Brooklyn’s Wintercheck Factory turns to rubber for its newest collection

Chair with pressed rubber seat and yellow pine base
The young design studio Wintercheck Factory has tapped into the unique texture of flexible polyurethane rubber for its latest collection. Pictured: the ’401 Chair’, which boasts a pressed rubber seat and yellow pine base
(Image credit: press)

With its art-inflected approach to design and a spacious workshop in Brooklyn at its disposal, the young design studio Wintercheck Factory has steadily amassed a growing collection of furniture that brings together both supernormal and unconventional materials. Its latest endeavor, 'Collection 400', unexpectedly taps into the unique texture of flexible polyurethane rubber, which has been incorporated into seating, tables and lamps for an effect that is simultaneously familiar and foreign.

‘Increasingly, we’ve been trying to move away from materials that might be considered more traditional,’ says founder Kristen Wintercheck. ‘We decided it would make more sense to develop a variation of the material in-house. During the sourcing and testing period, we found ourselves browsing the rubber section, since they’re typically sold by the same type of store.

'We especially liked this polyurethane rubber that looked and felt like medical tubing, and we started to think about how we could use it as a building material. Every time we showed one of the early rubber samples to someone, their reaction was either amazed or disgusted. It was clear that this material was compelling on a different level.’

Capitalising on the malleable nature of the rubber, 'Collection 400' enabled the studio to explore new forms. The '401 Chair' uses the rubber as a seat cushion for the low-slung chair, made from yellow pine. On the other end of the spectrum, the '403 Floor Lamp' is fully encased in the semi-translucent industrial material and emanates an amber glow when turned on. The '402 Side Table' follows in a similar vein and is cast from a single piece of rubber.

‘We’ve always leaned toward making understated designs that employ an industrial component, but this collection is definitely a leap forward,’ Wintercheck concludes. ‘Our intent is to decontextualise both materials: separating the rubber from its industrial uses, and using wood to construct forms that reject the traditional “maker” look and label. Ultimately, we want to make objects that straddle the line between furniture and sculpture.’

Floor Lamp an amber glow when switched on.

‘We’ve always leaned toward making understated designs that employ an industrial component,’ says founder Kristen Wintercheck. Pictured: the ’403 Floor Lamp’, that emanates an amber glow when switched on

(Image credit: press)

Floor Lamp an amber glow when switched on.

The ’403 Floor Lamp’ is fully encased in the semi-translucent industrial material

(Image credit: TBC)

Side Table

The ’402 Side Table’ follows in a similar vein and is cast from a single piece of rubber

(Image credit: press)

405 Lamp Table.

‘Our intent is to decontextualise both materials: separating the rubber from its industrial uses, and using wood to construct forms that reject the traditional "maker" look and label,’ Wintercheck continues. Pictured: the ’405 Lamp Table’

(Image credit: press)

The 404 Bench And rubber cushion.

The ’404 Bench’ plays with ideas of weight and proportion. The yellow pine form gives rise to an 18lb rubber cushion, supported by a recessed panel

(Image credit: press)

INFORMATION

For more information, visit Wintercheck Factory’s website

ADDRESS

Wintercheck Factory
1241 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11216

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Pei-Ru Keh is a former US Editor at Wallpaper*. Born and raised in Singapore, she has been a New Yorker since 2013. Pei-Ru held various titles at Wallpaper* between 2007 and 2023. She reports on design, tech, art, architecture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle happenings in the United States, both in print and digitally. Pei-Ru took a key role in championing diversity and representation within Wallpaper's content pillars, actively seeking out stories that reflect a wide range of perspectives. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, and is currently learning how to drive.