The Artful Life: 8 Things Galerie Editors Love This Week

1. COMO Shambhala Estate Unveils Renovated Suites and New Wellness Programming

Travelers routinely seek out immersive experiences in breathtaking destinations and programs focused on wellness offer one of the most compelling reasons to brave new locales. In Bali, COMO Shambhala Estate has been luring adventurers looking for rejuvenation in an Edenic setting for two decades. To commemorate the milestone, the flagship resort has renovated two of its signature suites—Wanakasa and Bayugita—and reopened it’s Ojas wellness center with new fitness facilities, including a  Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy chamber, Hydrotherapy pool with Watsu service, and Ayurveda treatments. Led by Singapore-based design studio Atelier Ikebuchi, the redesign of the Bayugita residence, which overlooks the jungle canopy, celebrates Balinese and Javanese motifs with healing spaces like a private meditation and water garden, while the revamped Wanakasa Residence features myriad connecting accommodations enhanced with natural materials like speckled tiger bamboo and 150-year-old teak as well as access to a fantasy semicircular infinity pool. “The Estate’s location resonates differently to any other place I know,” says COMO Group founder, Christina Ong. “It has a healing heritage that’s been here for thousands of years, revolving around the sacred spring and the energy of the flowing river. All I needed to do was honor that knowledge, working with designers and architects—including Cheong Yew Kwan, who still lives on site—who know and respect the energy lines already in place.”—Jill Sieracki

2. L’Abeille Hosts Collaborative Dinner Series with Chef Michel Roux

Chef Michel Roux, who helmed London’s Le Gavroche until its closing in 2024, once famously said, “A recipe has no soul…you, as the cook, must bring the soul to the recipe.” If that is the case, Roux will be bringing his soul to New York’s L’Abeille this week for a three-night collaboration with the acclaimed restaurant’s owner and executive chef Mitsunobu Nagae. Part of the Tribeca culinary mecca’s Chef in Residence program, the eight-course tasting menu, running from September 16 through 18, brings together French refinement with Japanese precision. Dishes include menu showcases such as Sardine Japonaise with tomato virgin sauce and fennel pollen, Pavé of Turbot braised in red wine with smoked bacon and leeks, and a Roast Pigeon Supreme with foie gras and spiced pear.—Jacqueline Terrebonne

3. Ellison Studios Unveils a Sleek Designer Suite in Sydney

Since bursting onto social media feeds in 2017, Ellison Studios has captivated design enthusiasts largely owing to its covetable sofas that capture that elusive alchemy of high design, livability, and reverence for previous design eras without slipping too deep into nostalgia. Now, the Australian label has pulled back the curtain on an effortlessly sleek hybrid showroom, headquarters, and designer suite to match, offering clients ample distraction-free space to experience the materially rich furniture on display—and its more whimsical side. “As a socially native design brand stepping into the physical world, we wanted our personality to walk through the door with you,” says Leigh McKeown, the founder and CEO. The eight-year-old studio’s home base abounds with character: a 13-foot-tall palm tree anchors reception, cocooned within a leather-and-steel banquette; an oak-and-travertine ping-pong table invites playful reprieve. It also serves as a platform for the Australian design community, from luminaires by Volker Haug and hardware by Flack Studio to custom detailing by Studio Henry Wilson and a dazzling glass-and-brick staircase realized in collaboration with Brickworks. —Ryan Waddoups

4. Simon Pearce Introduces The Greenwich Lowball

Simon Pearce, the iconic Vermont handmade glassware company, has introduced The Greenwich Lowball, designed in collaboration with Via Carota Craft Cocktails. Founded by James Beard award-winning chefs Jody Williams and Rita Sodi, the Via Carota Craft Cocktails bottles feature a signature chevron pattern, which is reflected on the new Simon Pearce hand-blown vessels. In celebration of the launch, the brands are releasing an exclusive set that includes two of the glasses, a gold cocktail stirrer, and two bottles of Via Carota Craft Cocktails. James Murray, Senior Vice President of Design + Product Development at Simon Pearce, adds that the collaboration is a celebration of a shared ethos between the two brands. “We look for collaborators who value quality and character of the handmade—those who understand that good design is as much about how something makes you feel as how it functions. Via Carota Craft Cocktails shares that philosophy. Their care, their balance, their commitment to the experience—it all aligns.”—Alexandria Sillo

5. Peter Harrington Rare Books Opens First International Outpost in New York

In an new exciting chapter for the world of rare books, London’s renowned Peter Harrington is opening its first international gallery on New York’s Upper East Side this week, proving that the art of book collecting is alive and well. Located at 35 East 67th Street, the new space marks a pivotal moment for the historic booksellers, which has been a leader in the field for over 50 years. Occupying a full floor of a Beaux-Arts townhouse, it seamlessly marries the rich London heritage with the dynamic collecting culture of New York. The inaugural exhibition, “New York–A New Chapter,” features a curated collection of fifty landmark works including a textually complete copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio (1623), a pristine 1664 Third Folio, and an exceptionally rare first edition of The Count of Monte Cristo (1845). Other treasures include Alan Turing’s signed PhD dissertation and Galileo’s foundational astronomy text, Sidereus nuncius. The gallery not only brings an unparalleled inventory of rare books and manuscripts to the city but also the firm’s signature expert guidance and guarantee of authenticity on every item. 

“I collect books myself, and I believe acquiring rare books should be fun and personal,” says Pom Harrington, who was featured in Galerie in 2024. “My advice to any aspiring collector would be to buy books you love, and buy the best copies you can afford. Chances are, when the time comes to move them on, someone else will love them too.” —Lucy Rees

6. Inside Ba53ment, a Jewel-Tone Speakeasy Hidden Below Midtown Hotspot 53

When Altamarea Group’s 53 first opened inside Jean Nouvel’s jagged 53 West 53 tower in 2022, the restaurant’s cinematic interiors by Icrave and pan-Asian menu helmed by Singaporean chef Akmal Anuar turned heads and immediately established it as a buzzy Midtown destination. Now that same theatricality extends underground with Ba53ment, a hidden speakeasy unveiled behind a red door that whisks guests away beneath the restaurant. The lounge glows in washes of purple, its decadent mirrored dome reflecting wraparound banquettes, watercolor-inspired carpets by Fort Street Studio, and traditional Chinese Xiangyun auspicious cloud motifs that ripple across every surface. Head bartender Aaron Kim orchestrates meticulously crafted cocktails as vivid as the setting, from the jewel-toned Lucid Dream to the dramatic Island Revival, a clarified Coke and rum punch presented with flourish. Executive chef Mark Yu complements the drinks with painterly plates: a foie gras–laden Wagyu burger, corn dusted in nori fukikake, and a caviar service with crisp spring rolls. —R.W.

7. B&B Italia Marks 20th Anniversary of Patricia Urquiola’s Iconic Tufty-Time Sofa

There are a multitude of furniture pieces that have become so ubiquitous that in certain circles its more surprising not to see one than to have it anchoring an inspired interior. Amongst those design-world icons is the Tufty-Time, a modular seating collection designed by Patricia Urquiola for B&B Italia in 2005. Now, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the distinct system, comprised of 14 various modules by the Galerie Creative Mind, B&B Italia introduced a new fabric iteration, a wool chenille with the look and feel of a sumptuous bouclé. Joining the array of Tufty-Time designs, the Tufty-Time 20 offers reimagined volumes, seat height, and padding for greater comfort and a chic curved shape. Additionally, the brand debuted three new coffee tables in either oak or oak with brill anodized aluminum styles that are crafted to seamlessly meld with the Tufty-Time 20’s versatile configurations.—J.S.

8. Illy Launches New Collection Designed by Robert Wilson

A namesake in crafting the perfect Italian espresso, and artistic accessories to match, illy has just unveiled its latest collection during historic international sailing regatta Barcolana 2025. Adorning the brand’s collection of espresso and coffee cups, late talent Robert Wilson incorporated different hues of blue boasting geometric and theatrical designs inspired by land, sea, sailing, and the city Trieste itself in order to speak to the intertwined relationship between art and surrounding nature. This collection marks the second occasion Wilson has collaborated with the Italian brand, the last being in 2017 for the 25th anniversary of the illy Art Collection. “Supporting Barcolana again this year, in its 57th edition, carries an even deeper meaning for us,” illycafe CEO Cristina Scocchia says. “Celebrating it through the poster and a special illy Art Collection designed by Robert Wilson means paying tribute to his extraordinary talent and continuing to give voice to his vision, even after his passing. With this final creation, Wilson leaves us a message of light and belonging that resonates with the soul of Trieste and with its unbreakable bond with the sea,” — Shelby Black