‘The Independents’ exhibition by Colony at NYCxDESIGN 2025 – Photos by Brooke Holm, courtesy of Colony.

Design. What makes NYCxDESIGN different from other global design weeks is the strong focus on the local, independent design landscape. This year, Colony, the New York-based design gallery, platform, and strategy firm, presented The Independents group exhibition, featuring works by 24 design studios from Colony’s past, present and future roster. The showcase was a tribute to the independent American design community that founder Jean Lin has tirelessly cultivated over the past decade.

• RELATED STORIES: Explore more highlights from NYCxDESIGN 2025 on Archipanic.

“I’m very proud of the community we have built over the past decade.” Jean Lin told Archipanic. Since its inception in 2014, Colony has stood at the forefront of independent North American design. What began as a second-floor loft on Canal Street has evolved into a vibrant hub where craftspeople and established studios converge.

“This year, we asked our current designers, a select group of alumni, and graduates of our residency program to articulate their ‘why’ through the work. We asked them: Why did you choose this path paved with unending challenge? What drives you to keep going?” The result was an exhibition encapsulating Lin’s very own ‘why.’ “My belief in the independent spirit is limitless, and so is my awe.”

Highlights included The Walnut Corner Chair by alumni duo Chen & Kai—an emotive seat inspired by the Chinese tradition of generational walnut-passing—exhibited alongside The Bobcat, a figurative side table by Aaron Poritz created in memory of his father.

Japanese New York-based designer Hiroko Takeda and Sarah Sherman Samuel’s SSS Atelier presented textiles and a curious cabinet responding to the exhibition’s brief. Moving Mountains unveiled a solid oak dinner table with organic shapes. The Bridge Table by Ember Studio is a wholly hand-built ceramic piece, an assertion of independence, standing strong. Sculpted from raw, speckled brown clay, the tabletop is unglazed, and in contrast, the legs are glazed with layered and visible brushstrokes.

Traditional tea screens and historical decorative artefacts inspired the Panel Lamp by Kawabi. The Okia pendant by Studio Paolo Ferrari explores the connection between the ancient past and the future. Hand forged from brass and steel, the materials honour the honest and timeless approach of forging and smithing.

Rising talents from Colony’s designers’ residency program debut fresh explorations. Thomas Yang Studio showcased the Sitting on Stones: Rocking Rock Stool, composed of a river stone and centuries-old reclaimed barn wood from northern Quebec. Promising Studio BC Joshua presented a seat in stained and lacquered American black walnut, featuring a laser-cut and powder-coated aluminium plate.

More than a mere retrospective, the showcase was a deeply personal exploration of the driving forces behind a creative design thinking driven not by trends or market dictates, but by passion, purpose, and the enduring spirit of making. It is, in essence, a love letter to the sole practitioner—their ambitions, their influences, and the stories that compel them to innovate.

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All photos are by Brooke Holm, courtesy of Colony.