The Artful Life: 6 Things Galerie Editors Love This Week

1. London’s Garden Museum Hosts a Pop-Up Exhibition Celebrating Bunny Mellon

The Edenic settings cultivated by famed gardener Rachel Lambert “Bunny” Mellon continue to inspire wonder and many have made pilgrimages to her cherished estate, Oak Spring Garden, on those rare occasions the 4,000-acre Upperville, Virginia, property is open to tours. This past spring, her encyclopedic collection of botanical artworks, illustrations, and rare volumes informed an enchanting collection of hand-painted and embroidered wallpapers and hand-painted porcelain tableware with de Gournay. Now, de Gournay and the Oak Spring Garden Foundation are collaborating on an exhibition at London’s Garden Museum that brings together these stunning decorative pieces with their exceptional influences drawn from Mrs. Mellon’s personal library. On view August 23 through September 7, “Bunny Mellon: A Life in Bloom” incorporates artworks by Charles Germain de Saint-Aubin, Domenico Buonvicini, and Elizabeth Blackwell alongside original photographs of the garden at Oak Spring. Additionally, it marks the U.K. debut of de Gournay’s Bunny Mellon Collection.

“Mrs. Mellon’s passion for plants and the decorative arts is both timeless and deeply personal,” says Hannah Cecil Gurney, Director of de Gournay. “It’s an honor to celebrate her influence through designs that echo the same elegance, knowledge, and craftsmanship she championed throughout her life. The Garden Museum–with its dedication to the art, history, and culture of gardens–is a brilliant and fitting setting to reflect on her legacy and to bring this collection to life for a new audience.”—Jill Sieracki

2. John Hardy’s Most Iconic Collection Makes a Bold Return

John Hardy has reintroduced its iconic Dot collection with a masterful refresh under the creative direction of Reed Krakoff. The collection features a blend of vintage craftsmanship and modern styling in a celebration of the brand’s 50 fashionable years. The eight-piece assortment features five archival styles and three new designs, including the Dot Silver Seven Coil Bracelet, the Dot Silver Double Coil Bracelet, the Dot Silver Flex Cuff, the Dot Silver Hoop Earrings, the Dot Double Coil Ring, the Dot Silver Hoop Earrings, the Dot Silver Coil Necklace, and the Dot Silver Ring. The original edition, first introduced in 1992, was inspired by the traditional granulation technique, which John Hardy altered slightly to resize and flatten the tiny balls, which resulted in the iconic Dot shape.—Alexandria Sillo

3. Cuerno Brings North Mexican Flavors to New York City

Finding home in Rockefeller Center’s iconic Time Life building, buzzy new dining destination Cuerno New York is the latest design-forward space brimming with vibrant flavors to please locals and tourists alike. Helmed by Alberto Martínez and Victor Setién of Cuerno and Costeño Group, executive chef Oriol Mendivil presents a selection of North Mexican ingredient-forward dishes such as succulent 21-day aged carne asada seasoned with Colima sea salt and grilled the Norteño way, ceviche and crudo de hamachi, and seasonal grilled vegetables made to share amongst family and friends. The space itself, designed by Mexican architecture firm A de Arquitectos, channels the natural materials familiar to North Mexico, where hand-carved woodwork, custom leather banquettes, and a sweeping mural by Saltillo-based artist Federico Jordán made of tiles created from the region’s soil envelops diners. —Shelby Black

4. Jake Arnold Styles Nature-Inspired Vignettes for Kohler

Kohler has partnered with interior designer Jake Arnold on Come Home to Nature, a series of styled interiors that demonstrates how neutral finishes can infuse homes with warmth and refinement. Known for his masterful material layering and a refined, tactile approach to minimalism, Arnold created three nature-inspired vignettes—a bath, kitchen, and wet bar—that showcase how Kohler’s earthy tones, brushed brass, and matte black finishes can bring depth to everyday spaces. Grounded in natural textures like travertine, oak, and plaster, each setting achieves a quiet richness that feels elevated yet approachable. The collaboration reflects the growing embrace of biophilic design and wellness-forward living as homeowners seek environments that foster calm and reconnect them with the outdoors—an ethos that also underpins Kohler’s newly launched line of home saunas. —Ryan Waddoups

5. Mandarin Oriental Plans Overhaul of Venice’s Famed San Clemente Palace Hotel

What’s old is new again just might be the unofficial mantra of Venice, Italy as ancient structures are reborn as stunning residences, art spaces, and hotels. Now another of La Serenissima’s landmark destinations is set to be overhauled—the San Clemente Palace Hotel will emerge after the winter season as a Mandarin Oriental. Nestled into 20 acres of private island, the 900-year-old monastery and ancient gardens with sweeping views across the Venetian lagoon will be reimagined as a 136-room retreat with refreshed interiors by London design studio Albion Nord. The three-phase renovation kicks off after the property closes for the season in November, and when it re-opens in April, 2026, as the Mandarin Oriental, Venice, guests will discover decadent rooms that blend historic charm with the brand’s signature savoir faire; four epicurean restaurants; a state-of-the-art spa with a Finnish sauna, multisensory showers, and steam bath; a yoga pavilion, outdoor pool, and other fitness amenities as well as an assortment of contemporary outdoor art. Of course, the location’s exquisite architectural treasures will be notably preserved, with the site’s ancient chapel and its stately frescoes and sculptures ready to welcome a new generation of guests.—J.S.

6. Shanan Campanaro Brings Eskayel, Her Textile Brand, Home to Encinitas

After nearly two decades in Brooklyn, Eskayel founder Shanan Campanaro has returned to her native San Diego and opened a new showroom in the laid-back coastal suburb of Encinitas. Envisioned as more than a standard retail space, the new outpost blurs the lines between gallery, listening room, and event venue, with vintage furnishings, a DJ booth, and rotating exhibitions that reflect Campanaro’s creative vision. Her painterly textiles—rugs, wallpaper, and fabrics inspired by nature and executed with meticulous attention to craft—anchor the space. “It was important to me that the showroom feel timeless rather than brand-new or over-designed,” says Campanaro, who layered vintage furniture alongside newer pieces. “Our friends at Cerno Group designed all the lighting, and the stained-glass doors were made by Shelby Forsythe, a local artist who was also my nieces’ and nephews’ nanny.”

The sun-drenched showroom evokes the easy elegance of a Pugliese villa, fittingly furnished with heirloom pieces—turn-of-the-century wooden furnishings, Depression glass and serving platters from her great-grandmother’s collection—that celebrate her Italian heritage and mark a personal and professional homecoming. Other design touches include whitewashed walls, a full kitchen, and a family-style dining table that will host dinners and other events such as weaving tutorials, gnocchi-making workshops, sound meditations, and drink-and-draw sessions that will celebrate her new beginnings and simply have some laid-back fun. “I grew up in San Diego, and my whole family is here, but I’ve been out wandering the world for the past 30 years,” Campanaro says. “Coming home and reconnecting with the vibrant creative community here just feels right.” —R.W.