Dwell 24: Green River Project
As a collaboration between designers Benjamin Bloomstein and Aaron Aujla, the Green River Project has created diverse pieces such as coffee-stained stools and bamboo club chairs.
Green River Project took its name from the river that runs through Bloomstein’s family farm in upstate New York where the studio got its start. The founders‚ Bloomstein‚ 31‚ and Aujla‚ 33, both have a background in fine arts‚ "approach design like making artwork‚" says Aujla.
A chair from Collection I (2018) by the Green River Project
Photo courtesy of Green River Project
For each collection‚ the two "create a different narrative‚" explains Bloomstein‚ which allows them to explore new techniques and materials. It results in such diverse pieces as their coffee-stained stools upholstered with corduroy and their angular‚ modern-style bamboo club chairs.
Bamboo screen with bode textile from Collection III (2018) by the Green River Project
Photo courtesy of Green River Project
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Winners of the 2019 Maison & Objet Rising Talent Award‚ the two designers are showing work in Paris this fall and are currently developing a small‚ sustainable woodland housing structure.
Benjamin Bloomstein (left) and Aaron Aujla (right)
Photo courtesy of Green River Project
Read about Bloomstein's earliest memory of an encounter with design and learn which everyday object Aujla would like to redesign, plus more, below.
Hometowns: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (Aujla); Hillsdale, New Jersey (Bloomstein)
Current Location: New York City
Describe what you make in 140 characters. We design furniture and interiors.
What's the last thing you designed? A metal cabinet that holds booze and glasses —Bloomstein
Do you have a daily creative ritual? I don’t have any rituals. —Aujla
How do you procrastinate? By watching YouTube or Netflix —Bloomstein
What everyday object would you like to redesign? I don’t necessarily want to redesign an everyday object. —Aujla
Who are your heroes (in design, in life, or in both)? I try to love specific characteristics of many different people and not one in particular. —Bloomstein
What skill would you most like to learn? I'd love to be a better dancer. —Bloomstein
What is your most treasured possession? I don’t have anything that can’t be replaced. My personal relationships are more important to me. —Bloomstein
What's your earliest memory of an encounter with design? The interior of old cars; in particular a Saab my family owned when I was younger. —Bloomstein
What contemporary design trend do you despise? Funky, funny, anthropomorphic, colorful things. And Stripes. —Bloomstein
Are you left-handed or right-handed? We are both right-handed.
A Brass and Lacquered Wood Daybed by Green River Project.
Photo courtesy of Green River Project
Finish this statement: All design should...be chill. —Aujla
I sketch with a…pen. —Bloomstein
I work best with…silence. —Aujla
I do my best work...late at night. —Bloomstein
Our studio is…a hive of productive clutter.
Instagram is...a promotional tool. —Bloomstein
Choose one: Bauhaus, Memphis, or Brutalist? Brutalist —Aujla
Rank the following: (1) Fun, (2) Form, and (3) Function —Aujla
Choose one: Less is More, Just Enough is Enough, or More is More? Less is More —Bloomstein
Choose one: Past, Present, or Future? Present. —Aujla
If you had to pick a favorite material, what would it be? Anything except for resin and marble —Bloomstein
What’s in your dream house? A nice kitchen with high quality appliances, as well as good furniture and lighting. —Bloomstein
You can follow Bloomstein and Aujla on the Green River Project's website or on Instagram.
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