On the corner of One Little West 12th Street — The Collective Restaurant and Bar is the Meatpacking district’s new hot spot. Through the grapevine — not in person yet, we hear this is a feast for the eyes. The ICRAVE design team’s 
unique approach, concept and creation — take collective artists, designer and fabricators and make it the new style.
This speaks to me from a found object artistic expression point of view. Making art into fashion is the ultimate use of materials — reinvented for eclectic visuals and representing New York icons.
The Collective, a new restaurant & bar in the Meatpacking District opened March 17, 2010, drew inspiration from old, found, discarded, useless items and reinserted them into the former One Little West 12th space in a new way, forcing guests to rethink and reevaluate the space and their relationship to the items within the space.
The recession has created an interesting paradigm shift. A reversal or repositioning within our Industry and our city is unfolding. The Collective project is an opportunity to put what we think we know about design aside and relearn our craft, recapturing our connection to our environment and create a respite in our neighborhood.
To accomplish this project – on a quick timeline and tight budget – ICRAVE set up a workshop in Manhattan to restore and repurpose furniture pieces sourced from antique stores, Craigslist, eBay, Etsy… And even the New York City streets! Items in the space evoke memories and represent something that is no longer useful or meaningful in our present lives, and rejuvenate them with new meaning.
Images: ©ICRAVE 2010
