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WORKSTEAD

Regions Served

  • New York City & Mid-Atlantic
  • San Francisco & Bay Area

Workstead is a design studio founded in 2009, led by Stefanie Brechbuehler,  Robert Highsmith and Ryan Mahoney. From their studios in Brooklyn, NY and Charleston, SC they focus on architectural and interior design, lighting and furniture. Workstead’s aim is to design responsible, context driven works that create a sense of place for both the objects they contain and the people that experience them.  Their palette is strong and rich, yet refined and efficient.

Workstead is currently working on commercial and residential projects in New York and Charleston. The lighting and furniture collections are a natural extension of the studio’s interest in utility, form and material strength. Our products are functional and iconic, balancing a dialogue between past and present. Minimal in spirit, but flexible in use, the collections can be found in shops, restaurants, hotels, and residences all over the world.

Photography by Matthew Williams except where noted.

For more projects and products please see our website.

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Details

WORKSTEAD portrait 3

Contact

Locations

  • Brooklyn, NY
  • Charleston, SC

Featured Projects

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The Dewberry

The Dewberry is an iconic 5-star hotel, housed in a former Federal Office Building in downtown Charleston, SC.  The 155-room hotel features a restaurant, two bars, a public living room, ballroom, spa, and historic lobby.

The design of all interior finishes, custom millwork, furniture, and lighting of the Dewberry explores the concept of Southern Modernism – a combination of the tried and true materials of the South, within the sensibility of the modern building that is The Dewberry.

See the full project.

(Visited 560 times, 1 visits today)
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Wythe Hotel

The public spaces for the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg are tied to the history of the building, and infused with a spirit of casual luxury. The elemental structure called for a robust and grand entrance, which features casework at an architectural scale. A rich material palette is continued through to the bar up above with a deeply toned interior that rivals the drama of the city’s skyline framed as vignettes in the industrial glazing.

See the full project.

(Visited 560 times, 1 visits today)
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Rivertown Lodge

Workstead re-imagined the 27 rooms, bar, communal kitchen, lobby and lounge of this old film house into a casual yet joyful destination. Custom bed frames, feature lighting and casework by Workstead are complemented by pieces of other local craftspeople. These are set within spaces in a spectrum of rich and warm hues, layered with textural and patterned materials. Rooms are personalized with whimsical surprises; pillows piled high, gatherings of wild plants, stacks of well read novels and stereos from eras bygone.

See the full project.

(Visited 560 times, 1 visits today)
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Riverside Blvd Residence

The renovation consisted of a complete overhaul of the apartment, with new flooring, walls, millwork, and furniture. Crafted of oak, a stepped cabinet detail used in both the kitchen, Living Room and Bedroom creates unique and efficient millwork. Routed pulls seamlessly integrate into closet doors.  The small footprint of the apartment lends itself to a multi-use shared space. Kitchen cabinetry with a pale green stone counter travels into the living space to become a desk.

See the full project.

(Visited 560 times, 1 visits today)
WORKSTEAD portrait 3

Boerum Hill Residence

A landmark brownstone in Boreum Hill, Brooklyn was transformed by a rich and utilitarian study of casework and pattern.  Custom beech millwork and furniture was designed and fabricated locally for the new kitchen and library, to house the owner’s extensive collection of books.  Taking cues from a study of carving away the pages of a book, the cabinets feature doors that are carved to create oblique integral handles. The result is a strong sequence of millwork, that establishes the framework for the function and feeling of the home.

See the full project.

(Visited 560 times, 1 visits today)
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Tribeca Loft

This loft apartment is located in one of Tribeca’s most beautiful turn-of-the-century brick buildings. The renovation transformed a poorly layed out floorplan into a series of serene spaces.  Restored original wood beams and columns, existing brick walls, and new millwork pieces come together to create a sequence that is both rich and spare.  Custom cabinetry, crafted from zinc and oak, complements the existing context.  A dynamic play of light and dark exists throughout the day, as the zinc panels reflect the changing light of the Hudson River below.

See the full project.

(Visited 560 times, 1 visits today)
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Chelsea Residence

Taking inspiration from its location in the heart of Chelsea’s gallery district, we treated this project as if curating an exhibition. Rather than produce every built-in and light fixture ourselves, we created a context for artists and makers to develop one of a kind pieces that anchored the home.

Collaborators include: Asher Israelow Studio, Blaqk, Hiroko Takeda, Raechel Legakes, Moran Woodworked Furniture, Ferra Designs, Lite Brite Neon and 3 Fingers Painting.

See the full project.

(Visited 560 times, 1 visits today)
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Arcade Bakery

The Arcade Bakery occupies the lobby of a historic building on Church Street in Tribeca.  The bakery exists as a series of alcoves, each with it’s own unique purpose.  The pallette is simlutaneously new and old.  Fold-down tables accomodate guests, while the hot and cold prepration spaces occupy deep alcoves to acccomodate all of the functions of this modern day bakery.

See the full project.

(Visited 560 times, 1 visits today)
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47 Plaza Residence

In this project, all of the original trim and moldings, as well as new casework, were painted to match. The original floors were sanded, and new custom wooden handles were added to the casework throughout. The handles are carved to emerge from the flat doors to allow the hand to comfortably grip each cabinet. Throughout the project there is a subtle play of light as the French Gray color changes throughout the day, while the solid wood elements fuse the new and the old. A modern sensibility is created within the context of the prewar vocabulary of this landmark Brooklyn building.

See the full project.

(Visited 560 times, 1 visits today)
pendant natural ace basin daytime

Lighting and Furniture

Workstead’s lighting and furniture collections are a natural extension of the studio’s interest in utility, form and material strength. Our products are functional and iconic, balancing a dialogue between past and present. They case a new light on durable and time-tested materials – steel, wood, leather, cast iron, and brass – through a careful interpretation of forms and their embedded sculptural functions. Minimal in spirit, but flexible in use, the collections can be found in shops, restaurants, hotels, and residences all over the world.

See all lighting and furniture.

(Visited 560 times, 1 visits today)

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