Grotto Console with Twin Stone Candelabra (All Photos By Gail)

You’ve seen the ‘otherworldly’ furniture designs of Chris Schanck in this space before, and I’m sure you’ll agree that they never fails to turn heads. Whether you’re already a fan or on the cusp of becoming one,  get ready to be dazzled by many more of Schank’s maverick designs in the coming months as we showcase selections from Off World, the artist’s current and long-running exhibit at the Museum of Arts and Design in Manhattan. Among the numerous stand-out pieces in Off World is this wildly successful experiment with a bold Pomegranate red color, as seen on the above console, which is part of the designer’s Grotto series.

I like to describe Chris as the Special Effects Make Up Artist of Furniture Design, because his work is so an ideally suited to the creation of futuristic  or imaignary worlds for the film industry.   Skirting the line between refinement and camp, the strange, unfamiliar forms of his chairs, sofas, lighting, mirrors, and accessories suggest coral reefs, extraterrestrial worlds, and artifacts from ancient civilizations, to name just a few of the designer’s inspirations.

Detail

Schanck’s highly individualized, low-tech, technique, Alufoil (in which industrial and discarded materials are sculpted, covered in aluminum foil and then sealed with resin) was conceived in 2011 during his MFA studies. The process begins with Schanck’s imaginative drawings and models, which are then executed by a team of artists and collaborators apprenticed in his Alufoil method.

Chris also designed the candles in his Twin Stone Candelabra to mimic his signature technique! Wouldn’t you love to have something the gorgeous in your home? I guess we can dream.

Chris Schank’s Off World is on Exhibit Through January 8th, 2023 at the Museum of Arts and Design, Located at 2 Columbus Circle (Near 8th Ave and 58th Street) in NYC.