WorkOf Studio Stories: Workstead

It’s that time again! At WorkOf we love to connect you directly with the best independent brands to discover and shop the world's most exceptional products, all in one place. We are committed to quality curation, narrative driven commerce, local creative communities and empowering the next generation of professional designers.

For those curious of the stories behind the studios and the exceptional products they create, keep reading to discover WorkOf Studio Stories. Next, we’d like to present a Brooklyn & Hudson, NY based design studio, Workstead.

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Meet Workstead

Workstead is a design studio based in Brooklyn and Hudson, New York, focusing on buildings, interiors, and products. Their lighting collections are a natural extension of their interest in utility, form, and materiality. Workstead’s products are both functional and iconic, fostering a rich dialogue between past and present.

“We create lasting, elemental objects for everyday use.”

— Workstead

Throughout their body of work, Workstead engages in a design process that is both disciplined and deeply collaborative. The outcomes of those efforts weave reverence for historic precedent, progressive expression, and authentic materiality into places of stunning longevity.

Each piece is made-to-order by hand in New York City.

What they do:

Workstead is an award-winning, multidisciplinary design firm creating one-of-a-kind projects that are comprehensive in vision and exacting in detail. Their team collaborates to oversee Workstead’s creative practice from studios in Brooklyn and Hudson, New York.

Where they do it:

Brooklyn and Hudson, New York

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workstead values

“High quality materials gain depth through use, and our collections are meant to reflect that value. ”

— Workstead

Analog: Most Workstead products are adjustable in some way.

Chamber Table Lamp

Their adjustable products are both functional and sculptural in use, to allow the customer to adjust the quality of the light source by hand, creating a playful and sculptural appeal. They create work that is suitable for everyday use - it is meant to be used, and it’s form, condition, and spirit reflect that embedded everyday use.

Elemental: Workstead begins the design of each collection with an aim to create a series of objects that are iconic, restrained, and elemental in spirit.

Orbit Sconce

Orbit Chandelier

They don’t use ornament in their work, and they don’t embellish upon the inherent functions of a particular fixture. There is no vanity involved.

Lasting: Historical precedents inform the function and shape of Workstead collections.

Shaded Block

Shaded Gable

They distill the fundamental principle behind a historical typology, and re-introduce it for modern use. Once a material is chosen for a collection, they also choose finishes that will wear well over time. High quality materials gain depth through use, and their collections are meant to reflect that value. Beyond the timeframe for their immediate use, Workstead’s work will function and be appreciated for generations.

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