OUR NO-FAIL CURE FOR THE WINTER DOLDRUMS? A well-timed dose of good design, of course. From inspiring art exhibits and once-in-a-lifetime tastemaker auctions to playful new brand collaborations and pop-up shops that bring far-flung treasures closer to home, this season’s buzziest debuts and drops are guaranteed to add some much-needed sunshine to even the dreariest days.
Victor Glemaud for Patterson Flynn
Victor Glemaud on Assinie, a hand-knotted wool rug featuring a coterie of unique animals and plants.
Melanie Acevedo
Glemaud’s nephews play on the Biétry flatweave rug, which pairs geometric medallions with a flower border in hand-dyed wool.
Melanie AcevedoHaitian-American fashion designer Victor Glemaud is known for bold, inventive, inclusive knitwear that melds comfort with style. Having previously translated his artistic vision into fabrics and wallpaper for Schumacher, Glemaud has now turned his attention to rugs with a lush new collection for Patterson Flynn that draws on his travels in Africa to create imaginative menageries and rhythmic borders that are both elevated and welcoming. In hand-knotted wool, rustic handspun silk, and raffia, Glemaud’s innovative cut-out flower borders, vibrant patterns, and soft textures are designed to be inviting to style mavens and young families alike.
The Iris Apfel Online Auction at Christie’s
The grande dame herself, Iris Apfel.
Ruven Afanador
“Iris” Skirt by Stacy Bendet for Alice + Olivia, 2018.
Courtesy of Christie'sThe inimitable American tastemaker, style icon, and businesswoman (she was the co-founder of Old World Weavers) Iris Apfel passed away last year at the age of 102. An online auction at Christie’s through February 13 showcases her fearless, totally original style through 220 lots of dramatic couture and ready-to-wear fashions, jewelry, furniture, and accessories (including her trademark oversized eyeglasses) from her homes in New York City and Palm Beach. See the collection in person at Christie’s in NYC from February 8–13.
“Making Home” Exhibition at the Cooper Hewitt
In “The Offering” by Hadiya Williams and Nicole Crowder, six place settings and chairs around the table reference six decades, from 1910 to 1970, of the Great Migration.
Elliot Goldstein © Smithsonian InstitutionThe Smithsonian Design Triennial at the Cooper Hewitt museum (in NYC’s landmark Carnegie Mansion), explores the meaning of home in all its manifestations, from “Seeking Home” to “Building Home.” Now through August 10th, discover 25 site-specific installations by a diverse array of artists, including Hadiya Williams and Nicole Crowder, who designed “The Offering” (seen above), a vignette of Black family life around the dining table that represents the Great Migration from the American South to the north.
Society Social x Nick Mele
Photographer Nick Mele enjoying his new gaming furniture collaboration with Society Social, including the Checkmate Game Table and Queen Barrel Back Lounge Chair.
Nick MeleSociety Social has teamed up with fine art photographer Nick Mele, known for his glamorous society photos, for “Pause Life, Play Games,” a collection of game-room furniture with a sophisticated edge. From the Checkmate Game Table, which includes a grasscloth-lined storage compartment and comes in a rainbow of high-gloss paint finishes, to the Gambit Gaming Chair, ergonomically designed for marathon PlayStation sessions and available in an array of designer-favorite fabrics, each piece is a delightful upgrade to any den or family room.
A Vida Portuguesa x MoMA
A selection of wares at the A Vida Portugesa pop-up shop at MoMA.
Courtesy of MoMA
Alentejo Wood Child’s Chair, $195.
Courtesy of MoMAThose in the know make pilgrimages to Lisbon design emporium A Vida Portuguesa for its creatively curated crafts and artisan-made products from around Portugal. Now you can shop their treasures stateside at a pop-up shop at the MoMA Design Store, open through March 10th. You’ll find traditional crafts like intricately woven blankets, colorful reed basket bags, and ceramics alongside basics like delicious tinned fish and stylish apothecary items (think vintage-inspired tubes of hand cream and toothpaste).
