By Jennan Al-Hamdouni

Founder of namesake multidisciplinary design practice, Azadeh Shladovsky, launches an artisanal furniture collection at the Jean de Merry showroom in New York after an overwhelming response from the East Coast since debuting this Fall in LA and Chicago. The modernist collection namesake line of sculptural furniture premiers Fall-Winter 2011-2012.

With this collection, Shladovsky explores her unique relationship with nature and highlights her ability to create powerful expressions that are as beautiful as they are functional. Her perspective is informed by and, to a degree, controlled by the forces inherent in her wood medium.

Using forms and structures present in the wood as guidance, Shladovsky adds an element of tension with brass and other metals. Opposing forces of soft and hard, lustrous and matte, organic and linear create a drama of contrasts, which reinforce the integral character of the individual materials. In her work, Shladovsky uses nature and its processes as a guide, both in how each piece is formed and how it is perceived.

“The pieces in this collection reveal my artistic evolution,” Shladovsky says. "The collection reveals the evolution of my relationship mainly with the forces of nature, especially those I cannot control. These pieces are meant to provoke a dynamic sensory experience and engage my audience in a dialogue that struggles with questions of tension, control and peace.

Just as Jean de Merry is an artisanal line producing pieces that are timeless, unexpected and anchored by quality and craftsmanship, so is Azadehʼs approach to handcraft. Both LA-based lines employ talented American craftsman trained in age-old techniques to apply their knowledge to woods and metals. The end results are wholly new designs rooted in older forms and based on traditional ways of manufacturing