Using the material to its full potential may seem subjective at first. For based in Brooklyn KLN Studio—the interdisciplinary practice of Sam Keene, James Lepkowski, and Toby Newman—means that the story of a material is allowed to be told again and again, albeit in a different language. Based on expertise in woodworking, metalworking and digital fabrication, the studio brings new energy to reclaimed wood through a group of lighting and home furnishings now available via Evening light.
Recycled material is full of provenance, already imbued with a story of its own. Reclaimed wood, in particular, carries a special kind of rarity: its rings record times of bounty and times of trouble, a cross-section of a life lived slowly and fully.
The Beam Collection is hand-carved from a small batch of old pine beams originally used in a five-story horse stable built in Harlem in the late 19th century. Removed during the building’s renovation, the 13-by-13-inch structural timbers were first transformed by KLN into simple outdoor tables and seating for the communal courtyard. The studio kept a small stockpile of material afterwards, allowing the beams to take on another life as sculptural pedestals and objects.
Working with the existing wear of each beam, the team allows the material to help determine the final form. The result is a conversation between the wild agency of nature and the precision of human design. Facets cut into the solid wood reveal the extent to which time has scarred its surface, but the wood eventually wins again: still usable, still beautiful, with age to the point and not a blemish to be erased.
“We were hired by a developer to reinstall structural beams that were being removed from a renovation project in Harlem,” shares KLN’s Sam Keene. “The building was built in the late 19th century as a five-story horse stable and was constructed of solid old pine beams, probably cut from a forest north of the town that no longer exists.”
“The initial project was to design and build simple utilitarian outdoor seating and dining tables for a communal courtyard in the renovated building,” continues Keene. “But we were lucky enough to keep a small portion of the material once this project was completed. The growth rings are incredibly narrow, showing the centuries of growth these trees underwent before they were cut down.”
Starting with gesture sketches for each form, KLN makes rough cuts with a chainsaw before going through angle grinders, hand tools and extensive sanding. Each piece is then finished with a natural blend of oil and wax. What once served as a pack horse has a softer, more contemplative life, nestling somewhere between art and design.
For the Contour and Woodstone lighting collections, KLN strikes an equally careful balance between industrial technique and craftsmanship. Fiberglass and resin shades cast a warm, dappled light while retaining the subtle optical quality often associated with paper lamps. The team experimented with paper and textile options, but looked for a material that could offer the same softness without sacrificing durability.
By cutting and layering small strips of fiber into each shape, KLN creates shades with subtle variations that reveal their construction upon closer inspection. The resulting material is light and strong, reframing what is often considered an industrial or utilitarian medium through a more tactile, atmospheric lens.
Violette Stacking stools respond to another everyday reality: compact living spaces where a shared living room and dining room cannot comfortably accommodate both a full dining set and a living room. Designed for dining, gaming and gatherings at coffee table height, the low upholstered stools are stacked tightly together through a ring frame that hugs the cushion below, like LEGO blocks.
Stored seating becomes a sculptural totem, while two stacked stools create a conventional desk-height seat and three are bench-height. Built with a solid cherry frame, the pieces extend the visual language of KLN’s wider Violette furniture range.
Across all of its own furniture and lighting collections, as well as custom design, engineering, and manufacturing projects, KLN keeps its process under one roof—ensuring that every detail is considered, resolved, and materially grounded.
To know more about new works from KLN, visit klnstudio.nyc.
Photo courtesy of KLN Studio.
