Bklyn Designs: All systems go for dynamic Greenpoint show

April 16, 2015 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

BKLYN DESIGNS will be take place at the Brooklyn Expo Center in Greenpoint, shown here, from May 8 to 10. Image: Brooklyn Expo Center

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With less than four weeks until show time, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce is putting the finishing touches on an all-new, three-day exhibition of design creativity in the borough. BKLYN DESIGNS — the internationally renowned juried exhibition of contemporary furniture, lighting, accessories and art from Brooklyn — will take place May 8 to 10 at the Brooklyn Expo Center, the event’s new location in Greenpoint.

It will be the first design show to officially kick off NYCxDESIGN — New York City’s weeklong design festival.

The show will feature exhibitors hailing from design and manufacturing hubs across Brooklyn, including Greenpoint, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Bushwick, Industry City, Williamsburg, Red Hook, DUMBO and beyond. Show producers have also tapped industry leaders and thinkers to develop a robust program of seminars, events and installations to celebrate and explore design collaboration on all scales.

Show organizers have put together a conference program with 14 panel discussions covering topics as varied as architecture and development, interiors and product design, technology and fashion, food and film — all grounded in the work taking place across the borough.

One of the highlights will be the BKLYN DESIGNS Keynote, “Creative Brooklyn: The Evolution from Studio to Supplier,” taking place on Friday, May 8 (from 6 to 7 p.m.). Metropolis Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Susan S. Szenasy will moderate the panel discussion with Rockwell Group’s Thom Forsyth, Rich Brilliant Willing’s Charles Brill and Brooklyn designer Louis Lim on elevating the business of Brooklyn design and key roles played by the interiors community.

Afterward, the Opening Night Party — hosted by Metropolis and sponsored by Broadway Stages — will feature locally-crafted libations by Brooklyn Winery and Threes Brewing, music by Memos and a live audiovisual performance created for the show by Rote Productions from 7 to 9 p.m.

The show will feature numerous pop-up lounges and site-specific installations.

Shuttles will run throughout the weekend between BKLYN DESIGNS, WantedDesign Industry City and the Brooklyn Museum. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit bklyndesigns.com. For instant updates on the show, follow @BKLYNDESIGNS on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

BKLYN DESIGNS sponsors include Broadway Stages, Brooklyn Expo Center as the host sponsor, Aptsandlofts.com, Forest City Ratner and TerraCRG.