Kolekt 'Em All

Czech Modern's big moment in Brooklyn

May 9, 2007—It's not easy to improve on a classic, which helps explain the latest initiative from Brooklyn's Prague Kolektiv, America's foremost—okay, only—Czech Modern design specialty store. Starting today at its 3,000-square-foot showroom in DUMBO, the retailer will begin selling new pieces reproduced from classic Czech designs. The line will initially include five items: a Cubist beechwood side chair; a reverse cantilevered armchair (left); a hand-polished lacquer and tubular steel desk (in single- or double-pedestal options); and a "knee swimmer" lounge chair by celebrated architect Adolf Loos. (You've heard "Form follows function"? That was him.) While they may be repros, they're hardly low-quality: Each piece is handmade to order—from the same materials used in the ur-designs—by a team of Czech craftsmen. "It's a chapter in modernism that has been unexplored, so these objects are a refreshing surprise for people," says co-owner Barton Quillen. "Nobody has paid any attention to Czech design." Now seems like a good time to play catch-up.

Prague Kolektiv, prices from $1,700 to $4,200, 143B Front St., Brooklyn, NY, (718) 260-8013, www.praguekolektiv.com.