Top Designers Share Their Standout Picks from Salon Art+Design

As Salon Art+Design returns to New York’s historic Park Avenue Armory from November 4 to 8, the cavernous drill hall once again transforms into a destination for the very best in collectible design, fine art, and cutting-edge jewelry. As usual, the fair’s major pull lies in the eclectic dialogue between vintage, modern, and contemporary collectible design objects and blue-chip 20th-century and contemporary fine art masterpieces, as well as a trove of trailblazing independent high jewelers.

It is always fascinating to discover what exactly draws the discerning eye of a designer or collector to a particular artwork or design object. To navigate this year’s edition, Galerie turned to a select group of esteemed fair Advisory Council members, including John and Christine Gachot, Kim Hierston, Suchi Reddy, Rafael de Cárdenas, Julie Hillman, Courtney McLeod, Kelly Behun, Nicole Hollis, Will Cooper, Christopher Wolf, and John Ike, tapping into their specialized expertise to spotlight their most fascinating finds on display.

Below, find what is on their personal wish lists and how they would envision displaying their picks at home—from Jean Dunand’s exceptional La Forêt lacquered screen from 1929 at Chastel-Maréchal to a pair of Michel Dufet daybeds from 1918 presented by Crosta Smith Gallery.

1. Bela Silva, Jours de folie, (2024) | Maison Gerard

“I would love to see this extraordinary piece by Bela Silva incorporated into a hospitality project, somewhere it could be experienced and enjoyed by many. There is something so joyful about Bela Silva’s work: the playful forms, vibrant colors, and wonderful sense of whimsy. I imagine it in a hotel lobby or another lively gathering space, where it could spark conversation, invite curiosity, and bring a smile to someone’s face. Art this expressive deserves an audience, and I love the idea of it becoming part of people’s everyday experiences.”— Christine Gachot

2. Jean Dunand La Forêt, (1929) | Galerie Chastel-Maréchal

“My take-home pick from this year’s fair would be Jean Dunand’s La Forêt screen from 1929 from Chastel-Maréchal. I love Dunand for his incorporation of Eastern lacquer methods with European Art Deco geometric and naturalistic forms. Who hasn’t lusted after the Pianissimo screen that Dunand collaborated on in the Metropolitan Museum of Art? This example also has an incredible provenance, once owned by the last descendant of Napoleon I. Screens in general are, to me, like a marriage between a canvas and a design object, and so many artists over the years have created screens utilizing their primary media, including contemporary artists such as Hiroshi Sugimoto and Calvin Marcus. I would envision this screen in a stone bathroom with a fireplace, next to a worn marble bathtub, creating a forest scene that one could get lost in while soaking on a cold night. It could also serve as a division behind which to change into a robe post-bath before retreating to bed.”—Christopher Wolf

“I would place this piece in the corner of a room, almost as a discovery. That is exactly how a piece like this should be found, not announced. I’ve been drawn to screens lately, often imagining them behind a bed, but something this refined needs to have its own moment; I wouldn’t want a single detail lost. Dunand’s lacquer work is painting as much as it is furniture: the depth he builds into the surface, the delicacy of the birds and branches emerging from it, is the kind of thing you keep noticing differently each time you pass it.”—Julie Hillman

“I think a folding screen is one of the most underrated objects in design and decoration. It is mobile, useful, and decorative all at once. This example of Dunand’s work is particularly compelling because it’s different from what I usually associate with his name. I think more of bold geometry and strong graphic compositions, so discovering this highly detailed woodland feels like seeing another side of him. It reminds me of the Japanese tradition of painted landscape and bird-and-flower screens, with its roots in China. I’d use it right off the elevator of a cool New York full-floor loft to create an arrival sequence without having to build walls or enclose the space. I love objects that allow us to rethink the architecture of a room, moving around as our needs or moods shift.”—Will Cooper

3. Sasha Sykes Studio Ekballium, (2024) | Liz O’Brien Gallery

“I would choose this Ekballium (2024) screen by Sasha Sykes Studio, represented by Liz O’Brien Gallery. This piece perfectly encapsulates my favorite decorative art elements – whimsy, artistry, and craftsmanship. I would love to see this piece in a glass-walled penthouse apartment bedroom, allowing light behind the transparent screen, with a beautiful vanity perfectly nestled in the center.”—Courtney McLeod

4. Jean Royère Illuminated Desk | Donzella

“I believe a room should feel sophisticated and considered, but it should also make you smile. What draws me to this desk by Jean Royère is its balance of elegance and playfulness: the rich wood and woven cane feel unmistakably Royère. It is endlessly versatile. I would use it as a desk or a vanity in a primary bedroom, or as part of an ensemble in a library, living room, or office.”—Damon Liss

5. J McDonald Serrulata Mirror (2026) | Twenty First Gallery

“There are so many great things to choose from, and I was particularly drawn to the wide variety of ceramics, including Paul Briggs work from Liz O’Brien’s collection, but if I had to choose one piece, it would be J McDonald’s Serrulata Mirror from Twenty First Gallery. The biomorphic quality and beautiful pink enameled bronze feet make for an irresistible piece!”—John Ike

6. Andree Putman Correspondances Desk (2008) | Andrée Putman Studio

“I would take home Andree Putman’s Correspondances Desk, originally designed in 2008 in a collaboration she did with Bisazza Tiles. I love the intersection of the two L-shaped forms creating different heights at the top. The glossy black piano-finish lacquer is so chic, and to line the underside in black and white glass tiles in her trademark checkerboard pattern—and to make just one of them gold—is so bold and so her. An added bonus is that it reminds me of the iconic bathrooms she did at the original Morgans Hotel in Manhattan, one of the coolest hotels there ever was.”—Kelly Behun

7. Fernando Mastrangelo Tondo and Lamps | Cristina Grajales

“I always love Cristina Grajales’s booths at the fair. Over the years, she has introduced me to a universe of interesting artists. Cristina always has her finger on the pulse. I am drawn to this tondo by artist Fernando Mastrangelo, a sculptor working at the intersection of material, geography, and memory. Born in the United States to parents of Uruguayan descent, the artist spent time in Monterrey, Mexico, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. The landscapes he encountered during a childhood spent moving from place to place would later shape his art. I would love this over my minimalist mantelpiece at my home in Water Mill, which would bring a bit of mountain-scape to the sea.”—Kim Hierston

“I am a huge fan of Cristina Grajalas and her gallery. She is such a wealth of knowledge of collectible design. She recently began showing works by Fernando Mastrangelo. I am particularly interested in seeing this lighting.” —Nicole Hollis

“I think Fernando Mastrangelo’s columns are an arresting body of work and a great evolution of his practice. I’m drawn to this work particularly because of the way it bridges sculpture and function; it is at once architecture and object. This work offers multiple possibilities of display. As a grouping, for me, a semicircle seems an inevitable formation that would anchor a room beautifully. Singularly used, they are incredibly flexible and beautiful works to animate any corner.”—Suchi Reddy 

8. Michel Dufet Daybeds (1918) | Crosta Smith Gallery

“These two Michel Dufet daybeds from 1918, presented by Crosta Smith Gallery, are exquisite variations on a neoclassical form. Not quite identical, they share ivory upholstery, gilded frames, emphatic Greek keys, and curious Biedermeier-inspired detailing at their feet. I could imagine an entire interior conceived around their particular mannerisms. They feel remarkably 1980s-coded, recalling a moment when the decorative arts took center stage, and furniture could define the character of an entire room. Alexis Carrington’s penthouse comes to mind.”—Rafael de Cárdenas