Design & Architecture
If your idea of bucket-list travel includes world-class shopping and fashion, consider art & shopping tours to round out your luxury travel experience. Nothing thrills like a trip to the Big Apple, especially when you discover the perfect sofa there.
Celebrate the world of furniture and interior designer with Francis Sultana; Explore New York’s showrooms and stores that dress the most exquisite residences around the world and blur the lines between art and furniture.
New York City’s artful showrooms, stores, and shops dress the most exquisite residences around the world. More art than objects, the chairs, sofas, lighting, tables, and home accessories seem like sculptures which just happen to have utility—“objets-d’utilité.” Here, art marries home design, possessing the imagination in such a way as to make the viewer feel like they have entered a painting, rather than a showroom.
BDDW is a favorite destination for architects & designers, one of many destinations that can be featured on tours run by Orange York, offering first-class Contemporary Art & Design and Luxury Fashion shopping experiences. This must-see showroom located in SOHO, an oasis of quality and exquisite craftsmanship, resides in a neoclassical modern building echoing the contemporary furniture and art it houses.
The love of superior craftsmanship is shown in so many ways. Furniture hand rubbed with natural oils and lacquers make the artisanal pieces last. Fabrics and furniture, designed by owner Tyler Hays, reflect the sensibilities of the painter and sculptor, BDDW also carries exquisite fabrics that come directly from mills in Italy & Belgium. Signature sofas, solid walnut tables, and wall-mounted leather drawers could be considered fine art. Beware, an extraordinary BDDW sofa may list at $80,000. One may also find a deck swing, a painted crock, or a ceramic pendant from one of the collections by Robert Malherbe, Jen Wink Hays, Apparatus Studio, Julian Watts, Lindsey Adelman, Kieran Kinsella or Gratz Industries. 5 Crosby St., New York, NY 10013
LES ATELIERS COURBET is a trusted source of home goods that tend to become family heirlooms. Here, in NYC’S Chelsea district, centuries-old manufacturers from five continents exhibit textiles, lighting, rare furniture, flooring, and museum-worthy objets-devertu. The shop houses pieces from archive collections, hand-crafted items, and artist collaborations––including exclusive editions from Serge Poliakoff, Frank Gehry, Vladimir Kagan, Aldo Bakker, Pharrell Williams, Pablo Reinoso, and from the Estate of Francis Picabia.
134 10th Ave., New York, NY 10011
OCHRE SOHO is a delightfully elegant store in Broome Street. Choose to visit for matchless craftsmanship in lighting, accessories for the interior, and for furniture designed with rich, sustainable materials. Among Ochre’s sophisticated and luxurious objects lie innovative lighting designs with titles such as Arctic pear chandelier wave and Seed cloud installation round.
462 Broome St., New York, NY 10013
DIENST + DOTTER ANTIKVITETER
is a hidden gem. Carrying one-of-a-kind, mostly Scandinavian antiques in mint condition, and pieces that have once belonged to castles and mansions, owner Jill Dienst deftly apposes items from the 17th to the 21st-centuries according to shape, art history, and how the pieces speak to her. Her experiences in public and private art institutions and as a private collector reflect her romantic, modern aesthetic, part. 411 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10003
GABRIEL SCOTT
is a Montreal-based company. Upon arrival, marvel at the exceptional beauty of their building’s exterior. Its owners design and create stylish, handmade, elegant occasional tables as well as unusual lighting products that can be shipped from Canada to N.Y. Brothers-in-law Gabriel Kakon and Scott Richler contribute to the company out of their combined backgrounds in architecture, jewellery design, and industrial design. They are devoted to the brand. Their Art Deco influenced lighting is a particularly valuable addition to chic, luxury homes. 372 Broome St., New York, NY 10013
GUILD Roman and Williams
opened its flagship in Soho last December, probably one of the most delicate showrooms in the city. Created by husband and wife duo, Stephen Alesch and Robin Standefer, they offer their original furniture and lighting designs, as well as unique collections of home goods from around the world. They use both traditional and non-traditional woodworking techniques to get a perfect finish. The store also has a French restaurant, a flower stand, and a bookstore on the lower level, which gives the whole experience of shopping there a French countryside feel.
The big collection of art pieces, from glassware to stone chair sculptures and wood-carved storages, are among the favourites from this well curated “must see” store. Guild’s website summarises it well: “Design. Excellent French Food. A Library. Coffee and Cocktails. Flowers.” 53 Howard St, New York, NY 10013
With some notable exceptions, the home décor explored here follows a 20th to 21st-century aesthetic. An avoidance of excessive curves, runaway ogee, and fussy decorative detail is almost religious. Wanting to stick to the straight and narrow, it strives for something fresh and new. These designers and merchants have one goal––to enhance your artful home with quality, beautiful pieces.
Orange York offers first-class Contemporary Art & Design tours and Luxury Fashion shopping experiences. Orangeyork.com