Holiday Treats

What are you serving, gifting or savoring this Season? Tomorrow, we're hosting a pot-luck and I'm always trying to figure out what festive dishes I can display my goodies on...

Take a look at some pieces we have that may spark an idea or two for your Holiday festivities:

A look back...

It has been quite an exciting year for FTS...full of new growth, energy, ideas, enthusiasm, people and best of all, customers. We want to thank of all the new people we've met this year, and especially those of you who have remained close to us over time. Here's a look at some new and exciting projects we've been busy with...

Below, an image of Ingas wood receiving a natural, water based finish. We've started cutting some of our material much thinner to prepare it for various vertical applications. This particular project included two Ingas slabs joined with butterflies. The piece was then used as the exterior material on the hostess stand at a local restaurant.



Here, an interesting design for all of the various salvaged teak we are fortunate enough to work with. These slabs are used on the sides of trucks in Indonesia, and the color and vibrant nature of the piece makes it quite unique. This customer chose to pair the rustic warmth of old wood with our new turned legs.



Our Liana vines are being used in increasingly new and innovative ways too. Here, we have built a custom Mango wood desk with Liana vines as the base. The unfinished Mango pairs beautifully with the Liana, but any of our darker woods or finishes would contrast with the vines nicely too.



This is an in-progress photo of a bench we built for a pediatrician's waiting room. It is always fascinating to see the new ways we end up using the beautiful raw material that comes in. This is an example of old Ingas, which is evident by the darker live edges that frame the top of the piece. The specific design is meant to create a closed in space for healthy patients who are coming in for check ups. The backside of the taller bench is furnished with our Christy Ingas benches, and provides a waiting area for other patients. Check back to see finished photos...



We've shared images from Hachi Bistro previously, but I couldn't help including this one. We typically use these vines as bases for coffee, bar or dining tables, but this application, as a lighting fixture was brilliant...


We're looking forward to all the new collaboration that comes in the New Year...

Shop the Block

This Sunday, December 6th, on 17^th street, between 6^th and 7^th avenues, From the Source is collaborating with the Rubin Museum of Art and other 17^th street merchants to promote a friendly “Shop the Block” event. All participating businesses are offering discounts for your pleasure.

Our Chelsea location will be offering an additional 15% off of all orders during our regular Sunday business hours, noon - 7pm. Come by and check out the latest Holiday gift items we have in, and enjoy some local goodies...

104 West 17th Street
Just West of 6th Ave.
NYC, 11001
212.255.9209

While you're in the neighborhood, stop by the Rubin Museum, which is at the other end of 17th street (at 7th Ave.). They carry the most extensive collection of Himalayan Art in the West. Not to mention, their incredible cafe, which is a nice place to refuel before shopping!

http://www.rmanyc.org/

Whistle While you Work!!!

Do you ever think that you have a special or unique work environment? I'm sure we all do in one way or another. For all of us at From the Source, it seems like second nature to have such an amazing crew to work with. Their hard work and dedication is endless, but their best quality is the friendly, energetic and positive energy that radiates from all of them.

The other day, a customer told Philip that one of her favorite parts of visiting our warehouse was to see and "hear" our crew. Apparently, each time she comes by, she enjoys the beautiful humming and singing that fills the air...

Thanks to all of our hardworking and pleasant crew members...

Here's Jumpa...



Angel:



Carlos, with our new sander, Mingkur



Come by and check out the "tunes" for yourself:

69 West Street
Brooklyn, NY 11222
718.729.3026

Weekends, 11am-6pm
Weekdays, by appointment only

Some honey for your tea...

Check out this beautiful piece of Meh we got in on the last container:



I look at it and think, "ahhh, this is reminiscent of tea swirling around in a nice, hot cut of tea..."

Perfect for the season, just like our wood. Come by and check out all the other beauties we got in.

"Green Mixer" in Dumbo

This past Tuesday, Green Book had their first "Green Mixer" in Dumbo. The event was held in a loft on Water street, right near the Triangle Park, where one of our teak root benches actually resides. The bench has been outdoors and has been faded by the sun, wind and rain, but you can see how reclaimed teak ages beautifully over time:


Upon entering, there were several entertaining, educational and delicious things to devour...

First, a trip to the bar, where we discovered Vodka 360, "the World's first Eco Friendly Vodka Series".

Then, we met John Duch, the Sales Rep for Pentel Pens, who was showcasing their new products that range from 54% to 100% recycled plastic. As a "lefty", Erik especially fell in love with the new quick drying gel pens, and bonded with John. Also, as someone who always swipes Erik's great pens, I stocked up that night too. Below, a picture of Erik with his new hero.


http://pentel.com/recycology/index.html

Later, we came across Greg Barber, who I had met in September at Green City, Green Brooklyn. He is a great resource for green printing options and works with a variety of printers in the North East. One of the greatest parts, was to discover Greg's ever so clever "Enviro Coasters", which were printed on Coffee, Mango and Lemon "tree free paper". If you know FTS, you know that we work with Mango and Coffee wood regularly, and are looking into this...

http://www.gregbarberco.com/

Greg introduced us to another fantastic product called "TerraSkin", which is made of mineral powder and a non-toxic resin.

http://terraskin.com/

We learned from many other vendors, and will be back to share more soon, but in the meantime, just want to remind you that it wasn't all work and no play...

2009 NYC Marathon Day Sale...tomorrow!

Tomorrow, Sunday, November 1, 2009 marks the 40th annual ING New York City Marathon. Not only is it an amazing sight to see the endurance and tenacity of the runners, but it looks like it's going to be a perfect day for shopping as well. The forecast calls for a beautiful Sunday morning, bright, sunny and clear, with a high of 58 degrees:

http://www.weather.com/

The marathon route brings runners to the footsteps of our Warehouse in Greenpoint, and most will arrive right around noon. Here is a link to the ING NYC Marathon map:

http://www.nycmarathon.org/documents/INGNYCM09_Map_Large_Rev_100909.pdf

Our weekend hours in Greenpoint are from 11am-6pm, and we welcome you to grab some coffee, cheer on the amazing athletes and come SHOPPING! Everything in our warehouse will be discounted for one day only, November 1, 2009. Some items will be discounted much much more as well, so come by and check it out...

Greenpoint
69 West Street
Brooklyn 11222
718.729.3026

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Hope you're enjoying All Hallow's Eve...here is another glimpse at our Masquerade Ball creations...enjoy!

http://bit.ly/ftsmasquerade

One of our team members, Penny Emmet is center, with Jan MacLatchie, our Brand Strategist on her left, as well as Penny's friend, Lyuba Bakalova of Gensler on her right. Also pictured, our hand carved Meh masks, $35 each, and perfect for Halloween!

Thanks to Design-Calendar for posting the pics!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brooklyn-NY/Design-Calendar/157742876545

Our Lovely Perch, one "hot" seat

One of our new designs continues to turn heads....


The Fabulous Finds
http://www.thefabulousfinds.com/




The Perch stool, with a hand made, solid Teak seat and natural, water based finish sits atop a solid Iron base. Available at all FTS locations for $275 each.

Chelsea
104 West 17th Street
NYC 10011
212.255.9209

Dumbo
65 Jay Street
Brooklyn 11201
718.260.8833

Greenpoint
69 West Street
Brooklyn 11222
718.729.3026

FTS at Alpha Workshops 4th Annual Masquerade Ball

Last night at the NY Design Center, Alpha Workshops hosted their 4th annual Masquerade Ball. From the Source was there...in full Garb. Although the theme, "C'mon Get Happy" inspired many guests, we made a nod to our Indonesian "roots" and covered ourselves in bark...

Below, myself, Penny and one of our many friends from the night. So many beautiful and creative costumes were on display. We were repsentin' FTS in the best way we could...as creatures from the forest! Costume construction was done with various pieces of soaked, dried and dyed bark, but not complete without some extras, like twigs, leaves, moss, berries, seeds, hemp...oh, and GLITTER, of course!


Here's a little view from the back...Penny's head piece was genius, and mine, well thanks to the hair I think. People kept asking how I did it, but honestly, all you need are some thick curls to stick twigs in!


Here is Philip, our other partner in crime for the evening. I must admit, I did some serious glue-gunning to construct my costume, but Philip's collar and cuff links are all hand sewn on! Check out the detail of the buttons too...


Below, Lexie in her best 1920's garb, Miss Chrysler, Miss Rockefeller, Miss Empire State, and me, the Tree Nymph. With all the outrageous costumes, the camera was on fire last night...such creativity and playful creations. Luckily for me, the bark was quite flexible, which enabled some serious action on the dance floor...a Great night all around!


Let us not forget...my award...

Feast on this...

Dining Tables and chairs are now 25% off when purchased as a package. Needless to say, it's time to dine! Invite the gang over and enjoy!

Green Gift Ideas...

Something bright to warm up the shelves, kitchen, dinner table or office...check

Something eco friendly and handmade, right here in the heart of Brooklyn...check

Something all of your friends will ask "wherever did you find that?"...check

Something perfect for all of your Holiday gifting AND affordable...check

FTS is introducing a new line of bright, one of a kind, handmade ceramics, just in time for all of your gift giving pleasures...

Stop by our Chelsea location for a closer look, or call for pricing and color options, 212.255.9209

Pictured above:

Breakfast plates, $18
Dessert plates, $14
Biscuit bowls, $20
Crumby bowls, $16

We're cleaning out our closet!!

And, just in time for the Holidays...

We've launched a huge CLEARANCE sale of AT LEAST 50% off!! Please come check out the goods, now on view in our DUMBO showroom:

65 Jay Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
718.260.8833

Everything from chairs, beds, tables, dressers, nightstands, various case goods, and plenty of accessories that could make your loved ones very happy!

New Container

Like clockwork...here's a new container. This container came in with very few surprises, but here are some of the highlights...



Clearing out the container builds anticipation.



We got in a few one of a kind pieces. The mirror and the turtle stool are both made from reclaimed teak.



We've also brought back these pieces with reclaimed teak tops and whitewashed turned legs, and as always, we're bringing back our standard pieces.

Dumbo Art Under the Bridge Festival

Come on down to the water and enjoy the views Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass (DUMBO). The Dumbo Art Under the Bridge Festival is going on this weekend. Click here for more details and some great photos of the action:

http://www.dumboartfestival.org/

Also, come by and check out the goods in person at OUR Dumbo showroom. We have some new paintings from Jack Mctiernan up, and many other great new pieces.

www.jackmacheartattack.com

We have been collaborating with Rebecca Cole, whom you might know from Surprise by Design (TLC), or publications in various magazines. In fact, you can find some of our merchandise paired with hers in the latest edition of Garden Design Magazine.

http://www.gardendesign.com/index.jsp

And, some of her pieces are now for sale in Dumbo, so come by and check it out!

http://www.colecreates.com/index.php

INSTANT custom @ 20% off!!

Ever desired a "custom" piece of furniture? How about something custom...made INSTANTLY?

Come by and check out our new "elements" promotion, where you can mix and match various tops, bases, and fun new materials. Take a look at our bedroom furniture too, which is also 20% off. Always nice to cuddle up in bed when the weather is nasty outside!


Check out the new layout at Chelsea...

Jack McTiernan at From the Source

Crosswalk



From the Source is now collaborating with Jack McTiernan, a Brooklyn based painter and Pratt Grad...like so many of the FTS team!!

We are pleased to welcome him and his bright, beautiful work. Please stop and take a closer look...and check out his website as well:
www.jackmacheartattack.com

Also, be on the lookout for other pieces, which will be displayed in Dumbo very soon as well.















Don't Stop

















Noho

Our Perch stools get a buddy....

Product development here works several different ways.

Bob sometimes will have an idea while he's in Indonesia, often either on the plane, or while visiting with one of the groups we work with on products.

Then he'll surprise us with it on a future container, and the team here will use it as a base point for development.

Such is the case with the bar height bases that Bob brought back, intended to be paired with the per and hiboy bar stools. He's also developed a lower version that can be added to our collection of coffee table height bases.








We've already got ideas on how to tweak the bar height bases (lowered by about 4", widen the neck, etc.) and the coffee table base (having the legs angle out a bit), but as always happens, Bob's simple act of making something new has spread to other products as well.

Be on the lookout for a revamped Perch & Hiboy base coming soon...

NPR piece on Batik cloth...

Hopefully this won't reveal any political or cultural leanings, but listening to NPR this morning, I heard an interesting piece on Indonesian Batik cloths...how President Obama's mother loved to collect the cloths, and a basic rundown on how they're made.

We found it generally interesting, but even more because we've been bringing those back for several years now.

We find them great for printmaking applications, making stamps, embossing fabric & ribbons, sconces, or simply as an accent piece. Here's the link...

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111892135

Here's some of the batik stamps we carry...

Road Trip!

Earlier this week I noticed this on Flavorpill: “Grain Edit looks backward for future design”. At From the Source we’ve been “looking backward” too, working on new designs that link vintage and reclaimed elements with modern forms. I mused about this. Whether art, music or design, in any medium it’s easier to recreate than to create; to look to the past rather than invent the future. Was I taking the easy road, or worse, being intellectually lazy?

Either way, spending a Saturday in front of the computer wasn’t offering sparks of inspiration. I needed something richer, more tactile. Plus, it was a beautiful day, so why not leave the desk, and explore. I grabbed the camera and a water bottle and headed to Recycling the Past, an architectural salvage yard I’d been meaning to visit. Mapquest made it look easy, so I set off down the coast…along with several thousand determined beach goers…

Finally made it to the salvage yard!
Hmm, could this old cart inspire a new chaise lounge?
For the chair, I'd soften the angles and give it reclaimed teak slats.

It felt invigorating to actually handle the forms and observe the intricate details, the nuances of the curves… more fun than Sketch-up on a hot summer day!








Intriguing shelving, looks like an old erector set!

Scraps and debris gave way to treasures beyond my budget…
but I left with a wealth of pictures and ideas to share with the design team.













We'll be working these inspirations into a new collection, so be on the lookout!