Last week, I attended Brooklyn Designs, a home furnishings exhibition featuring the most impressive talent in the borough.

I was truly taken with a particular table by furniture designer Eric Manigian.  I lingered in his showroom space, admiring his pieces, and felt an odd sort of connection with his work.

The brilliance of Brooklyn Designs is that the designers themselves are on site to answer your questions and explain their visions and processes.  We struck up a conversation, and I realized that even before Eric told me his story, his pieces had already been communicating a very clear message.

Though perfect in design and impeccable in quality, one might say that the wood he chooses to use is "imperfect."  The materials come from a scrap lumber yard located in the Bronx, and without intervention on Eric's part, would be utterly wasted.  Instead, he celebrates the integrity of the tree by featuring its quirks and unique qualities.

Nothing is stained.  Any unusual coloring comes from the wood itself.  My favorite piece was from his Bandwidth Series, constructed of Walnut and Purple Heart.  One edge of the table flows organically, not forced into a right angle.

When asked about his green and natural approach, Eric informed me that much of his woodworking was influenced by traditional Japanese methods.  He spent all of 1990 living in a Japanese monastery, studying carpentry under monks. 

I can imagine the meditative quality of woodworking, and find his care and intention very obvious in his work.  Each piece has its own story, and in a way its own voice.  No two will ever be alike, and I find that so poetic.