Chalet collection by Beni Rugs.
Photo: Billal Taright
The Artful Life: 6 Things Galerie Editors Love This Week
From a plush tribute to après-ski nesting by Beni Rugs to Becky Hearn’s unique take on the traditional Christmas tree at The West Hollywood Edition
Photo: ISSEY MIYAKE INC.
1. In New York, a Sleek New Place to Stockpile Issey Miyake Pleats Please
The origin of Pleats Please Issey Miyake is the stuff of legend. When the Japanese fashion innovator happened upon a folded scarf in his studio, his longtime textile designer heat-pleated the cloth as an experiment and mistakenly created an intricate, three-dimensional texture that inspired four years of research into what would become his label’s signature technique. More than three decades later, the comfort and breathability of Pleats Please and its iconic accordion folds has endured among both the fashion cognoscenti and younger sets seeking stylish loungewear that also suits a night on the town. Starting this week, the label’s New Yorker acolytes can now source the popular style from a sleek new flagship in the heart of Nolita. The Japanese design firm Moment envisioned an industrial-themed boutique defined by sharp lines—a nod to the pleating technique’s signature folds and the rigorous Tadao Ando building it’s housed within. Vividly hued shirts, sweaters, pants, dresses, and jumpsuits hang on railed clothing displays and pop against the interior’s glossy white surfaces, bringing a sense of levity not unlike the experience of wearing them. —Ryan Waddoups
The Tree of Memory. Photo: Courtesy of The West Hollywood EDITION
The sculpture is Hearn's festive interpretation of a traditional Christmas tree. Photo: Courtesy of The West Hollywood EDITION
2. Festive Installation The Tree of Memory Goes on View at The West Hollywood Edition
Multidisciplinary artist, photographer, and florist Becky Hearn has put her unique take on the traditional Christmas tree on view at The West Hollywood Edition. The festive installation, The Tree of Memory, is a masterful presentation of floral arrangements by Hearn, who owns the floral design studio, Bucky’s Flowers. Additionally, the sculptural arrangement incorporates an interactive element with an integrated video camera that projects subjects on a display screen, encouraging visitors to create lasting memories of their own. “The goal is to transform the familiar symbol of the Christmas tree into an interactive experience where guests become a part of the artwork,” says Becky Hearn. “By offering a personalized, branding moment, ‘The Tree of Memory’ reflects my work as a director and photographer, where natural beauty and visual storytelling converge.”—Alexandria Sillo
Chalet collection by Beni Rugs. Photo: Billal Taright
Chalet collection by Beni Rugs. Photo: Billal Taright
3. Beni Rugs Weaves a Plush Tribute to Après-Ski Nesting
The creature comforts of alpine chalets—mulled wine, weathered wood, cozy sweaters, fireside camaraderie—evoke warm feelings no matter how frigid the temperature. These idyllic themes inform the latest collection by Beni Rugs, the buzzy purveyors of responsibly crafted Moroccan rugs that blend ancient handwoven craft with contemporary sensibilities. The Chalet collection features expressionist interpretations of iconic Alpine emblems, from painterly free-floating mountaintops and loosely checked patterns to ivory wool akin to softly packed snowfall, all rendered on tall pile heights of heritage-quality wool. “In the medium of rug-making, there’s a lot of conversation around pile heights and how they play into the feeling of a space,” says Tiberio Lobo-Navia, who founded Beni Rugs with Robert Wright in 2018. “With every rug’s wool piled high, it’s as if the material is reaching out to the interior and those within it.” Fittingly, the collection was photographed in art collector Emmanuel de Bayser’s transportive chalet-style home in the charming ski village of Gstaad, Switzerland. —R.W.
Project Room #17 by India Mahdavi celebrates the 25th anniversary of the designer’s iconic Bishop stool. Photo: Courtesy of India Mahdavi
India Mahdavi Bishops for Palomas. Photo: Courtesy of India Mahdavi
4. India Mahdavi Celebrates the 25th Anniversary of Her Iconic Bishop Stool
Perhaps no piece of collectible design is as instantly identifiable (and more ubiquitously duplicated) than India Mahdavi’s Bishop, a bar stool-cum-side table first developed in 1999 for New York City boîte APT. Twenty-five years later, the shapely icon is enshrined in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, and evolved to include a plethora of size, color, and pattern varieties for indoors and outdoors with myriad tray additions available. “I designed the Bishop stool because I wanted something that didn’t exist—a sculptural stool that, when placed together could resemble a chess game,” reflects the designer. To commemorate the anniversary, Mahdavi installed a mix of Bishop styles in her revolving Project Room space, highlighting the work’s playful nature and ongoing evolution, in a retrospective on view through January 3. Further commemorating the milestone, Mahdavi partnered with Lyon, France chocolatiers Palomas on a limited-edition box of edible Bishops. Each dark-chocolate treat, molded in the shape of Mahdavi’s signature table, contains the tantalizing flavor of Iranian pistachio (a nod to the designer’s heritage) and just a hint of fleur de sel.—Jill Sieracki
Great Women Sculptors. Photo: Courtesy of Phaidon
Nairy Baghramian, Dösender (Drowsy), from the series Sitzengebliebene (Stay Downers), 2020. Photo: Courtesy and © the artist, Marian Goodman Gallery and Kurimanzutto
5. Great Women Sculptors, a New Phaidon Book, Honors More than 300 Groundbreaking Female Talents
It is no secret that the field of sculpture has been traditionally been dominated by men. Now, a fascinating new book published by Phaidon presents a more expansive view of the genre, shedding light on the work of more than 300 trailblazing women artists from over 60 countries. Spanning 500 years, from the Renaissance to today, this compendium is arranged alphabetically, with a newly commissioned text for each artist’s page. Art lovers will get the chance to learn more about such historical icons as Barbara Hepworth or Yayoi Kusama as well as discover the practice of new rising stars like Ugandan artist Leilah Babirye, who transforms everyday materials sourced from the streets of New York into beautiful objects that explore themes of identity, sexuality and human rights. —Lucy Rees
Floating padel court in Miami Harbor. Photo: Courtesy of Yntegra Group
6. Floating Padel Court Makes Stylish Debut in Miami Harbor
Yntegra Group has unveiled a transportable floating padel court just off Fisher Island in Miami Harbor. The court, which floats elegantly on the water and blends in with its surroundings, features a striking design made from recycled steel from old shipyard materials and operates engine- and battery-free, highlighting Yntegra’s devotion to innovation and sustainability. The court, which opened this past weekend, will be open until May 2025, when it will then be moved to The Exumas, where the group is developing a Rosewood hotel and an ultra-luxury, full-service superyacht marina set to open in 2028.—A.S.
Cover: Chalet collection by Beni Rugs.
Photo: Billal Taright
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