our creative director Anna is a product designer by training. She holds Master’s Degrees in Design and Engineering from Stanford University - a program in which she now teaches. Her passion in life is design. Her most intoxicating moments are sitting in her studio with her favorite black ink pen in hand, sheets of paper in front of her, dreaming of new ideas. Anna has always been interested in the intersection of science and art, and began her career designing prosthetic knees and devices for cardiac bypass surgery. This love of biology and nature segued into her creation of this company, with its focus on natural materials and biological inspiration, at the same time as she became a full-time professor of design at Parsons The New School for Design in New York. For nearly ten years, as a professor, she conducted research into biologically-inspired design, and this research flowed from her academic work into her studio work, creating our designs, each imbued with this deep research and history.
the brand ANNA New York is a luxury home and lifestyle brand launched by Anna Rabinowicz in 2002. Since its outset, Anna has been consistent in establishing and refining the trademark style of the brand – an elevation of nature through design. Our collections feature a luxurious palette of materials, layering semi-precious gemstones with the finishing touches of pure gold and sterling silver. Looking to nature for inspiration, we adorn the home with our designs, each one unique.
our brand beliefs •
Elevating nature through design produces unexpected results.
•
Our pieces are modern-day hierlooms.
•
Our designs help people to build memories, and to enhance relationships.
•
Our success lies in creating objects which deeply resonate with our customers, building upon their intrinsic desire for nature.
“Through the joining of precious materials with mod ANNA celebrates bringing nature into the home.�
dern style,
Picture Courtesy of Gracious Home
the pedra coaster The genesis of our brand began with a single product: the Pedra coasters. The set of four hand-polished gemstones, perfectly matched together, has become iconic part of the ANNA New York collection.
craftsmanship & artisans Anna has worked with artisans in Brazil since 2002, mainly producing her designs in a tiny hamlet in the deep south of the country. Over the years, she has developed deep relationships with the craftspeople, encouraging them to build upon their abilities in order to develop new ways to create objects.
Anna works with them in their home studios, examining their processes and suggesting imaginative production techniques. She looks for ways to build upon their abilities, which has resulted in the growth of their companies.
the design process Our designs often begin with a material that inspires Anna - a fragment of shell, a crystal formation of druzy amethyst, or even a piece of rose gold. Often her inspiration comes from a natural organism, like the sea fan which inspired our Espera collection. Anna discovered the original artifacts on the top shelf in her father’s study, and then undertook a multi-year, academic research project to examine the properties and behaviors of this natural organism. The development process then builds upon this extensive research into natural organisms. Anna sketches her ideas (often with her favorite cappuccino by her side), and then creates prototypes. She tinkers with them down to the last millimeter, until every detail is just right. Combining natural inspiration and research, she crafts ways, through design, to help people to create lasting experiences and memories.
1. the sketch
2. pyrite stone
3. the bosque box
the kiva collection This collection was inspired by Anna’s desire to create dramatic, substantial serving pieces, each one entirely unique. The shapes and natural patterns of the rare gemstones vary from piece to piece, and the 24K gold and pure silver edges have a contour which is exclusive to each piece. Observing the unique ways that each person entertains, she designed this collection with intentionally open-ended functionality. Our platters can be used to serve macarons as an after-dinner treat for guests, or on the vanity to display the most precious collection of antique perfume bottles.
the espera collection The design of these pieces was inspired by the behavior and the beautiful webbed form of the sea fan – its organically-shaped “branches”, and the delicate mesh in between. Sea ferns wave back and forth with the ocean currents, capturing essential nutrients while filtering the rest of the water through their mesh. So too do our bowls; they can serve as elegant strainers, retaining the nutrients (pasta) while letting the water flow through the mesh of the piece. This collection took three years of research and development to create; the result is our piece de resistance – a solid stainless steel with over 4500 holes of differing shapes and sizes – each bowl created from a single piece of wax, the form of each final bowl unique.
the ilumina collection The Ilumina candlesticks lend eye-catching glamour to modern tabletops. Marrying the beauty of smooth, round stones and linear solid brass, the accessories exude geometric sophistication. The concept behind this collection was to create graphic, geometric, and precisely proportioned objects for entertaining. Anna found her inspiration during a trip to Stockholm where she came across artifacts from Swedish Mid-Century Modern designers.
the tondo collection Alabaster is the medium of choice for the Tondo collection. A series of decorative bowls and vases were developed in the Tuscany area of Italy to broaden the range of products offered by ANNA New York. Alabaster’s transparent properties are highlighted through the controlled, tapered thickness of the bowls; heavier at the bottom, each bowl gradually narrows to a soft edge through which light travels. Each bowl is hand carved and takes several days to make.
Picture Courtesy of Barneys New York
the retailers Our products are sold by more than 450 luxury retailers and museum stores worldwide, and in more than 30 countries, in cities from Zurich to Singapore. Our retailers include the Bergdorf Goodman, Barneys New York and Museum of Modern Art Design Stores.
the press Our brand has been featured in some of the most prominent design and lifestyle publications worldwide, including Elle Decor, The New York Times, Architectural Digest, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, InStyle, and O (Oprah) Magazine.
Picture Courtesy of Interior Design Magainze
info@annanewyork.com www.annanewyork.com