America’s Best Independent Design Shops: Lichen

Walking into Lichen’s East Williamsburg storefront feels like dropping by a stylish friend’s house: Music is playing, people are chatting on sofas, and there are beautifully crafted objects—lamps, vases, hand-loomed textiles—placed on shelves and tables in a way that feels simultaneously intentional and relaxed. Interspersed with recognizable designs by Eames, Aalto, Rietveld, and Knoll are the self-assured works of young local and international makers on the rise.

Ed Be and Jared Blake, the friends behind Lichen, are ambitious about the store’s mission, part of which is to be an incubator for fresh talent. In addition to collaborating with established brands, the founders champion emerging New York designers, some of whom they met as repeat customers. The two also encourage prospective sales by allowing customers to rent pieces from the shop so the objects can be "tried on" at home first.