In her recent post on the Shio light, Alicita showed admirable restraint in resisting the temptation to mention Uhuru Design. I also know from personal experience that she resists this temptation nearly every time she puts fingers to keyboard, she loves Uhuru so. The lamp of slatted wood by Alberto Ãlvarez reminds us both-albeit in miniature-of Uhuru's inspired Coney Island Collection, particularly the Cyclone Lounger, a piece that employs flat lengths of reclaimed Ipe from the infamous boardwalk. Brooklyn-based Uhuru has made a name for itself as a prominent "up-cycler." The coinage displaces "reclaimed" or "reused" as a testament to Uhuru's conviction that they add value to the found ipe, or walnut, or cherry antique pine, as the case may be, from which they fashion fabulous furnishings like their classic Stoolen Stool.

Stoolen Stool. Designed by Uhuru Design for the Birdbath Caf© in the New Museum, NYC.

Uhuru first introduced designer Bill Hilgendorf's piece in 2004, and we’ve mentioned it before, but the versatile Stoolen is back in the news as the new Birdbath Caf© has commissioned the piece (customized in walnut) for restaurant seating. If you’d like Stoolen for your very own, it comes in various dimensions, assorted materials, and a proliferation of profiles (round, square, and oval). Uses envisioned for Stoolen include stools, coffee tables, and low tables, the latter of which might just come to an ergonomically advantageous height for your laptop. But you could discover that for yourself with a simple visit to the Bowery's New Museum, where the much-anticipated Birdbath caf© has chosen to outfit the digs not only with multiple Stoolen, but also with a customized communal version of Uhuru's Summer Snow Line Tables (post-consumer aluminum and steel with a zero-VOC powder coat).

Stoolen Stool. Designed by Uhuru Design for the Birdbath Caf© in the New Museum, NYC.

Stoolen Stool. Designed by Uhuru Design for the Birdbath Caf© in the New Museum, NYC.

Stoolen Stool. Designed by Uhuru Design for the Birdbath Caf© in the New Museum, NYC.

Summer Snow Line Tables. Designed by Uhuru Design for the Birdbath Caf© in the New Museum, NYC.

The choice speaks to Uhuru's stellar reputation in the Metropolis, as Birdbath is sure to become an institution within an institution. A satellite of City Bakery, the new caf© will continue the "outstanding fare and sustainable, forward-thinking practices" of its parent purveyor, such as offering locally produced "slow food" delivered by cyclists pulling rickshaws. The synthesis of sustainable food transported at zero energy and served in an environment peopled with Uhuru's lovely sustainable furniture is an impressive trifecta. If I were the least bit closer to the Bowery, I'd eat at Birdbath every day.