“Good design elevates our collective human experience”-Vonnegut Kraft
Being an extravagantly diverse field, furniture design, and interior design have brought out some remarkable designers around the world in the past few years. Vonnegut/Kraft is one of them, adorning the world with their minimalist and modernist designs, gracing the contemporary spaces. Their designs have proved that not only thin, slender frames, but even bold statement pieces, with the overwhelming thought process, and concepts, are cherry in the pie of minimalism.
“Woodworking wonderkids”, as the Luxe Magazine calls them; Vonnegut/Kraft is a New York-based design studio created by the passion of Katrina Vonnegut and Brian Kraft. Their belief that ‘good design elevates collective human experience’ has led the duo to create furniture, lighting, objects, and spaces with astute attention to detail, materiality, and sculptural form.
The duo of Vonnegut/Kraft has been an epitome of balance, upholding the balance between personal touch with handmade craftsmanship and smart technological manufacturing techniques. Also keeping up with the trends, and design world and doing justice with the qualities of the materials used. Each piece is handcrafted by Vonnegut/Kraft in their Sunset Park, Brooklyn workshop. Vonnegut/Kraft has exhibited their work around the world and has been featured in numerous publications including the New York Times, T Magazine, Elle Décor, and Wallpaper magazine.
Let us check out of 10 of their projects:
1. Walnut Crescent Lounge
Walnut, Wool Upholstery, 2014
Dimensions: 18″ x 80″ x 40.5″
With a minimalistic profile, the crescent lounge is a tranquilizing multifunctional lounge chair. The raised crescent, which gives it its name, raises the headrest, supported by a minimalistic and balanced walnut frame. The colors of the upholstery are a soothing combination, making it fit for office as well as residence. It is the first upholstered piece designed by the duo.
Its showcase in the international contemporary furniture fair, made it very popular among the print, featuring in many magazines.
2. Zickie Zackie
“Furniture forms should be a response to the geometry and tonality in the textiles, rather than vice versa”
This piece is a collaboration work between slow and steady wins the race and Vonnegut/kraft. The fabrics are customized by using Weft, a new tool that aids the users to design jacquard (weaved) fabrics online, and order them on demand. This collection is called ‘Depaysement’; it highlights the role of upholstery, color, and geometry in design. The collection consists of two benches, two ottomans, and one screen. With its dynamic look, it sure can transform a space.
3. DuneCandelabra
Cast Bronze, 2015
Dimensions: 7″ x 10″ x 1.5″
Variations:
- Material Cast Bronze or Cast Concrete
- finish Brushed Bronze or matte Cast Concrete
Featured in Elle Décor, as a neo brut
A list design, The Dune Candelabra is a bold statement set of two interlocking, modular pieces, that look marvelous, together or separate, and upside or downside depending on personal aesthetic. It can easily grace minimalistic spaces, with its simple form, and trendy Brushed bronze finish.
4. Kana Chair
Pleasing to the eyes, and inviting to sit, this piece is a sculptural minimalist ensemble for space. A ‘statement’ in its own, a composition of harmoniously placed straight black/matte lacquer lines of the frame, and a soft and balanced tan mohair upholstery, to soften the space.
5. Pastille Side Table
These tables display contrast of flat ceramic glaze, developed by ceramist NatalieWeinberg, and the bases by Vonnegut/Kraft is a heavenly graphic element that brings dimension and illusion to space and the viewer. This coffee table and side table is one of a kind to have in your space.
6. Mesa
The mesa is a very unique collection of walnut furniture, which is best described by The future perfect,” The Mesa Collection is an exploration into scale, perspective, and modularity, using bulbous, fleshy forms to transcend the materiality of the wood. The connections between the individual forms of the legs and the tabletops, mimic finger joints and harness a softer, naturalistic brutalism. “
The chair has been exhibited twice. Once in 2016, at Jack Chiles at Collective Design, And another time in 2019 at The Future Perfect. Its interlocking joinery gives the material an unexpected fluidity and renders room in pure modernity.
7. Relevé Dining Table
Inspired by the ballet dancer’s pointed stance, the legs of the Releve table brings a static yet fluid look to the piece. Arching outward, the tar of the design is elegantly launched by the sleek white oak top resting on a single structural crossbar.
8. NewYork/Norway Collaboration
This is again a beautiful collaboration project, between Vonnegut Kraft of New York and Kniep of Norway. The product displays a harmonious inclination towards brut materials, unique customization, and natural forms. The team agreed to work around brick as a material of inspiration, they evolved it according to their aesthetics and reached this marvelous bold set, which is sculpturous and could bring poise to any space.
9. Sonia Coffee Table
The unique design process, and naïve yet mature interpretations, led them to create this. Inspired by a printed textile designed by Sonia Delauney in 1930, this piece depicts a simple hatch print, broken up by incomplete voids. The aluminum legs, alluding to the voids, can be placed anywhere within the grid. Like every other, this piece strengthens the idea of the personal involvement of the client within a designer’s perspective, and it can be customized in any size and shape.
10. Relevé Stool
The Releve stool, adapts the curved language of the dining table, forming a slightly arched comfortable sitting, and a minimalistic stool that respects and complements the concept of its partner furniture. This sleek and simplistic design is available in blue velvet and white bouclé as well as COM.
All these above projects, rightly justify the words of Surface magazine, when they say,” Vonnegut/Kraft design furniture and interiors with an ineffable charm. Their delicately designed furniture and poised material palette exude certain femininity, almost a flirtatiousness”
