Brooklyn-based designer Brian Volk-Zimmerman can claim a bit of heritage that many of his fellow RISD grads can't muster: his great-great-great uncle John Volk was a "furniture maker of local renown in the early 19th Century." Thus, Volk-Zimmerman's semi-eponymous efforts are an endeavor to "honor a family tradition that he discovered when he found a simply-constructed wooden side chair in the attic of the family farmhouse in which he grew up... The promise of Volk Furniture is that future generations will treasure the simplicity, care and craft embodied in each piece."

Origin aside, the Volk-Zimmerman produces uncommonly fine furniture with a strong sense of craftsmanship and attention to detail in equal measure, and his booth at the ICFF was an understated standout if there ever was one. Of his latest work, he says:The Spring 2012 collection by Volk Furniture expands on the themes of incorporating re-purposed vintage items and using the tactile beauty of wood and fabrics in unique and inspired ways. Inlaid brass follows the patterns formed by pinhole knots in the solid walnut body of the dresser and hutch. Harris Tweed as upholstery imbues a chair with both style and history and also serves as a beautiful screen for whatever one might store behind the sliding doors of the hutch. Vintage typewriter keys not only mark the focal point of a circular side table of fumed white oak, but can personalize a stool.

The Walnut Dresser with a matching hutch features a Harris tweed panels on the sliding doors and the subtlest of inlays: tiny brass eyes inserted into the existing pinhole knots.

Photo by Maria-Teresa Capelle-Burny, courtesy of Volk Furniture

The custom "mid-century inspired brass V-shaped pulls" match those of the cerused white oak side table, which is paired with a different shirting fabric as the interior lining of the drawers.

Abigail's stool is inlaid with vintage typewriter keys

The circular side table (at bottom left above) features a similar signature touch in its center.

The Ladderback Chair doubles as a valet, with a hidden drawer beneath the seat and extra-tall backrest for hanging accessories.

The handles of a small drawer unit are repurposed organ pulls.