Smilow Design’s Dots + Dash Plate Set & Coordinating Glasses will be reintroduced at the soon to reopen Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Store

It’s Tabletop Week in New York City! What a perfect time to announce Smilow Design’s Dots + Dash Plate Set & Glasses will available again soon at the renovated & newly christened Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Shop when the museum reopens after a lengthy renovation on December 12, 2014. Just in time for the holidays!

Dots + Dashes Plate Set was first acquired by David McFadden, the museum’s curator of decorative arts, in 1987. The Sets were also featured in the exhibit and publication “Art that Works” by Lloyd Herman, then the Director of the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Art Museum in Washington, DC.

The sets will be on sale in the Cooper Hewitt Museum Shop. Smilow Glass can also be found in the Collections of the Brooklyn Museum and The Yale University Art Gallery.

Smilow Furniture Featured in Elements of Craft

Smilow Furniture has been invited to participate in 100% Design @ London Design Festival 2014.

The Smilow Furniture 60” Woven Rush Bench RLB 60 will be featured in the exhibition Elements of Craft, Mint Shop - Brompton Design District, 2 North Terrace, London September 13 - 21.
Opening reception Thursday, September 18 from 7 - 10pm.

The talented Lina Kanafani, owner of Mint Shop, curated the exhibition focusing on the influence of craft in design. Mint Shop is an interior design store established in 1998. It is based in central London and is renowned for its contemporary collections and creative merchandising, offering cutting edge design cleverly mused with innovative one off pieces.

100% Design is expected to attract over 30,000 visitors and is touted as the biggest event during the London Design Festival from September 18 - 21, 2014. If you’re in London make sure to come by and check out this terrific shop & exhibit and say hello!

Don’t miss these other great venues/sites during London Design Week:

Brompton Design District

Design Junction

Mint Shop

Design Museum
East London Design District
The New Craftsmen
designjunction

And if you are not in London follow @smilowdesign on Instagram and Facebook to stay in the know during the Festival.

And check out our complete SMILOW Furniture 2014 catalogue.

For more information and U.S. locations contact us at info@smilowdesign.com.

Smilow Furniture Featured in “AmericanMade” at Suite NY During ICFF 2014

ICFF commenced with a bang when Smilow Furniture was a featured local designer at SUITE New York’s Q&A panel discussion, AmericanMade.

New York Magazine's Wendy Goodman moderated the panel, which featured designers and manufacturers Kelly Behun of Neo Laminati, Craig Bassam and Scott Fellows of BassamFellows and Mark Albrecht of Mark Albrecht Studio.

Kris Fuchs, Principal of SUITE New York noted, "The AmericanMade panel was a unique opportunity for SUITE NY to bring together several voices in American furnituremaking to discuss their shared passion for quality craftsmanship and sustainability. Maria and I are thrilled to be in partnership with these four outstanding companies that truly represent the best of American modern design." 

As the discussion centered around the trends and strategies inherent in choosing to be American Made, two things became clear; proximity and craftsmanship.

Several of the designers including Smilow pointed out the importance of factory proximity to the product development and design process for the designer when producing their hand-crafted products.

Judy Smilow also noted that for her family’s furniture line, “American Made has been less about trend strategy and positioning. For Smilow Furniture “American Made” is simply a part of our brand’s DNA.” She also pointed out that Smilow Furniture, known for their enduring Modern classics, have been made in America since 1949 and continue in that same tradition today.

The designer's furniture and products were featured in a special exhibit at SUITE New York during ICFF 2014. Smilow Furniture will continue to be available and on display in SUITE New York's showroom. 

It Still ROCKS Today (Testimonial #1)

Last winter I posted one of my all time favorite pictures on the Smilow Design Facebook Page. The picture was “The Chair that Represented America,” my father’s quintessential American Rocking Chair that was honored with selection for use in the US Pavilion at Montreal’s Expo ’67.

Right after I posted the picture this comment appeared: " I have this chair. It was purchased in 1964 to rock my baby in. It still ROCKS today! Love it!!"

She continued to tell me more about the furniture and her daughter even chimed in about how much she adored growing up with Smilow Furniture.  “...Her furniture is what I compare all others to, the furniture that has always felt like home and nothing comes close.”

Read the entire heartwarming exchange.

And keep a look out, we hope to be reintroducing this iconic piece later this spring!

A Gift to Be Cherished, for your Valentine!

It’s that time of year again when you ask yourself -what shall I give my loved one for Valentines Day?

You want to find the perfect gift, something they will cherish for a lifetime. That will represent your ever lasting love. A present that is ‘enduring, modern, classic’ is what you strive for.

That is the essence of Smilow Furniture - a timeless gift that will last a lifetime and beyond. 

Contact us about giving the enduring gift of Smilow Furniture.

It will be forever cherished by those you cherish.

2013 It's A Wrap

We had a fantastic 2013 and we are looking forward to an even more productive and exciting 2014. Here is a round up of Smilow Design and Smilow Furniture’s accomplishments in 2013 and a look forward.

2013 Was Action-Packed!

We Reintroduced Smilow Furniture - including 2 signature collections - the Woven Rush and Railback Collections featuring 10 pieces.
Branded & Launched SmilowDesign.com
Got a lot of great Press - Dwell, Elle Decor, Treehugger, Worth Magazine, Dering Hall & WGSN and received many heartwarming testimonials from legions of lifelong fans of Smilow Furniture.

More Great Things In 2014

Smilow Furniture is proud to announce the next pieces in our expanding furniture offerings with the reissued WLC22 Woven Leather Lounge and WO22 Woven Leather Ottoman originally designed in 1956 and the Classic Pedestal Extension Table PDT48 designed in the late 1950’s.

The furniture continues to be on display and available at reGeneration on Renwick Street, NYC and available online and through select dealers. Inquire for specifics and don't forget about our custom capabilities. Email: info@smilowdesign.com

We have recently become a proud member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council and are part of an invited group of manufacturers in PORTE-COCHÈRE, the members-only online marketplace for interior design firms as well as continuing on 1st Dibs. Online we are also featured on the new website MadeClose.com.

Please follow us and stay tuned for more exciting news about smilow furniture and its enduring, modern classic furnishings and design.

November continues to be an exciting month for Smilow Furniture

This month, Worth Magazine in their Curator section, features the Smilow Furniture
Rail Back Collection.

We are thrilled to be featured in this terrific piece by Editor in Chief, Richard Bradley. By the way... the Art Direction is beautiful as well.

Thanks to the entire Worth crew. You can read the Curator section of the Magazine and see this page online here

Smilow Furniture in the News

A mid century re-introduction. Authentic design by Mel Smilow

It has been an exciting month since the Relaunch of Smilow Furniture at the ICFF. Read about Smilow Furniture in the News. Mid-Century Designer Focus: Mel Smilow Magazine July/August 2013 An unsung mid-century designer is poised for a triumphant revival. MORE >> Dwell Magazine Slide Show >> Smilow at ICFF 2013 A notable trend among the smaller makers is domestic manufacturing. East Coast factories are partnering with designers to bring back skill sets that have been handed down through the generations, reviving some long lost disciplines in the process. One of our favourite finds this show was the American company Smilow. An authentic mid-century brand that started as a retailer in NYC in 1949, Smilow has created a collection of enduring modern classics in a very accessible way.  MORE >> 50 Years In the Making: A Mid-Century Modern Master Debuts at ICFF Perhaps there’s no better testament to the enduring power of a designer and his designs than celebrating the relaunch of his signature pieces half a century after they were first produced. For Judy Smilow, who is launching a capsule collection of furniture based on Mel Smilow’s original designs at this year’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair, this enormous undertaking was much more than reintroducing the world to some of the best examples of mid-20th century modern furniture, it was a labor of love. MORE >> Old Is New Again Mel Smilow (1922–2002) was an American furniture designer, manufacturer and retailer whose seating, case goods and lighting are widely regarded as among the very best of the mid 20th century. The works were entirely crafted by hand (in America) of solid walnut, birch and oak, rather than the more common teak of the time. Known for clean lines and impeccable proportions, they were sold under the name Smilow-Thielle and offered through namesake retail stores, from the late 1940s through the 1970s. MORE >> For more information contact us at info@smilowdesign.com or visitsmilowfurniture.com. Additionally you can see and purchase the Smilow Furniture collection at reGeneration Furniture at 38 Renwick Street in New York City and DeringHall.com

A perfect Wedding Gift...Smilow Glass now available at the MAD Museum Shop

In coordination with Tabletop Week and the exhibit "Against the Grain" Wood in Contemporary Art and Design, a terrific show at the MAD Museum, in NYC. Smilow Glass "Faux Bois" Pattern in both green and brown and our "Plaid" Pattern in both gold and platinum variations are now available for purchase in the MAD (Museum of Art and Design's) gift shop at Columbus Circle.
Now that we are headed into Mothers Day and Wedding Season , consider Smilow Glass.

smilow glass...back to the beginning and new again

Back in the mid 80's, while experimenting with sandblasting on metal and glass, an idea for a tabletop line of decorated bent glass serving pieces was hatched. smilow glass started out with handmade pieces made one by one.  Soon after this I found a factory in Pennsylvania that could produce them in quantity. Bending factories were once more common in America, but by the time I found this one in Pennsylvania they were one of the last remaining factories.

   My first glass design, Dots and Dashes, 3 Piece Plate Set

   Platinum Plaid

   Fern Pattern

Over the years, my glass designs sold in many shops, a few fancy hotels (the Four Seasons is my favorite) and even found their way into some museum collections including the Cooper Hewitt National Museum for Design, Yale University Art Gallery and the Brooklyn Museum.

Except for half a dozen years at the beginning, smilow glass had been licensed to another company that marketed for me under their own name. Since last spring, I have been gearing up to reintroduce the line.

I'm excited to once again be offering my glass line under the smilow glass name.  I wanted to share that here first.

So. . . If you're reading this and are interested in purchasing the glass, Please contact me!

You can also like my page on facebook and
as soon as there are additional ways and places to find smilow glass, you'll be the first to know.

To see the whole collection of smilowglass check the smilowdesign website

   NEW for 2013:  Faux Bois in green and brown

Hurry....Dont miss this show !

The World of D.D. and Leslie Tillett -- Oct 17 through Feb 3

The World of D.D. and Leslie Tillett is the first retrospective of the work of textile designers D.D. Tillett (1917-2008) and Leslie Tillett (1915-1992), two important figures in the history of post-war American design. The exhibition introduces the work of these remarkable designers to a new generation.

A few weeks ago I heard about this show and dashed over to see it. What a treat! D.D. and Leslie Tillett were certainly unknown to me but as I learned, they were favorites of many such as Jacqueline Kennedy, Greta Garbo, Gary Cooper and Harry Truman. Their textiles often graced the pages of Diana Vreeland's Vogue. 

The New York Times explains the history behind this colorful couple best: "In 1944, the legendary art director Alexey Brodovitch, then working for Harper’s Bazaar, heard about beautiful textiles coming out of Cuernavaca, Mexico, and sent D.D. Doctorow to shoot a feature for the magazine...Abandoning her assignment, Ms. Doctorow canceled her return home, married Leslie, learned dye-mixing and silk-screening and joined a circle of artists that included Diego Rivera and the silversmith Bill Spratling...The Tillets moved to Manhattan in 1946, accruing a level of recognition all but unheard-of in the fabric world. Their best-known pattern is a luscious, painterly mass of chrysanthemums bursting like fireworks."

On view at the Museum of the City of New York it is a must see-- and it's only opened a few more days!

Smilow Chairs on Display!

We have a major milestone to report. I was excited to see the very first Smilow Furniture custom order on display today.

Last year at a museum opening I had the pleasure of meeting Adam Rolston, a partner at Incorporated. It was through that meeting that he discovered that I was attempting to reestablish and reintroduce my father Mel Smilow's designs from the mid century. Adam–an architect– was an instant admirer of the designs and has since became our first customer. These newly reissued Smilow WAC 33 Arm chairs have been installed in the model apartment of a new luxury building on west 87th street condo  in Manhattan that Incorporated, designed the interiors for. Check out the pictures below.

 

 

Photographs by Maia Schoenfelder

These gorgeous chairs can be ordered in many types of wood and custom upholstery. Pictured above in american walnut, with leather cushions.
Send us an email for inquiries.