Mathieu Lehanneur “Pied-à-Terre” in New York.
Photo: Leandro Viana
These Design-Focused Installations in New York Are Not to Be Missed
From a stunning exhibition of work by Mathieu Lehanneur to new showrooms by Matthew Fisher and Danny Kaplan
New Yorkers looking to feast on remarkable installations of incredible design have a multitude of destinations to choose from this winter. Many visionary talents are implementing stunning exhibitions of work in the city’s plethora of gallery spaces while others are crafting their own inspired storefronts, presenting new collections in beautifully curated settings.
Here, a look at a selection of local spots design connoisseurs should add to their must-visit list.
More than 100 examples of lighting by Roman and Williams is on display in Tribeca in the exhibition “A Certain Slant of Light.” Photo: Robert Wright
“A Certain Slant of Light” | Roman and Williams Guild
The full spectrum of Stephen Alesch and Robin Standefer’s lighting designs is on display in the historic former New York Mercantile Exchange in Tribeca through December 1. More than 100 different forms are suspended within the soaring loft while 12 new examples will make their debut. “Far from being static, lighting is dynamic and ever-changing, capable of transforming any space by not just illuminating it but by creating an immersive environment that captivates the senses,” says Standefer, a Galerie Creative Mind alongside Alesch, of the exhibition that is named for an Emily Dickinson poem. “All of our lighting, like our furniture, is part of a family tree. Different collections exist like different branches on the same continuum; distinct yet related characters that also have their own unique identities.”
Commode Ooni by Ingrid Donat, on view at Carpenters Workshop Gallery through February, 2025. Photo: Benjamin Baccarani, courtesy of Carpenters Workshop Gallery
Ingrid Donant at work on the ornate facade of her Commode Skarabée. Photo: Courtesy of Carpenters Workshop Gallery
“Ancestral” | Carpenters Workshop Gallery
Following installations in London and Paris, innovative talent Ingrid Donat‘s latest pieces are now on view at Carpenters Workshop Gallery in New York. The final stop in her solo exhibition “Ancestral,” the show introduces two new pieces: Commode Ooni, an anthropomorphic work with a meticulously formed exterior of bronze that draws influence from Réunion Island in France, and Commode Maya, another bronze form embellished with animal- and insect-like shapes drawn from Mayan culture. “Ingrid Donat’s profound understanding of form, texture, and craftsmanship, along with her ability to draw from traditions such as Art Nouveau and Art Deco, make her one of the most remarkable living practitioners in functional art,” says Carpenters Workshop Gallery founders Loic Le Gaillard and Julien Lombrail. “Ancestral” is on view through February 14, 2025.
Installation view of "The Underground Library” by the Black Artists + Designers Guild in "Making Home—Smithsonian Design Triennial" at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Photo: Ann Sunwoo, ©Smithsonian Institution
“Making Home—Smithsonian Design Triennial” | Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
On view through August 10, 2025, “Making Home” explores the intersection of design and contemporary living with 25 unique installations by artists, designers, and architects from across the country, implemented throughout the Andrew and Louise Carnegie Mansion. Ground and first floor exhibits explore the idea of “Going Home” with rooms crafted by the Black Artists + Designers Guild, La Vaughn Belle, and Robert Earl Paige, among others. On the second floor, spaces are dedicated to “Seeking Home” while the third floor is dedicated to “Building Home” with areas formed by innovators challenging the status quo in construction and craftsmanship.
Mathieu Lehanneur “Pied-à-Terre” in New York. Photo: Leandro Viana
Mathieu Lehanneur “Pied-à-Terre”
Following in the footsteps of his 8,600 square-foot creative lab and headquarters in Paris, The Factory, Mathieu Lehanneur opened Pied-à-Terre, a bespoke duplex apartment in the residential tower Selene on New York’s East 53rd Street. “I see design as a territory without fixed borders,” says Lehanneur, a Galerie Creative Mind. “The Pied-à-Terre is our ‘showing and meeting’ place, where we aim to create a new, perennial way to connect with our clients and present our pieces.” Inside the aerie are pieces never-before-shown in New York including the designer’s Mollien suspensions originally created for the Musée du Louvre in Paris as well as Paris 2024 Olympic torch. The destination also kicks off Lehanneur’s plan to unveil other Pied-à-Terre outposts across the U.S.
Interior of the new Danny Kaplan location in Manhattan's NoHo neighborhood. Photo: William Jess Laird
Interior of the new Danny Kaplan location in Manhattan's NoHo neighborhood. Photo: William Jess Laird
Danny Kaplan
Brooklyn ceramist Danny Kaplan has moved across the river to open a new studio and showroom in Manhattan’s NoHo neighborhood. Inside the 4,000-square-foot Lafayette Street location, Kaplan displays his handmade-to-order ceramic furniture and lighting as well as additional furnishings and artisan-made rugs in residential-style vignettes that elevate the building’s industrial architecture. Clé tiles, Reform cabinets, Armadillo rugs, and Farrow & Ball paint add to the inspiring atmosphere.
Jacques Doucet Avenue Spontini sofa and Gray cocktail table, designed by Garcé & Dimofski for the Invisible Collection. Photo: Inês Silva
Jacques Doucet Avenue Du Bois sofa and armchair paired with the Apollinaire cocktail table and Seurat rug, designed by Garcé & Dimofski for the Invisible Collection. Photo: Inês Silva
Jacques Doucet | Invisible Collection
Galerie Creative Minds Garcé & Dimofski guided the renaissance of the Jacques Doucet brand, which now translates the couturier’s passion for collectible design into an inspired array of furniture. Available exclusively through the Invisible Collection, the debut array of seating, tables, lighting, and rugs punctuate the brand’s beautiful Upper East Side townhouse in an installation dubbed “Jacques Doucet: Une Collection Fantasmée” which envisions how Doucet would live today. “This new collection, while not a direct reproduction of Jacques Doucet’s vision, draws deeply from his approach by embracing his spirit of innovation, unique crafts, and artistic dialogue,” says Olivier Garcé.
Matthew Fisher unveiled his first gallery space on South Street. Photo: Stephen Kent Johnson; styled by Michael Reynolds
Matthew Fisher
Ballet dancer turned visual artist Matthew Fisher unveiled his first gallery space on South Street in New York. Inside the tranquil Lower Manhattan environs, the designer displays more than 120 works, crafted from stone, metal, and cotton cord, the collection developed over the past six months. “My work oscillates between the realm of function and art, transforming routine into ritual,” he says. “The Seaport Gallery is conceived as a theatrical interpretation of the domestic interior, where the formality of antiquity seamlessly blends with the comforts of quiet luxury.”
Installation view of "In Praise of Shadows” and Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery in New York. Photo: Dan McMahon
Installation view of "In Praise of Shadows” and Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery in New York. Photo: Dan McMahon
“In Praise of Shadows” | Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery
Downtown gem Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery this week opened the exhibition “In Praise of Shadows” which combines vintage works by Tiffany & Co., Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, Ingo Maurer, Joe Colombo and Eileen Gray with contemporary designs by Charlap Hyman & Herrero with Pilar Almon, Nick Poe, and more. “The exhibition investigates not only the way in which we thoughtfully illuminate our homes, but also the manner in which the subtlety of cast shadows invigorates our everyday with mystery and intrigue,” says Sullivan, who chose the installation title from a 1933 Jun’ichirō Tanizaki essay. “While light exudes radiant clarity, darkness offers quiet, solemn contemplation. The practice of revealing and concealing elegantly elucidates the tension between exuberance and restraint, resulting in the expression of a complex interior life. Opacity and translucency gently converse. The dark corners of a room are as salient as their lit counterparts.”
Lingua by Mauro Mori, available at Ateliers Courbet. Photo: Courtesy of Ateliers Courbet
Mauro Mori | Ateliers Courbet
Italian sculptor Mauro Mori mounts his fourth solo show at Ateliers Courbet in Chelsea. This go around, the survey draws from Mori’s 40-year career while also introducing six new works inspired by an ongoing conversation between the woodworker and gallery founder Melanie Courbet. “This new series is close to my heart as Mauro Mori and I have spent extensive hours discussing the creative direction, the materials, drawing inspiration from the artistic periods and sources that Mauro and I have long shared,” says Courbet. “The boldest example being the Cycladic and Primitive Arts forms, which can be found both in his body of work and in the gallery’s selection and curatorial choices.”
Cover: Mathieu Lehanneur “Pied-à-Terre” in New York.
Photo: Leandro Viana
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