family-centric fun” from Construction Kids. Future events are planned at The Factory Floor, including a fashion market, opening Nov. 23.
Meanwhile, in Williamsburg, BEAM (240 Kent Ave., #34) is a new shop close to the ’burg’s bumpin’ waterfront. Its mission: “To bring you the best home goods and accessories for your well-designed life.” Founded by a corporate lawyer and an interior designer, the owners describe their style as “a little bit mid-century, a little bit rock and roll.” That means fun items like Seletti’s Hybrid dinnerware series (from $30), an East-meets-West collection in which each piece is one-half traditional Chinese design and one-half European, fused together. Who knew having a split personality could be so chic?
Finally, if you don’t do bridges or tunnels — which you should — then head uptown to the Manhattan outpost of Brooklyn-based designers Urbangreen Furniture. Their just-opened Upper East Side showroom (236 E. 78th St.) offers eco-friendly, hand-crafted furnishings — from storage beds to tables to “curvaceous seating” — which come fully assembled and are customizable, too. All of Urbangreen’s furnishings use low-VOC, toxin-free stains and paints, and feature wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
For those who never go to Manhattan, there’s an Urbangreen showroom at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, as well. And for those who only shop from their couch, you can buy online, too.