West Elm debuts new Makers Studio at its headquarters

Brooklyn, N.Y. — Home furnishings retailer West Elm of the Williams-Sonoma Inc. brand portfolio this week opened its new “West Elm Makers Studio” here at its home offices.

A state-of the-art creative workspace located at Industry City in the borough’s Sunset Park area, the space measures 11,600 square feet to accommodate more than a dozen artists, designers and craftsmen working on site to design and develop West Elm products.

In addition, West Elm Makers Studio will offer guided tours as well as special programming led by the retailer’s design team during the second annual Industry City open studio event on April 18 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“West Elm was born and bred in Brooklyn,” said Jim Brett, president, West Elm. He noted the brand’s launch here in 2002, followed by its first DUMBO-area store in 2003, its first West Elm Market in 2012 and its Sunset Park photo studio and warehouse opening that same year.

“In 2013, we announced the future expansion of our corporate office and stores into the converted Empire Stores building on Water Street in DUMBO,” Brett continued. “West Elm and our in-house design team have grown significantly over the past five years. The Makers Studio promotes design creativity and collaboration and furthers our commitment to the Brooklyn community we are lucky to call home.”

The seven-plus studios are dedicated to conceptualizing and designing product while offering independent and flexible workspaces for all disciplines, from a colorist dye shop and weaving room to a carpentry workshop and 3D modeling space, the company said.

“We set out to create a collaborative environment for design to experiment and grow,” said Jonathan Orr, vp of product development. “We’ll have visiting artists stay with us to work on projects, develop existing and fresh ideas, and teach us new techniques. It will be a modern day laboratory for design.”

The Industry City open studios one-day event offers guests a glimpse inside the Makers Studio and includes guided studio tours with West Elm artists and collaborators from noon to 5 p.m., on the hour. The makers will include: Sarah Campbell, painter and textile pattern designer; Ben Howart, ceramicist; Roger Stevens, metal worker; and Rachel Kozlowski, artist/illustrator.

The West Elm Makers Studio is on the sixth floor of Building 7 in Industry City, located at 33 34th Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, New York.

More information is available at www.IndustryCityStudios.org.