Putting creative work out into the world can be incredibly daunting. There’s not only the pressure to conceive of a strong artistic vision but also the challenge of balancing logistical production details — not to mention the cost, particularly here in the United States, where we lack structural and financial support from the government. The Designer’s Residency Program from Colony, a gallery and design strategy firm in Manhattan, helps guide up-and-comers through all of this. For their 8-month intensive incubator, Colony’s founder Jean Lin and creative director Madeleine Parsons draw on their experience as professors at Parsons and RISD to help emerging, independent designers navigate the stages of launching a studio and breaking into the industry. At the same time, their goal is to provide a supportive community that fosters conversation and sparks ideas. On-site in New York City, the program offers funding for studio space, as well as assistance in finding that space. Additionally, residents connect with the shops and fabricators they’ll need to make their collections a reality. In 2024, the program doubled in size to include four studios – Alara Alkan Studio, Ember Studio, MPei Studio, and Thomas Yang Studio – whose collections launched at Colony’s new gallery space in Tribeca this past June. Residents’ work is also available as part of Colony’s permanent roster of designers.

Only in its second iteration, the residency’s output is remarkable, and the selection and interview process for next year’s residency is already currently underway. “We are looking for the full package, and it is a tall order,” says Lin. “We are looking for designers who have ‘the eye’ as well as the charisma and the work ethic to succeed as an independent design studio. This sometimes means looking past their current work and trying to see where their future work is going.” Lin and Parsons would like the program to grow, and to that end, are open to exploring grants and sponsorships that would allow them to more engage with a larger group of designers. “We have nearly double the number of advancing applicants this year,” says Lin. “The talent pool amongst this new generation of designers is staggering.”

Alara Alkan

The Temporal Tides Collection, a four-piece debut from first generation Turkish-American designer Alara Alkan draws inspiration from the ways our built environment is continually changed in relation to the natural world — how materials weather and ostensibly degrade but also evolve into something new, a play between the delicate and the durable. Take the sand-blasted fir of the Maelen cabinet, which reveals the beauty of the wood while combining graceful tapering with a monolithic presence. The white oak and linen Madra floor and table lamps and the Maelen etagere are a balance of airiness and weight.

Ember Studio

Stephanie Betesh’s Ember Studio produces pieces that are lasting and livable, intended to wear beautifully over time. The Entwine Series mixes materials, proportions, and scales in unexpected but cohesive ways; the two-tiered Remnant side table, made of white oak and Calacatta viola marble contrasts wonderfully with the negative space and deep color of the lacquered wood Duo side table; the upholstered Trio swivel chair anchors the collection and has three distinct, customizable fabric surfaces, the seat, the sides, and the frame; and Betesh’s ceramic Rift sconce, in a glossy rust, allows light to flow from a vertical opening.

M.Pei Studio

The Wunderkammer — the cabinet of curiosities, or wonder room that emerged in 16th century Europe — is the jumping-off point for M.Pei Studio’s Wonder Chamber Collection. With four wall-mounted cabinets that are similar in form but vary in material — ink-dyed oak, maple, quilted fabric, hand-drawn tiles — designer Maggie Pei explores the narrative life of objects, their secrets and mysteries. Pei’s Park Bench humorously combines and contrasts the plush softness of upholstery with the rigid, ornamental formality of a pair of salvaged cast-iron park bench ends, and her Apothecary floor lamp references Chinese apothecary cabinets.

Thomas Yang

The history — personal, familial, cultural — that objects hold also influenced the debut Jia-Ciasa collection from Thomas Yang, a Taiwanese and Italian designer. His cherry and maple Cabinet of Memories draws on his recollections of family heirlooms and his Ama chair is an embodiment of contrasting qualities his grandmother possessed: “Kind but stern, delicate but tough, thoughtful but clumsy, serious but funny.” The Tian Den lighting series, named for Taiwanese sky lanterns, features three lamps with handsewn Yame Kozo Hadaura paper shades that rest on wooden frames. Wooden wall hooks, which can stand alone or be used as a set, nod to the Shaker tradition.