The Artful Life: 7 Things Galerie Editors Love This Week

1. English Country Estate Brings Back Whimsical Al Fresco Dining Experience

Located amongst 470 acres of bucolic English countryside, Beaverbrook in Surrey is an art-lover’s playground with incredible installations by Brian Clarke, Jean Cocteau, Gerhard Richter, Lord Snowden, and more decorating the spectacular rooms where Winston Churchill once roamed. But despite its pomp and pedigree, the dreamy retreat time and again demonstrates they know how to host a good party, including a spectacular holiday light show that illuminates the estate’s facade. In summer, Beaverbrook hosts a delightful outdoor dining experience, this year crafted in collaboration with celebrated British tableware brand Summerill & Bishop. For the fifth annual balloon dining event, Fanning The Flame, guests can reserve one of six hot air balloons secured amongst the flower gardens to enjoy an open-flame Japanese Yakiniku Barbecue crafted by Beaverbrook’s Executive Development Chef, Wojciech Popow. Meals start with an amuse bouche of crispy seaweed followed by sushi and sashimi. Other courses include beer-fed A5 Miyazaki Wagyu beef, Royal Windsor venison, and Scottish Loch Duart salmon, culminating with a dessert of wild strawberry ice cream, pistachio, and cotton candy aptly named The Clouds. From June 17 though 21, the balloons will pop up alongside the Ascot Racecourse for brunch, lunch, and afternoon tea during the revered Royal Ascot horse race, marking the first time ever these playful tables have ever taken flight.—Jill Sieracki

2. Svenskt Tenn Celebrates Alekos Fassianos with Vivid New Homewares

Alekos Fassianos was widely beloved in Greece for his vivid portraits of Hellenic saints and windswept sailors set against flat expanses of color, but global recognition eluded him. Since his death, in 2022, the rest of the world seems to be catching up. Not only did the Milan gallery Tommaso Calabro present a solo exhibition of paintings and paper works by the de facto “Picasso of Greece,” but his childhood home and atelier on the island of Kea was transformed into a two-floor museum. Thanks to a new partnership with Svenskt Tenn, some of Fassianos’s most recognizable works can now grace your home decor. Conceived with the artist’s family, the collection spans vibrant patterned cushions, trays, and table linens depicting motifs of birds (Fassianos viewed them as symbols of escape) and the signature portraits that conjure images of his homeland. To celebrate the launch, the Stockholm design emporium is staging an exhibition, “Beneath the Same Sky,” that pairs the Fassianos collection with works by founder Estrid Ericson’s longtime collaborator Josef Frank, who devised the iconic Anakreon pattern of figures against cloud-shaped fields of color after learning about a 3,500-year-old fresco from the palace of Knossos on Crete. The show will be on view—and shoppable—until August 27. —Ryan Waddoups

3. Rubelli Introduces 12 Tapestries for Bulgari’s “Polychroma” Collection

Serving as the temporary home for Bulgari’s display of the fashion maison’s latest High Jewelry collection, San Domenico Palace hotel in Taormina debuted a new look courtesy of a major collaboration between two creative giants. To celebrate the Bulgari collection, Venetian-based company Rubelli created textile reproductions of works by Taormina’s Alessandro Florio, and American visual artist and designer Zach Liberman. “In the works of both artists, color dominates and enchants, directly referencing Bulgari’s creations displayed in the showcases of the temporary exhibition,” Rubelli said in a statement. “After all, the collection’s name itself, ‘Polychroma,’ evokes the variety and richness of color, which, with its multiple nuances, becomes an expression of a universal language in gemstones.”—Alexandria Sillo

4. Wine Bar Lei Spotlights Emerging Makers Across the Globe

Nestled in New York City’s famous Chinatown, an intimate new watering hole brings East meets West fusion to new heights. Founded by restaurateur Annie Shi of the city’s trendy destinations King and Jupiter, newly-opened wine bar Lei boasts an extensive wine list alongside small plates, spearheaded by Patty Lee of Mission Chinese Food, influenced by Shi’s memories, travels, and Chinese heritage. Guests can opt to share a bottle or choose from the wine-by-glass offerings, which feature creations by up-and-coming wine makers spanning from Spain, Greece, China, and further. The menu, carefully crafted to complement any wine of choice, features snacks such as sesame shao bing flatbread and fried “Dali” goat’s cheese with toasted five spice as well as heartier fare such as steamed cockles with loofah gourd and sweet and sour beef short rib. While sipping and snacking, guests can take in the intimate 24-seat surroundings, designed by Rachel Vineberg Jones of Vine Projects, where cherry-stained mahogany wood panels envelop the entire space to complement thoughtful details such as dark green tiling, works by Jia Sung and Lillian Hsien Hua Li, as well as a custom wallpaper by Dominique Fung found in the bathroom. Book your table here. — Shelby Black

5. Urban Jürgensen Enters New Chapter with Three Innovative Models

As watchmaking continues to up the ante with more limited editions and more complex innovations, the legendary brand Urban Jürgensen re-emerges on the scene with its 2025 collection of three innovative models. Founded in 1773, the brand is entering a new chapter with master watchmaker Kari Voutilainen and brand strategist Alex Rosenfield. Looking to celebrate all the characteristics that have made these timepieces admired by the Danish royal court and navy, the introductions perfectly meld meticulous precision with refined beauty. The UJ-1, which will be limited to 75 pieces, is a reimagining of the iconic Urban Jürgensen Derek Pratt Oval Pocket Watch, while the UJ-2, which requires 565 hours to complete, features a double wheel natural escapement, and the UJ-3 integrates the Strehler precise moon phase indication, exemplifying the Maison’s commitment to technical purity and timeless elegance. “Since the 18^th century when Urban himself helmed the company, Urban Jürgensen has stood for the pursuit of horological excellence in its engineering and aesthetic fields,” says Voutilainen. “To return now, and to shape its next era with the same care that defined its past, is both a joy and a duty. We are creating watches that honor time and that through handmaking and finishing have a soul.”—Jacqueline Terrebonne

6. Kevin Walz, Ilkka Suppanen, and Frank Stewart Go On View at Ralph Pucci

This summer, visitors to Ralph Pucci’s expansive New York City gallery will discover a wealth of works by three artists engaging with form, material, and emotion in uniquely poetic ways. American artist Kevin Walz is debuting a collection of low-slung velvet seating—a sofa, loveseat, settee, daybed, and lounge chair—whose backs and seats melt into each other, their cushions wrapping to maintain a consistent nine-inch thickness. They join colorful resin tables marked by curving, voluminous shapes perched atop a stainless steel base, forging the appearance of floating off the ground. Making deft use of the gallery’s proprietary plasterglass material, Finnish designer Ilkka Suppanen fashioned a series of tables, pendants, and chairs with exaggerated forms nodding to architectural masters Antoni Gaudí and Frank Lloyd Wright. Each is backdropped by evocative photographs of iconic jazz musicians masterfully captured by Frank Stewart, the lead photographer for the Wynton Marsalis Septet and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for more than three decades. —R.W.

7. Sarah Jessica Parker Presents Elegant Wallpaper for Wallshoppe

And just like that, Sarah Jessica Parker has unveiled the Mysa collection for Wallshoppe, warm, colorful selections inspired by the idyllic charm of Sweden. Created in collaboration with Wallshoppe co-creative director and the award-winning actress’s interior designer and decorator, Eric Hughes, the Mysa collection features soft botanicals and delicate patterns meant to reflect the beauty in simplicity. The collection, which is now available for purchase, has even had a guest spot on HBO’s And Just Like That, which recently kicked off its third season.—A.S.