The Artful Life: 6 Things Galerie Editors Love This Week

1. Photographer Melanie Dunea Unveils a Limited Edition Food and Fashion Art Book

Melanie Dunea has been praised for her artful approach to cuisine, but now the much-celebrated photographer is adding fashion into the mix. She has just released Amuse-Bouche, a hand-stitched and -bound art book, which resembles the elegantly designed menus at three-starred Michelin restaurants. This extraordinary 64-page volume unfolds like a full-blown fashion shoot, but on closer inspection all the models are donning food. Is that a necklace of octopus, a bikini of nopales, eyeglasses of onions? Indeed, they all are—made ravishing with Dunea’s unique vision assisted by book designer Catherine Casalino and fashion stylist Robert Molnar. Two versions of 250 editions each are available for purchase as well as an exhibition of over-scaled versions printed by Whitewall on view at the DVF Gallery in New York’s Meatpacking District from June 6–8. –Jacqueline Terrebonne

2. Miminat Shodeinde Fashions a Jewel-Box Showroom in London

Miminat Shodeinde is barely 30 years old, but has always been on a hot streak. The British-Nigerian designer, who launched her namesake furniture and interiors studio while studying at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, starred in Phaidon’s tome Woman Made: Great Women Designers, exhibited her “soft-brutalist” furniture at London’s Design Museum, and has completed pristine residences from Kuwait and Portugal to London, where she lives and works. She now adds to her impressive list of achievements with a jewel-box showroom in St. John’s Wood, a stone’s throw from Abbey Road Studios. The two-floor storefront, open by appointment only, situates the designer’s own one-of-a-kind sculptural furniture and lighting alongside artworks, objects, and personal finds that inform her creative process. 

Highlights include the crimson Nrin Vessel, derived from the Yoruba word for “female”; the nostalgic Omi Mirror, echoing one of her earliest table designs; and the statuesque Howard Daybed, a Howard Hughes–inspired creation made from travertine, oiled wood, brushed steel, and plush upholstery. Chrome accents à la Mies van der Rohe often dance across the sculptural silhouettes. Shodeinde drew heavy inspiration from sacred spaces in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait—particularly the sense of calm she recalls experiencing in Mecca’s Al-Masjid al-Haram and the Mamluki Lancet Mosque in Al-Masayel. That often translates to muted palettes evoking a sense of spirituality amplified by the interior’s poetic arch motifs. “I wanted to carve out a space that truly reflects my journey, showcasing pieces from both new and past collections, alongside my own personal curation of art, books, film, and more,” Shodeinde says. She plans to bring others into the fold through residencies and exhibitions; the first will be a takeover featuring Alexandra Yan Wong. —Ryan Waddoups

3. Bolé Road Textiles Crafts a Sumptuous Collection of Pieces for The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Tucked away in the vibrant Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, a hidden gem holding fine fabric treasures crafted by talented Ethiopian artisans can be found. Following the reopening of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Michael C. Rockefeller Wing for the arts of Africa, Bolé Road Textiles has collaborated with the esteemed institution and has unveiled nine pieces counting throws, napkins, runners, placemats, and a scarf all inspired by three African artworks held in the wing, including the Mali’s Fulani people’s khasa and Sierra Leone’s Mende or Val people’s kpoikpoi, and an embroidered woman’s wrapper crafted by Niger’s Wodaabe-Fulani people. For the khasa and kpoikpoi pieces, their intricate designs were reinterpreted as throw blankets where the khasa holds a color palette of grays, beiges, and pops of orange in homage of the original inspiration. The kpoikpoi alternatively catches the eye through vibrant tones of pinks and oranges. For the women’s wrapping, the only embroidered scarf in the collection holds meticulous stitches of reds, oranges, and yellows which perfectly contrast against the darker scarf itself. “This spring, as [Bolé Road Textiles] celebrates our 10-year anniversary, it feels especially meaningful to highlight the enduring skill and artistry of African textile traditions,” founder Hana Getachew says. “The pieces Sabahar’s artisans hand-dyed, hand-loomed, and hand-stitched for this collection are a living testament to that legacy.” Shop the collection in The Met Store or Bolé Road Textiles’s website. —Shelby Black

4. Alfredo Paredes Designs an Atmospheric New Restaurant in Houston, Texas

After years spent crafting interiors for Ralph Lauren, Alfredo Paredes has developed a unique talent for layering furniture and accents to create cinematic spaces that are at once tailored and cool but also warm and welcoming. His masterful orchestration is perhaps best displayed in restaurants like Polo Bar and Sailor in New York and now Latuli in Houston, Texas, where Paredes has teamed up with  restaurateur Allison Knight and chef Bryan Caswell to create an immersive atmosphere that artfully blends Mediterranean architecture and Gulf Coast hospitality. Here, tactile plaster walls surround cozy dining areas outfitted with pieces from Paredes’ collection of furnishings. Patinated brass, stone, and whitewashed oak give the new interior a lived-in vibe while a dark, moody second-floor private dining room beckons, ready to host the most seductive dinner party in town.—Jill Sieracki

5. An Understated Refresh of the Leslie-Lohman Museum’s Entryway

As the world’s only dedicated LGBTQIA+ art institution, the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art continually embodies the openness and inclusion of the communities it has uplifted since founders Charles Leslie and Fritz Lohman first held an exhibit of gay artists in their SoHo, New York, loft in 1969. The stalwart museum needed a new entryway and front desk to reflects its identity and thoughtfully introduce the powerful work showcased inside, so museum director Alyssa Nitchun tapped the Brownstone Boys—the interiors duo of work-and-life partners Jordan Slocum and Barry Bordelon—to thoughtfully refresh the compact space with dashes of the signature warmth that landed the designers a feature on HGTV. So they worked around architectural quirks (structural columns, exposed pipes) and drenched the walls and ceiling in Farrow & Ball’s soft blue-green Kakelugn, drawing inspiration from traditional Swedish tiled stoves. The understated Inchyra Blue, a moody hue inspired by dramatic Scottish skies, covers cabinetry and trim painting. Custom millwork by Nick Schessel and finished in Treefrog’s veneer introduces natural texture; Humanscale furniture lends ergonomic comfort; and built-in shelving by Shelfology creates room for curated displays of queer authors and thought-provoking literature, all illuminated by lighting from Galerie Creative Mind studio In Common With. —R.W.

6. Caroline Bachmann’s Luminous Seascapes Elevate Le Sirenuse Hotel in Positano

Positano’s legendary Le Sirenuse hotel is celebrating a decade of its visionary “Artists at Le Sirenuse” program with an exquisite new commission this summer. Following last season’s artful splash with Nicolas Party’s vibrant mosaic pool commission, the hotel’s recently reimagined Don’t Worry Bar now plays host to a captivating series of 20 new seascape paintings by the acclaimed Swiss artist Caroline Bachmann. Known for her profound and contemplative observations of Lake Geneva’s liminal moments, Bachmann has now set her sights firmly on the dramatic Amalfi Coast. The new works exquisitely capture Le Sirenuse’s iconic vista of the Li Galli islands, charting the subtle shifts of light and atmosphere across a 24-hour period. This creative vision resonated powerfully with co-owner Antonio Sersale, who discovered Bachmann’s work at a gallery and was immediately impressed with her dedication to capturing the essence of water and light. Curated by Silka Rittson-Thomas, this site-specific series is the latest jewel in Le Sirenuse’s ongoing contemporary art series, which invites leading artists to Positano and encourages them to develop works that engage in a compelling dialogue with the hotel’s layered design and rich heritage. —Lucy Rees