Sossego Furniture: A Designer's Perspective
When a couple asked us to help them settle into a new loft-style condo in Rye, the brief was clear: liveable, grandkid-proof, and built around natural wood furniture made for gathering. Beautiful and practical in equal measure. For the dining room, we turned to Sossego — a New York-based maker of handcrafted, sustainably sourced solid wood furniture.
The Room and the Pieces
The dining area sits at the center of daily life in this condo — the place where children and grandchildren pull up chairs, where coffee happens in the morning and long meals stretch into the evening. We needed a sustainable dining table that could anchor that room and welcomes the mess, the laughter, and the years to come without hesitation.
We selected the ZYV Table in Jequitibá, a dense Brazilian hardwood prized for its warm grain and long-term stability. The surprising angles at the legs give the table a sculptural quality that earns attention at the center of the room. Above it, a handblown glass pendant, multi-colored spheres on a brass stem, catches the light without competing with the wood. The walls were kept in an off-white; the custom credenza and display cabinet in a neutral finish that sits comfortably alongside the white oak floors throughout.
For the sustainable dining chairs, we chose the Lily Chair, designed by Aristeu Pires — a furniture designer from Bahia, Brazil, whose work earned him the nickname rei das cadeiras, the king of chairs. The Lily Chair asks: how might an upholstered chair reveal its structure rather than hide it? The seat folds forward slightly, like a flower opening; the back showcases the wood grain through two inversed curves. It is a chair that holds its form under significant use by children and adults alike, and its lightweight frame means the room can reconfigure for larger gatherings without effort. The faux leather upholstery is straightforward to clean — not a small consideration in a home built for grandchildren. What stayed with this family was the story behind it: that Pires designed the chair with his own mother in mind.
At the quartzite island, the Duda Counter Stool in the same Jequitibá wood complements the table. Small children can clamber up easily; the ergonomic backrest suits everyone. The stool was designed with a low center of gravity that makes it genuinely difficult to tip — not a minor detail when wiggly occupants are involved.
About Sossego and Aristeu Pires
Sossego is a New York–based furniture company founded in 2015, specializing in handcrafted solid wood pieces built from sustainably harvested Brazilian hardwoods. The name — sossego — is a Portuguese word for ease, calm, and quiet contentment. In 2023, Sossego acquired the brand and workshop of Aristeu Pires in Canela, Rio Grande do Sul, preserving his artisanal approach within the broader collection. For each wood piece delivered, Sossego funds the planting of a replacement tree in Brazil.
The ZYV Table and Lily Chairs by Aristeu Pires in the Rye, New York condo designed by Ginger Lemon Indigo
Pires trained as a computer engineer before moving into furniture design in 2002. His work has been shown at Maison&Objet in Paris and his Gisele Chair received recognition from the Museu da Casa Brasileira. The three pieces we chose for the Rye project, the ZYV Table, the Lily Chair, and the Duda Counter Stool, were all his designs.
Barbra Fordyce, an ASID Allied designer and founder of Ginger Lemon Indigo, trained at the New York School of Interior Design and works with homeowners across Fairfield County and the wider New York area — Darien, Westport, Greenwich, Southampton, and beyond.
See the full Rye Condo project in the portfolio, or get in touch to begin a conversation about your home.
