Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge and John Brownstoner were both mentioned in the mainstream media today. Grace in Time Out New York’s current design issue and John chosen as Best Emerging Web Empire in the Village Voice’s Best of New York issue. Here’s Grace’s piece in Time Out:

When it comes to style, New Yorkers like theirs with an edge.
Whether it’s lighting grenade-shaped candles (courtesy of New Yorker
Piet Houtenbos) or relaxing in an armchair covered in graffiti-laden
fabric, we favor design that is innovative and thought provoking. Over
the past few years, city designers have been making the old new again
by adding unexpected details.

Designers and studios like Sarah Cihat, Lite Brite Neon, Jason
Miller and even the late Stephen Sprouse have taken NYC attitude and
expressed it through furniture and products that put a new spin on
traditional or established elements

rehabilitated dishware, which layers new designs (skulls,
astronauts, horses and pinup girls) over plates found at thrift shops,
has been one of the most successful examples of this trend. Along with
Miller (who single-handedly converted deer antlers from redneck chic to
hipster staple) and dozens of other like-minded designers, Cihat has
developed a style that’s uniquely Gotham: It’s layered and it’s almost
messy, but it always makes you think.

What I love so much about New York is that a city this big and full
of life isn’t content to follow any one trend or group of designers.
While many of us favor the modern rehab aesthetic (often referred to as
Brooklyn Design), a number of locals are looking to the likes of Matt
Gagnon, Scrapile, Iannone Sanderson, MIO, Uhuru Design and Rhubarb
Décor for vanguard home looks that are -eco-friendly.

The emphasis on designs that reduce, reuse and recycle is big
throughout the country, but here it is practiced in a way that is
technologically advanced—and utterly fresh. The popularity of
Scrapile’s reclaimed-wood designs, Sanderson’s green furniture and
MIO’s line of earth-friendly wall tiles speaks to that fact that New
Yorkers appreciate earth-aware design but don’t want to sacrifice style
in their homes. These pieces easily blend into a modern New York
apartment without standing out like a sore green thumb.

So whether it’s eco-conscious design or updates on modern classics,
this city stands apart for its ability to accommodate and appreciate
multiple trends, styles and designs while holding true to an overall
aesthetic that’s innovative and unexpected. Trends and designers may
come and go, but style in New York will always be about celebrating
that which is new and provocative.— Grace Bonney

Grace Bonney is the founder of the design*sponge