We’re very proud and excited to collaborate with Quinze & Milan and FLOR during NY Design Week. These two companies represent everything that’s good about design: innovation, smart functionality, humor and a desire to make people happy. We wanted to find out more about the people behind these brands, and thought you might like to get to know them better, too.  So we asked our own Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder Bradford Shellhammer to pick a person from each brand for a personal Q&A. Here’s what he came back with.

First out is Bradford’s conversation with PieterJan Mattan, the brand/creative director of Quinze & Milan. This is actually the second time PieterJan gets quizzed by Bradford. The first interview took place two years ago, and you can read it here.

BS: For those who have not encountered your work before, how would you describe Quinze & Milan’s products and philosophy?

PJM: Definitely colorful, carefree, whimsical and innovative. Quinze & Milan is unique because we offer a comprehensive selection of completely customizable furniture. We mainly work with architectural and interior design firms, and we aim to be a fresh and open-minded label that evokes creativity, comfort, quality, excitement and ingenuity. 

Your signature material is QM FOAM, a durable concoction of polyurethane and other components. What’s so great about it?

Our work emerges from a desire to experiment. Experimentation allows us to discover completely new techniques, for ourselves as a manufacturer and for other designers and architects, and one of them is QM FOAM. In the late Nineties, Primary Pouf 01 with its delirious and over-the-top colors, started off the commercial success of foam-coating, and QM FOAM rapidly became a much appreciated material by both interior architects and residential customers. The material was a statement, it did away with the fabric upholstery that normally hides the foam from the eye, and was characterized by its obviousness and clear tight lines, allowing very abstract geometric shapes. It’s a durable, soft and playful water- and weather resistant compound that can be cleaned with just soap and water, making it well suited for public places and both in- and outdoor use. 

For our collaboration, you built a huge mountain of your popular Primary Poufs as an installation. What was the concept behind that?

Pouf 01 stays our most popular item, and the stack installation we created has been a classic part of our showroom settings and product displays worldwide. We’re not your classic run-of-the-mill furniture business. It illustrates and reflects both the lightness and versatility of the product as well as the energy and vibe of the brand. 

You’re also helping us with the design of our pop-up shop (thank you very much). What’s in store? Get it, in store?!

Ha! We love Fab, and loved working together on this project. The SoHo pop-up store looks great, and exclusively for NY Design Week on May 17th, Fab will be launching special flash sales for our popular Pouf 01, Jellyfish chair and new Pilot stool - which will be a US first! All pieces will be on display in the store, matching the eclectic selection of inspirational items from Fab’s Color Shop.

Quinze & Milan is known to collaborate with partners that range from backpack manufacturers to fellow design firms to us. What makes collaborations interesting for you?

Like everyone, we’re just very curious about the unknown, and as it’s all about design - the creative industry has become a great, unlimited resource with endless possibilities. Our collabs are unique experiments that allow us to mix our brand DNA and design approach with other iconic products, manufacturers and designers or brands that we admire. They feed our team’s creativity and allow us to go outside our comfort zone, into other worlds. A big firm has a harder time navigating those waters than a smaller cross-disciplinary firm like ours; we blend easily. Our studio is a think tank for ideas, concepts and visual culture. And it’s all about full engagement, you either join the club or you don’t.

The Pilot stool looks like a mix of a futuristic lounge seat and something you’d find in a farm kitchen. Can you tell us about the concept?

 Pilot’s original design comes from two young Austrian designers, Patrick Rampelotto and Fritz Pernkopf. The organically shaped seat takes its cues from a new innovative 3D propylene technique, which we further developed and combined with legs in high quality European oak. But what we really liked about it, is its basic simplicity in form and function. It’s a very clever and compact piece, and just really well designed. We only work with designers that can capture the essence of our brand in a way that resonates with us.

Lastly, Fab’s hosting David Weeks and AREAWARE’s giant foam robot, whom you co-created. How was he born and what’s his name?

Keep it down, he was born on a journey from a relatively new planet, in a planetary system far far away in time and space. We gave him birth, but he was designed by Cubebot-genius David Weeks. Noel (Wiggins, AREAWARE) calls him Big Red.

From here we move on to our chat with Greg Colando, FLOR’s trailblazing President, who, together with the company’s Creative VP Chip DeGrace, has reinvented the concept of carpet flooring. Instead of dingy wall-to-wall coverings, FLOR offers modular squares in vibrant shades and patterns that are fun, creative, eco-friendly, practical and modern.

BS: One thing we have in common is that we believe that design can improve people’s lives. What are some of the ways that FLOR makes people smile?

GC: FLOR doesn’t copy trends, rather we take trends that exist in the marketplace and put our own FLOR spin on them. We cut them up into squares and let customers participate in the design process, creating something that is unique to their style and space, and that makes people smile.

You believe that design should provide solutions. Taking this to a global scale, what kind of problems do you think design could help resolve?

We need to build products that are responsible and speak to today’s living and economic conditions, and products that ensure we’re taking care of our environment as we create these solutions. Where and how do people live, what is their perspective on design, what are their outside interests? No matter what the answers are to those questions, we need to design towards the answers. It’s a bigger design philosophy and our products need to reflect that.

Your business model was a response to changes you noticed in consumer behavior. Can you tell me about what you saw and how it inspired FLOR?

Back in 2002, there were some trends that were coming into play, among them:

o   The Internet was continuing its sharp incline as the place for consumers to conduct commerce.

o   People were moving back into the city and thus needed products to fit that lifestyle.

o   With the rise in urban development, hardwood floors were taking the main stage as the flooring of choice.

 These trends led to a need for a smarter flooring solution that was more adaptable, portable and easy to live with; and the need for a place online to experience and purchase that solution… naturally, FLOR was born.

But that’s the past. What we’re focused on is today and tomorrow. The next generation of buyers has an appreciation for quality products and timeless design. This will re-cast DIY into the forefront as consumers will want to repair and sustain with their own personal touch, rather than dispose and repurchase. This inspires FLOR more than ever because we can’t wait to be a part of the creation and design of the next generation of consumers.

How has FLOR contributed to reinventing the design industry?

To many, design has always felt exclusive to those who had a hand in it or the ability to practice it. FLOR fosters collaboration between designers (us) and consumers, allowing consumers the chance to participate in the development of their products and solutions. We think it’s imperative that customers add their authentic pieces of how they live into the design of their solution.

FLOR allows consumers to create their own patterns and color combos. What’s your own favorite personal creation?

I’ve always had a love affair with Modern Mix. To me, it says it all with its luxurious look and feel, combined with the live-ability of the modular solution.

And, lastly, you’ve let us, along with Quinze & Milan, invade your Soho store for a week. Whatever made you do such a thing?

Partner with like-minded designers like Fab… showcase Quinze & Milan’s new product launch in our flagship store… participate in Soho’s one-of-a-kind ICFF design culture… how could we resist?

Here at Fab we love color. Strong, happy, polychromatic hues are at the core of our company soul. That’s why it was the obvious theme for our first physical pop-up shop. Yes, that’s right, we will have a brief stint as a brick and mortar. From May 17–22, we invade New York’s SoHo neighborhood with theFab Color shop, where we display a color riot in the form of 150 hand-selected items from our favorite designers. You’ll find candy-tinted treats like a pink 1964 typewriter, a yellow and purple banana skateboard, rainbow-colored knuckledusters and a special red lacquered version of Alvar Aalto’s classic Stool 60.

Why are we doing this? Because it’s NY Design Week! For five, ahem, fab days, the city is abuzz with design presentations, launches and parties, from the official International Contemporary Furniture Fair at the Javits Center to the abundance of independent off-site events all over town. Like ours. Which is not just ours, actually, as we got a little (a lot) of help from our friends.

Innovative modular carpet company FLOR has opened up its SoHo showroom to graciously host our Color Shop, along with a few other vibrant installations. Visionary Belgian design house Quinze & Milan has created an epic sculpture of mountainous proportions made of its iconic Pouf 01 seat. We’ll also display its new Pilot Stool and the popular Jellyfish Chair and Primary Pouf collections. (These products will also be available in an online pop-up shop on Fab.com from May 17-31 at special prices.) But there’s more! Also, as a special treat to our visitors, we teamed up with AREAWARE and Quinze & Milan to introduce Big Red, a giant orange robot sculpture that’s based on award-winning designer David Weeks’ popular wood toy Cubebot. Quinze & Milan has recreated Cubebot in a ginormous version in comfy foam, so visitors can sit on his lap and rest their weary feet. And head. Big Red has really supportive shoulders, too.

But he’s not the only new friend you’ll meet. We decided that we wanted to get out in the real world and get to know our customers, so the Color Shop is staffed with Fab employees from our buying, marketing and supplier relations teams. Come and say hello! If you’re among the first 1000 visitors, we’ll give you a poster that looks like this:

And if you can’t stop by, don’t be sad. Our entire Color Shop will be available at Fab.com from May 17 to June 17. 

 May 17th-May 22nd

Thurs-Sat 11am-7pm Sun 12-6pm

FLOR, 142 Wooster St

Between Houston and Prince

We recently caught up with Karen Ko of k2o—just in time for her Fab debut! The NYC-based designer grew up alongside her family’s fine jewelry business, but attempted to make a break with her heritage and work in the finance industry instead. Thankfully, it didn’t stick, and Ko soon returned to her roots to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology and launch her own handcrafted line. k20 creations are bold, feminine and designed with modern women’s independent style in mind! We wanted to know more about her influences and decided to grill her a little.

Fab: Where do you find inspiration?

Karen Ko: I have a fascination with geometric patterns, which can be found all over New York City, from skyscrapers like the Chrysler building to the Brooklyn Bridge.
At the same time, I am also heavily influenced by the fashion trends. I absolutely love fusing my style with current trends to create my own signature look that is bold, edgy and feminine all at once.

Fab: Which designers—jewelry or otherwise—have directly influenced your aesthetic?

KK: Designers that I greatly admire who inspire my style are: Alexander McQueen, Givenchy, Balmain, Haider Ackermann. And the list goes on…

Fab: Is there a specific moment in your childhood when you discovered your passion for creating jewelry yourself?

KK: I have always loved sparkly, shiny baubles since I was a little girl, but the desire to create my own jewelry came later when I was ten years old. I spent the summer hanging out with my grandmother, who taught me how to weave sparkly Swarovski crystals into little shapes and cartoon characters. That was the beginning of my fascination with Swarovski crystals, which eventually evolved into my k2o jewelry brand!

Fab: Who are your style icons?

KK: Daphne Guinness! And of course Lady Gaga, too.

Fab: What do you hope your designs communicate to the wearer?

KK: Fashion forward and fabulous!

-Elizabeth Kiefer

Instigator. Innovator. Design raconteur. Tom Dixon is one of Fab’s absolute design heroes, thanks to his impactful furniture and lighting that tell stories of design and production process as well as the heritage of British craftsmanship.

Our own Bradford Shellhammer caught up with the multi-hyphenate in between design fairs to chat about his studio, the shifting technological landscape, and Jimi Hendrix.

BS: You’re hosting a satellite show at New York’s Design Week for the first time this year. What inspired you to take over a raw space for yourself instead of showing at the fair as usual?

TD: We like the idea of going beyond the imposed constraints of trade shows where it’s difficult to play music, show film, serve quality coffee and directly sell our designs. It felt like time to inject some of the energy and uniqueness that you can only get when you do your own thing.

Like me, you believe in making design accessible to the masses. But you go one step further—you’ve been known to give away your stuff. Why is it so important for everyone to be able to enjoy well-designed products?

Giving away product is a multifaceted idea—sometimes I pretend to be Robin Hood, other times I mimic the business practices of U.S. giants like Google, where you can give your core product away because you’re actually selling something else. It’s an effective way to become popular! In the end, I like to inhabit many different worlds—from luxury goods to Not-For-Profit.

Jack lights

Your work balances two equally strong factors: striking, innovative forms made from equally striking and innovative materials. What comes to you first when you start working on a new concept?

It’s sort of indivisible in my mind—all too often in contemporary design, shape comes too easily from the constraints and possibilities of digital programs. I have always been just as interested in the underlying structure and construction of objects, as I was interested in the manufacturing process and its end result.

Luminosity lights

One thing that’s so special about your products is that they carry an imprint of traditional craft, which has been reinvented in a completely modern, sometimes even futuristic way. What role does heritage and history play in your design?

I like the idea that there is a lineage in what we do and that there still are national characteristics and attitudes that inform my aesthetic. It would be a shame if all design harbored a single global look. 

Is there any new material or manufacturing method you’re obsessed with at the moment?

It’s clear that there is a new digital industrial revolution happening at the moment—never has it been more possible for designers and people with ideas to put their dreams and innovations into production and access a global market. That’s what’s so interesting about collaborating with Fab—we stand to challenge an old-fashioned and slow business model.

The pop-up restaurant Spring Table at MOST in Milan

Another thing I like a lot about you is that you employ a broad definition of design that’s not limited to just products. For example, you’re very interested in food. What would be your definition of a well-designed meal?

Yes. I think any designer operating today should be interested in more than just shape making. Politics, engineering, and commerce are the bare minimum—food and music have taught me quite a lot about how to see the design business. A well-designed meal just depends on where you are and how hungry you are. I often feel there is too much messing around with food at the moment: simple generous and unfussy, please. 

And who would be the person you’d like to share it with?

That’s the toughest question so far. I don’t know. Scarlett Johannson? Alicia Keys? Jimi Hendrix? Actually, Buckminster Fuller. Or, maybe, just a Japanese lunch with Noguchi. 

 We have a lot to celebrate this week! It’s our first ever outing at New York’s Design Week (or ICFF in business speak) and we’re making our debut in style; we’re partnering  with Tom Dixon to create a physical shopping experience. Yep. Tom Dixon. One of our absolute favorite designers, whose ideas about design democracy and love of craft are so close to our own. And as if that wasn’t humbling enough, consider the fact that he is also collaborating with us on his first online sale. Ever. 

A Sodastream soirée at MOST in Milan.

This British iconoclast is known for making innovative furniture, but he also stages outlandish and immersive public retail experiences. This showmanship extends to his democratic concept of design at large. Tom is just fine with selling his wares through normal high-end vendors as he is giving it away to the first taker. Usurping the staid channels of design retail, he has shaken up the market in more ways than one. Just this past April, the designer blazed through Milan’s annual Salone Mobile furniture fair, giving away 400 of his Stamp Lamps at MOST, an offsite capsule fair he hosted. In addition to the Tom Dixon giveaways, this mini fair proved to be a petri dish that mixed other young global design talent and budding technology practices.

Giving away lights at MOST

So, continuing his tradition of convention-breaking furniture fair events, Tom Dixon presents London Underground, a subterranean shopping and exhibition experience. Underneath an old Greenwich Village theater you can go behind the curtain to peek at the instigative designer’s next project. Get buzzed with Stumptown Coffee while you bask in the glow of Tom Dixon’s Lustre Pendants. It’s their debut and you’ll have the chance to see firsthand how the designer has moved into crafting ceramics into dynamically finished geometric forms. Want to make your design friends jealous you saw them first? Share your adventure in the Surface magazine social networking salon.

Installation of the new Fin lights, which will make their U.S. debut at London Underground.

And don’t forget to take some of the underground home with you. Fab has partnered with Tom Dixon to create an on-site shop boasting a curated selection of his seminal pendant, wall, and floor lamps alongside superbly crafted tables and home effects available for purchase on our army of iPads.

London Underground 

45 Bleecker St. (Between Lafayette St. and The Bowery)

17 – 22 May 11am – 6pm (open til 7pm Fri and Sat)

The rumors are true: we here at Fab.com, love men. A lot.

So we jumped at the chance to feature Frank & Oak, a menswear retailer who are doing their damndest to get men everywhere the, ahem, affection they deserve.

(Or at least, that’s how I choose to interpret it from over here with my mind firmly in the gutter.)

Founder Ethan Song explains it more concisely: “There’s a misconception that guys don’t care about style, but obviously we know that that’s not true,” [though he admits, “most guys do tend to wear T-shirts and baggy shorts.”]



Song insists that those types of style crimes are only due to lack of options and time. (We’re not totally convinced). Anyhow, thanks to F&O and its 24/7 availability, shabbily dressed men’s list of excuses is growing ever smaller.

“Now it’s changing a lot [for men], because no matter where they live, if they care about looking good, now they have options,” said Song.

And looking good, as we all know, leads to attention. You know, a very particular kind of attention.

Which is what I’m sure Song meant when he said, “Helping guys look good is really fun…[For our customer] getting that shirt to go on a date is the best thing in the world.”



Now multiply that fun x 40K, which is the number of members F&O has managed to acquire in a paltry 2.5 months of existence. At the heart of F&O’s allure is an entirely new and individualized platform – one which doesn’t just display the clothing it sells, but shows men how to wear it, what to wear it with, and when to wear it, as well as providing a personalized selection of its wares catered to each man’s tastes.

[And we’re so sure of F&O’s impeccable taste we’re actually selling an exclusive line of their fashion right here, for Fab.com customers only.]

Ultimately, Song says the idea behind their site is, “Most men don’t want to search around for the right product…So we show them the items they actually want to buy.”

It’s just that simple.

As simple as the birds and the bees, if you ask me.

-Lauren Benet Stephenson

Before starting at Fab I worked as a barista at a café here in New York. It was one of those uppity places where the menu is stretched to include not just cappuccinos, lattes, mochas, macchiatos and americanos, but latte macchiatos, cortados, flat whites, long blacks and gibraltars, too. But what is it that makes these places special? How is it that their coffee needs no sugar?  Why is it always perfect!? Well, working behind one mammoth (and truly beautiful) Synesso espresso maker I was lucky enough to learn the secrets of what goes into that sublime cup of coffee.

There is an art to espresso—from triple ristretto to lungo—that is enacted every time a newly roasted blend of beans reaches a good and proper coffee shop. Referred to as ‘dialing in,’ multiple times a day a barista will take a moment out to calibrate or personalize the flavor profile of the espresso, taking into account everything from the beans’ origin (because like wine this always matters) to the roast date, the volume of water used for extraction, even the humidity of the given day. All these elements enter into play when it comes to extracting that delectable combination of caramel sweetness and crisp bitter finish from a little black puck of coffee.

Still, an espresso is only as good as the beans from which it’s made. If you’re a fan of rich cappuccinos, a robust roast will pair best with the sweet, aerated milk you love; if you’re the no frills kind who craves little more than a piping hot espresso, try something with a medium body and avoid the acids of lighter roasts—great for short lattes or flat whites—while taking advantage of the chocolate notes often found in medium roast espressos.  The point here is that coffee, like any piece of design is an essentially aesthetic experience, only you can adjust this delicious piece of work, tailoring it to your particular palate and creating the perfect piece…er, drink every time. (Sorry, I get a little carried away when it comes to coffee.) 

Tomorrow Fab.com is offering Nespresso’s Pixie and CitiZ automatic espresso makers, a sale I’ve taken a bit of interest in. Among the first to adopt a coffee capsule system more than twenty years ago, Nespresso has evolved into a boutique coffee dream. Offering 16 Grand Cru coffee varieties from pure origin(Dulsão do Brasil,’ Indriya from India and Rosabaya de Colombia), blended espressos or longer cup Lungos, Nespresso has created an artisan marketplace for even the most discerning, or adventurous, palates.

And these capsules aren’t just convenient; they provide the perfect design for the high-pressure extraction process needed for a proper shot of espresso and offer an adjustable liquid volume control, meaning that just like the baristas at Kaffe 1668 or Blue Bottle Coffee, you can play with the differences in roast, measure the perfect pull and dial in your own liquid masterpiece. Combine this with Nespresso’s Aeroccino milk frothers, a whisk-driven design that creates a smooth form of aeration for the sweetest milk, and you’re on your way to creating the perfect morning, afternoon, or evening ritual every day.

-Taylor Quist

Know a pregnant woman that needs cheering up? We have just the thing: the maternity wear from HATCH. Founded by Ariane Goldman, it’s so chic and—yeah, we’ll say it—sexy, a mom-to-be can easily forget the “mom” part and focus on just being. At least for a little while. The line’s founder, Ariane Goldman, came up with the idea for the collection when her own search for stylish clothes to wear even post-baby came up short. The pieces flow and drape in all the right places, dressing those new curves in soft cotton jersey and silk. You can find those here, but below, read a little about where Ariane gets her inspiration.  

Tim Walker

courtesy of timwalkerphotography.com

Tim Walker’s work makes my heart skip a beat. His use of color and light portray his subjects in a candyland-like fantasy. I want to dive head first in to each of his images and spend hours amidst his imagination. He inspires me differently each time I look at his photos.

Slim Aarons

Poolside Gossip ©Slim Aarons

The ’70s and pools. What more inspiration does one need?

Edward Degas’ Blue Dancers

courtesy of freemanart.ca

As a child I loved the tutus and the colors and escaping through the dancers…

John Robshaw

courtesy of highstreetblog.com

I have all Robshaw prints in each bedroom of my house. All white with a touch of color and inspiration from India makes each a lovely place to sleep. 

Talk about putting your money where your mouth is: Bobbie Ann Tilkens-Fisher, founder of At Home Modern—currently featured in our Vintage Shop—really walks the Mid-Century modern walk. The home she shares with her husband Matthew was designed by Irwin Stein, an architect that was based in Philadelphia, and is a particularly beautiful example of this coveted period in architecture and furniture. We fell in love with many of the home’s details, and below, Bobbie talks us through a virtual tour of her Mid-Century magical house.

Front exterior (facing East)

Here you can see the house’s distinctive diamond shaped roof, which was inspired both by Japanese architecture as well as the leaves of the tulip trees on the property. The architect, Irwin Stein, built three houses in our area with this type of roof line.

Built-in sofa (living room)

The house features two built-in sofas. When we moved in, this one was upholstered in a dated, southwestern-inspired fabric. We wanted to find something in a bright, fun color, with the great texture found in so many mid century fabrics. We went with a blue Maharam wool in a color reminiscent of the vibrant color made famous by artist Yves Klein, who was quite popular around the same time the home was built.

Walnut wall unit, Plycraft lounger and campaign chair (living room)

The vintage wall unit was a Craigslist score, and we love it—it’s a perfect home for my growing ceramics collection. The vintage Mid-Century Plycraft lounger is a nod to the more famous Eames lounge chair, but as you can probably tell, it’s bigger. We inherited this chair from my husband Matthew’s father: he was a psychiatrist, and this chair was in his office! The vintage 1970s Maison Jansen campaign chair is another interesting object we inherited from Matthew’s grandmother; it actually folds up and is very heavy. The table that sits between the two chairs is vintage Danish and made of teak, with a magazine holder built right in. 

Three-sided fireplace with Brutalist sculpture and Turkish rug (living room)

If you’ve viewed the collection of items I put together for my Fab sale, you know I am a fan of Brutalist objects. This wall sculpture is very large and very heavy. I haven’t been able to figure out who made it, but I love it. The organic sculpture on the mantle below is by Jason Seley, former dean of the College of Architecture, Art and Planning at Cornell (he also taught sculpture at NYU in the ’50s and ’60s—he passed away in 2008). 

Mid-Century German and Danish ceramics collection

One of my biggest weaknesses is ceramics. I collect what I find visually interesting—sometimes that’s unknown studio pieces, and sometimes it’s marked pieces like this small Royal Copenhagen box and the striped vase by West German potter Steuler.

Sectional sofa, armchair, Lane tables and flokati rug (den)

The sectional is the crown jewel of my vintage finds. I paid $10 for it, and it still has its original upholstery! The armchair also has its original upholstery, in a great green color.  The vintage end table and coffee table are from a line called Acclaim, manufactured in the United States by Lane Furniture. They sit on another one of my favorite finds—a vintage wool flokati rug. Flokati rugs are amazing: they’re lightweight and in some cases, machine washable. I take mine to the laundromat and wash it with baby shampoo when it gets dirty.

Open staircase

Another detail common to Irwin Stein’s homes are wide, open staircases with a low rise. At the top of this photo, you can also see the distinctive light boxes that illuminate the perimeter of many of the rooms in the house.

Built-in sofa, Bertoia chair and Op art painting (sitting room)

The original owner of the house was a dentist, and his former dental office is attached to the home. In this photo, you can see how the diamond-shaped roofline translates to angled ceilings throughout the house. We just love the yellow built-in sofa. The Op Art on the wall is by an unknown artist, and the chairs are vintage Bertoia. Originally, this was the waiting room of the dental office; today, we use it as a sitting room, and the rest of the dental office serves as a workout space and inventory storage for At Home Modern.