Design Showcased in Colony's Exhibition The Independents


The Independents marks Colony’s tenth anniversary as a platform the place founder Jean Lin’s private imaginative and prescient and market viability discover uncommon equilibrium. The exhibition brings collectively 24 design studios from Colony’s orbit, every responding to what independence in design observe means to them. The ensuing assortment serves as each retrospective and manifesto – a declaration that independence in design isn’t merely aesthetic desire however philosophical stance.

A paper wire chair with a single walnut alongside a nook hinge sits within the nook of Lin’s Tribeca gallery house. To the informal observer, it’d register merely as a considerate element of fabric juxtaposition. However Chen Chen & Kai Williams’ Walnut Nook Chair carries cultural reminiscence inside its kind. The designers drew inspiration from the Chinese language custom of passing walnuts from one technology to the following, objects worn easy by the fingers of ancestors. This object-as-inheritance turns into a becoming metaphor for what Colony has cultivated over its decade of existence.

A modern gallery with minimalist furniture, sculptures, and lighting fixtures displayed on plinths against white brick walls and polished concrete floors.

“I’m very happy with the neighborhood of impartial designers that we’ve constructed at Colony over the previous decade,” says Colony founder Lin. “The Independents exhibition encapsulates my very personal ‘why.’ My perception within the impartial spirit is limitless, and so is my awe.”

A minimalist room with light brick walls features modern furniture, including tables and a stool on wooden platforms, and a unique floor lamp with geometric shades.

A minimalist interior with two abstract sculptures on a white table, positioned near a red and olive green woven curtain.

Abstract, bronze-colored metal sculpture hangs in a sunlit gallery space with large windows, light curtains, and pedestals displaying other art objects.

The exhibition reveals how Colony’s cooperative mannequin has advanced past illustration to turning into an incubator. Studios rising from the gallery’s Designers’ Residency program – together with Ember Studio, Thomas Yang Studio, and the freshly minted Studio BC Joshua from the 2025 class – display how Colony capabilities as each launch pad and ongoing assist system.

A minimalist gallery room displaying five unique side tables on white pedestals, with a round mirror and two wall lights on a white wall under a staircase.

Materiality serves as a throughline connecting previous and current. Present Colony designers like Hiroko Takeda, Shifting Mountains, and SSS Atelier current new work that extends their materials investigations. Takeda’s textiles specifically showcase how technical mastery creates areas for expression – the constraints of the loom enabling larger inventive freedom.

A small abstract sculpture sits on a white pedestal in a sunlit gallery space, with a yellow textile and a larger hanging metal sculpture partially visible.

Three large, round cork lids rest on dark circular bases atop a white platform; one lid is partially open, revealing an interior compartment.

A modern living space with a wooden sofa featuring bright blue cushions and colorful pillows, a wooden bear sculpture on a pedestal, and a geometric dark green textile on a white brick wall.

A wooden pedestal stands next to potted plants and a wall-mounted pink light fixture in a bright room with sheer curtains and large windows.

Bronze abstract sculpture composed of interlocking, organically shaped pieces, suspended vertically in a sunlit gallery space with concrete floor and sheer curtains.

For extra info on The Independents, go to Colony at goodcolony.com.

Pictures by Brooke Holm.

Leo Lei interprets his ardour for minimalism into his daily-updated weblog Leibal. As well as, you’ll find uniquely designed minimalist objects and furnishings on the Leibal Retailer.



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