Brooklyn’s Ottra—A Furniture Maker with Architectural DNA

Photo above by John Muggenborg

Plenty of architects run successful design firms, but few can also craft one-of-a-kind, solid-wood pieces that stop you in your tracks. Adam and Sofia Zimmerman are the exception. Through their brand Ottra—housed in a red brick warehouse on the Red Hook, Brooklyn, waterfront—they turn out bold sculptural works, including the showstopping elliptical, solid-wood staircase that links Ottra’s ground-floor product studio, showroom, and shop to its upstairs sister company Zimmerman Workshop Architecture + Design.

Started as a side project by Adam and Sofia, Ottra now has a total of eight employees. (Fun fact: Ottra is a portmanteau of the names of the married couple’s two children.) Adam describes their larger-scale work as “landing points and landmarks” that can help define a space. “We’ve noticed that our pieces can leave a memorable impression with people,” he says. “Here in Red Hook, we’ll hear people refer to our place as ‘the one with the big blue staircase.’ Or at the Salon Art + Design show, our 8-foot rolling mirror became a place where people would plan to meet.”

Photos above by John Muggenborg

Contract designers can specify Ottra furniture for use alongside more standard office furniture. For example, at a community center in Harlem, most of the furniture was from Herman Miller, but the client chose Ottra furniture to balance out the rooms with warm, locally made, handcrafted elements. “It’s always a pleasure to create special pieces that are placed alongside the brands that you expect to see in a commercial environment,” Sofia says.

Ottra, Cursive Collection Martini Table. Photo by Ethan Herrington

The Zimmermans are interested in commercial custom installations, such as a reception desk in a hotel lobby or furniture for a museum or library. “What we love about these projects is that we bring together the talents of our furniture and architectural teams,” Sofia says. Their material of choice: solid North American hardwoods, primarily black walnut, white ash, and white oak.

What truly distinguishes Ottra from other furniture makers, Sofia says, is how the brand works with its clients. “We take a highly personalized approach,” she notes. “When our designers succeed, so do we.”

—Rita Catinella Orrell

Ottra, Foosball Table. Photo by Erin Derby