Artisanal Home Goods Get a Tryout at Assembly Line in Boerum Hill

If the tag line, ‘Just do it’ wasn’t already taken – and famously so – the founders of General Assembly might have used it to help open their store, Assembly Line, in Boerum Hill. For cofounder Colin Stief, the slogan encapsulates the very heart of why the sought-after design company decided to create a brick-and-mortar store.

“We want to give people that accessibility to be able to do things in your apartment, even if it’s a rental, to make the space your own,” he said. “To say, like, ‘I want to install this limewash,’ have us answer a couple of questions about it, and then, you know, you can just do it!”

The store opened in February this year, just over a decade since General Assembly started earning its reputation for warm and clean design that bridges historic and modern. From renovating more than one Boerum Hill townhouse to designing a London apartment in a postwar Brutalist building, General Assembly’s work as a studio has received international attention.

It had been on cofounder Sarah Zames’ mind for a while to open a store, but the pandemic brought the idea to the fore. General Assembly had been receiving calls from locals who wanted to do small, targeted renovations. “From people who were perhaps looking at a wall differently than they were before, who needed help with rearranging furniture, or picking new colors, or redoing their kitchen – things that can really transform your space but don’t need a full team of interior designers to do,” Stief explained.

The store is envisioned as a resource for both fellow designers and design enthusiasts alike.
“Somebody who maybe just bought in a new-development building and they’re just looking to warm the space a little bit, or somebody who was working with an architect before but they didn’t go all the way to the final finishes and rugs, so the space is for them,” said Stief. It’s also a spot for interior designers to see different brands together, instead of having to visit separate showrooms. “I think it’s going to be interesting to just see how people continue to use it, to see what happens next,” he added.

The store is also a chance for Stief and Zames, who created General Assembly together in 2011, to bring some of their favorite collaborators together under one roof. “General Assembly – the idea of the name is ‘general assemblies,’ all these parts that kind of come together to make a whole,” said Stief. “So the idea of the shop is we’re really trying to highlight some of these people that we have these relationships with, these craftspeople and other designers we enjoy working with.”

Within the store, which is located on Atlantic Avenue where a bustling design hub is growing, budding renovators will find furniture, lighting and accessories from the likes of In Common With, Vonnegut/Kraft, Fort Standard, Armadillo and Atelier de Troupe. Alongside material samples and swatches on offer from Clé Tile and Calico Wallpaper, among others, team members are also on hand to share their insights and expertise. For projects such as remodeling a bathroom, a paid consultation to select materials can be booked with the cofounders.

In an era when TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest have become the places many go to get inspired and, indeed, to shop, General Assembly believes there’s still something special about a tactile experience. “You can look at many things on Instagram, but I think until you can touch them and hold them and see how the light hits or how they feel, you will have a very different connection,” said Stief. With Assembly Line, Stief and Zames are hoping their customers will cherish that experience as much as they do.

[Photos by Sean Davidson]

Editor’s note: A version of this story appeared in the Spring/Summer 2022 issue of Brownstoner magazine.

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