Design
Anna Karlin’s “Can Do” mentality
Karlin sits on a hand-carved bench underneath the sculptural glyph lighting fixtures at her NYC studio.
Image courtesy of: Architectural Digest, photographed by: Jason Schmidt
Born in London, Anna Karlin had an active imagination as a child. As such, it wasn’t a stretch that this designer became versed in many mediums including lighting, interiors, fine jewelry, and furniture design. The multi-disciplinary designer launched her own company in 2006. Since then, Karlin has been busy designing a full collection, working on residential and commercial projects, and starting a jewelry line, Anna Karlin Fine Jewelry.
The kitchen at Karlin’s showroom, which is in a building on a nondescript street in Chinatown.The ceramics and glassware collection is displayed behind antique Scandinavian chairs that flock an old farmhouse table.
Image courtesy of: Town & Country, photographed by: Chris White
In 2017, Karlin renovated a two-story, burned-out former print shop in Chinatown. The space was a complete mess due to fire damage, bad plumbing, and no proper electricity; however, Karlin had a vision. Karlin completed the renovation in just six months and said about the space, “I needed someplace where I could communicate what’s going on inside my head”.
One of Karlin’s top priorities was to have a “proper English kitchen” in her studio space. As an Englishwoman, she wanted a place where she could comfortably work at her kitchen table while sipping on hot tea.
From Karlin’s Subverting Domestic Familiarity Collection, the Dimple Lamp. Made from handblown glass, the egg-shaped light diffuser is intentionally “indented” and supports a bronze-colored marble sphere that sits atop a smooth, antique brass cube.
Image courtesy of: Sixty Six
Karlin’s “Subverting Domestic Familiarity” collection explores the relationship between natural forms and the precision of man-made objects. Debuting in Milan last spring, the collection includes a chaise lounge, a coffee table, a table lamp, a floor lamp, stools, and chairs.
Karlin calls the pieces “usable sculptures”. The collection is updated regularly and is intended to overshadow the idea of traditional, domestic furniture by contrasting it against machine-cut pieces.
The stools can be used as either side tables or for seating; they can be part of a series or placed individually. There are four shapes which are made from cold rolled steel which is brass-plated and finished with a hand-rubbed patina.
Dimensions are: 12.25″(w) x 17.75 (h)
Image courtesy of: Anna Karlin
Another interesting item from the Subverting Domestic Familiarity collection is the Chess Stool. The stools are handmade from steel and finished with a decorative patina. They are meant to resemble geometric chess pieces. Each stool has a “totem-like” form made of a series of curved steel shapes in different sizes stacked atop one another.
A table from the Chunk Series.
Image courtesy of: Dezeen, photographed by: Cary Whittier
Last year, Karlin collaborated with Fernando Mastrangelo to design a reincarnation of her Chess Stools. The Brooklyn-based design studio is known for casting sculptural objects that entangle fine art and design.
Together, the two cast Karlin’s Chess Stools in a mix of cement, salt, glass, quartz, and silica. Mastrangelo said about the project, “I’ve always admired Anna’s versatility and range as a designer, and this collaboration was a natural extension of our two studios. The chess pieces presented the opportunity to apply my distinctive range of materials and visual language.”
