The Artful Life: 7 Things Galerie Editors Love This Week

1. Mestiz Unveils Dazzling Hermès Window Displays in Mexico City

Known for crafting “wild objects” ranging from furniture to rugs to collectible objects that bring joy to any space, San Miguel de Allende design studio and Galerie Creative Mind Mestiz has just unveiled their latest collaboration with luxury fashion house Hermès. Taking over three stores in Mexico City’s Masaryk, Artz, and Moliere locations, the new window displays mark a true intersection between fashion, design, and travel—where large-scale installations of creatures and fauna play to Hermès’s “Venturing Beyond” travel-themed collection.

For the displays, Mestiz incorporated their signature use of raw materials including rattan, wood, stone, and more to craft whimsical figures of large-scale flowers alongside a field of smaller buds as well as sea creatures such as stingrays, crabs, algae which perfectly nod into the fashion house’s famed purses, scarves, travel accessories, and more. — Shelby Black

2. Castlery Introduces First-Ever Designer Collaboration with Tan France

Singapore furniture brand Castlery crafts contemporary furnishings designed for modern living—think classic wood furniture, modular sofas, and chic yet simple home accents. On August 6, the brand unveiled its very first collection produced in collaboration with a designer, Tan France, who turned his run as the style guru on Queer Eye into a springboard for a creative career spanning television, theater, and books. Encompassing 18 pieces, France’s assortment includes tables enlivened with stunning turned-wood embellishments, sculptural glass table lamps offered in colors found across South Asia, beautiful rugs of New Zealand wool, and expressive decorative pieces with expressive detailings like draping, scalloped edges, and pleating that nod to France’s life in fashion.

“Living between cultures and countries has taught me that home isn’t just somewhere you live, it’s something you create, wherever you are. That was the heart of my collaboration with Castlery,” says France. “I wanted to create pieces for the moments that bring a home to life, the table where everyone gathers, the sofa you sink into after a long day, the lamp you switch on when the house finally goes quiet. The beauty of a home is found in those everyday rituals, and I wanted this collection to celebrate them.”—Jill Sieracki

3. Svitlana Bevza Debuts a Kyiv Flagship—and a Secret Members’ Club

For two decades, Svitlana Bevza has distilled her namesake womenswear label into a “less and luxe” vocabulary of sleek tailoring and elongated silhouettes, often rendered in a monochromatic palette. Now that sensibility has a permanent address in the heart of Kyiv, where the Ukrainian designer has unveiled her debut flagship this summer to commemorate the brand’s 20th anniversary. Envisioned alongside YD Interior Studio founder Yevheniia Dubrovska, the slick white-on-white interior pairs custom furnishings—a pair of daybeds with cone-shaped cushions—with sculptural accents such as a monolithic counter in an exuberantly veined stone. Concealed elements, meanwhile, allow the shop floor to seamlessly shift from boutique to a gathering place. A private terrace will host seasonal café pop-ups, while reservation-only yoga sessions take place before opening hours. After dark, the boutique will welcome members of B Gentle, an invitation-only club inspired by British private clubs, with intimate dinners and cultural programming. For Bevza, opening in her hometown carries particular weight: “The city has shaped my vision, my understanding of beauty, and the values that continue to define the brand today,” she says. “The fact that we’re opening this space now, despite the realities of war and the uncertainty Ukrainians continue to live through every day, makes this moment even more meaningful.” —Ryan Waddoups

4. Dries Van Noten Beauty Launches Lip Care in a Limoges Pill Box

Even the prettiest packaging usually gets tossed out, but not when it comes to the totally reusable and absolutely covetable Dries Van Noten Beauty line. The latest launch comes in the form of a pill box, which houses a special lip care formula and expertly echoes the contrasting patterns synonymous with house’s fashion collections. The oval-shaped vessel is handcrafted by Limoges in Carpenet, a family-run business known for its expertise in white porcelain, and feels more like a decorative objet that might be artfully arranged on a table or passed down through generations. Complementing this launch is a new offering of tinted lip balms, which are enriched with botanical ingredients for just a hint of color and a non-sticky feel. –Jacqueline Terrebonne

5. Doyle Revisits 1980s New York with the Keith Haring Pop Shop Collection of Julia Markus

This month, Doyle is taking a trip back to 1980s New York with an auction featuring the Keith Haring Pop Shop Collection of Julia Markus. Works by Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, Kenny Scarf, Ronnie Cutrone, and others are featured in an online auction open now through August 20, with additional merchandise available to be shopped in Doyle’s New York and Beverly Hills locations. Markus, an early supporter of Haring’s groundbreaking retail space, became a devoted collector of Pop Shop items that expanded past artworks to include inflatables, radios, magnets, and more. In recognition of Haring’s iconic venture, an exhibition is on view at select times now through August 18, and a panel discussion is scheduled for August 17.—Alexandria Sillo

6. Lucy Villeneuve’s First Solo Exhibition Goes on View at Keyes Art in Sag Harbor

Carrying forward the rich artistic heritage of the East End, Springs-based artist Lucy Villeneuve—granddaughter of Abstract Expressionist icon Willem de Kooning—unveils “Good Grief” at Keyes Art in Sag Harbor. Formerly a middle school art educator, Villeneuve draws on her background in psychology and education to create this fascinating new body of work. An exercise in oppositions, the collection of works explores the coexistence of contrasting emotions, from grief and gratitude to adult responsibility and childhood wonder.

Marking a major evolution in her studio practice, the show, on view through August 15, signals a shift from expansive, large-scale abstractions to intimate gouache and watercolor works on paper, with some compositions measuring just 2 by 2 inches. Villeneuve fills these vibrant, small-scale works with a whimsical visual lexicon of recurring motifs: upside-down homes, spontaneous scribbles, ladders, and bold, intuitive abstract forms. Rather than seeking neat resolutions or answers, her paintings embrace and celebrate life’s complexities and contradictions. By allowing both her structured adult self and her whimsical, imaginative inner child to be free on the canvas, “Good Grief” invites viewers to contemplate the journey of life and appreciate the serious pursuit of joy.—Lucy Rees

7. Don Julio’s Pablo Rivero Brings the Argentine Tavern to New York

Don Julio, the Buenos Aires parrilla helmed by restaurateur-sommelier Pablo Rivero, ranks among the world’s most acclaimed steakhouses, so expectations ran high when Rivero partnered with Eataly veterans Adam and Alex Saper on his first restaurant outside Argentina. Named for his mother, Graciela channels the convivial spirit of an Argentine tavern into a historic building in Manhattan’s West Village. Home Studios framed the warm interiors around a sprawling charcoal-fired parrilla and Spanish Josper oven, then layered reclaimed oak and hand-plastered walls around the building’s exposed steel and restored brick vaulting. Travertine, Calacatta Borghini marble, and Deco-era mirrors nod to historic Buenos Aires cafés. Rivero’s menu ranges from New York strip milanesa and saffron-tinged cod stew to osso-bucco empanadas, while Ends Meat produces charcuterie from original Don Julio recipes. Tours of the barrel-vaulted wine cellar, meanwhile, are offered to guests spontaneously. —R.W.