RIP, Moss Design Emporium
Following a short announcement in the New York Times yesterday, the news of the imminent closure of Moss has been ripping up and down the wires, resounding in a collective end-of-an-era sigh from designers, writers, and the people who fill out wedding registries at groundbreaking design emporiums. Murray Moss's eponymous shop opened in 1994 on Greene Street in Soho, and for 18 years it's led the pack in what constitutes cutting-edge interior design.
Mr. Moss explained in the Times that he and his partner Franklin Getchell had been running “a free museum” and that “the old paradigm wasn’t working." And while the shuttering seems sudden, let's not forget that Moss was in risk of closing in 2010, after a little problem with the tax man. It re-opened and continued business as usual, but that begs the question: in an era of post-post-conspicuous consumption, what is business as usual?
While Moss's spot in the canon of design history is solidified for introducing the likes of Maarten Baas and the Campana brothers to the masses of American and international shoppers in New York City, it was also a sign of the boom times, in which someone might drop $40,000 for a side table without pause. With plans to open a smaller, pop-up space and continue working as a design consultant, Murray Moss is adapting, as a savvy business executive tends to do.
What's detrimental about the closure is an issue of accessibility. Where do we go now to pet the arm of a Jongerius sofa, try on a Corian ring, or ogle a stainless steel kinetic sculpture? It's not just an institution; it's an interactive, in-your-face dreamworld populated by the most outlandish designers in our sphere. And I will not be alone in missing it.
Don't miss a word of Dwell! Download our FREE app from iTunes, friend us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter!
Products
-
Animal Blueprints
As previously mentioned, I came across a couple of gift ideas for my gift guide that weren’t exactly gadgets, or gadget related. This is a company I discovered last year and one that I think…
-
Emu Pattern Seating
Spill on it. Stack it. Leave it out in the rain. This hexagonally embellished seat is made from a single piece of steel designed to effortlessly weather whatever elements your backyard has to offer.
-
Spun Chair
Just looking at this picture of Spun does not do the chair—which is absolutely, positively interactive—justice. Check out this video on designer Thomas Heatherwick's site of a cocktail…
Dwell Collections
-
Scandinavian Designed
Having just returned from a trip to Copenhagen, I have Scandinavian design on the brain. Though the region arguably experienced its golden era in the mid-20th century, with the work of icons like…
-
Geigy's Graphic Design
Design Musem Zurich's current show Good Design, Good Business showcases the great graphic design from 1940-1970 of the Swiss chemical company Geigy.
-
Inspired Design
The memory of designer Tobias Wong lived on at "Brokenoff Brokenoff," an exhibition hosted at Manhattan’s Gallery R’Pure. The show was composed of pieces interpreted by his…
Tip
-
Masculine Design: Three Pitfalls
Just like in female design, going overboard can end up disastrous. If you put so many antlers up on the wall it just becomes overkill instead of an interesting and whimsical addition to a…
Videos
-
Dwell on Design 2011
Join us behind the scenes of Dwell on Design where 21,000 attendees gathered at the Los Angeles Convention center to discover the latest innovations in modern design.
-
Universal Design: Public Restrooms
In the first video of a two-part series, New York–based firm Smart Design examines the intersection between Universal Design principles and the limitations of public bathrooms.
-
Dwell on Design 2010
We present the sights and scene captured from the show floor of this year's Dwell on Design conference, checking in with a few of our exhibitors and partners, at the West Coast's largest design…
Events
-
SOHO/Tribeca Design Walk
ASID NY metro chapter cordially invites you to attend the SOHO/Tribeca Design Walk. New York’s favorite showrooms will be offering exclusive events October 2-3, 2009. Event hours will…
-
Design USA: Contemporary Innovation
This exhibition features outstanding contemporary achievements in American architecture, landscape design, interior design, product design, communication design, corporate design, interaction…
-
Design S: Swedish Design Award
This exhibition will feature 19 shortlisted entries to Sweden’s biggest design award competition, which focuses on design for sustainability issues including climate, the environment, the…
Advertising
Advertising
Advertising
Related Products
-
Animal Blueprints
As previously mentioned, I came across a…
-
Emu Pattern Seating
by Arik LevySpill on it. Stack it. Leave it out in the…
-
Spun Chair
by Thomas HeatherwickJust looking at this picture of Spun does not…
Latest
-
05.23
The Making of Screenplay: Part 8
Jenny Wu, a partner at Oyler Wu Collaborative, documents the…
-
05.23
Veliero Shelving by Cassina
In 1940, architect Franco Albini made a single model of his…
-
05.23
ICFF 2012: Picks from Javits Center
This week we're digging deep into our favorites objets de…
Follow
Dwell
Reloading tweets…
You seem to have a great sense of nostalgia for this place, which I suppose is okay as long as it's temporary. This entry seemed reasonably even keeled, & I was with you until you wrote "accessibility". Who are you kidding??? I do agree that a person could magically pop out a piece of plastic & charge $40K for a side table & deal w/the consequences later, but let us remember this event would of occurred in one of the two premier financial capitals of the world (the other being the City of London), where banking laws are barely discernible to non-existent. The money gets magically created out of thin air, & when the debt can't be serviced, it returns to a black hole-never to be seen again. Those days are truly over with, we simply don't have the luxury of such behavior any more. I think people are becoming more pragmatic & knuckling down a bit. As far as the art is concerned, yes of course, we need beauty in the world, and there is a place for that, in a proper museum.
I agree with Jeremy but for slightly more direct reasons. A subplot of Moss's "theatrical" store was to embrace the inaccessible, right down to the store's tagline, "Please do not touch", which is why most things were behind glass and rail. While I think Kelsey's point was that it was the place to see the rare design items we'd otherwise only see in print, pixels or in a few museums/hotels, Moss is/was anything but interactive on the "pet the arm of a Jongerius" level. So I point this out, like Jeremy, so as not to let a sense of "nostalgia" become too revisionist. The primary level that Moss was inaccessible was indeed the price point. ...a minor squabble, considering this is just a bit o' news delivered with a few flourishes; no harsh criticism of the writing intended. And no, you are not alone in missing it; I suppose I'm just looking for a small forum to commiserate the loss of what Moss was to me, an awesome "free museum" that inspired in me a sense of wonder equally as strong whether wearing my designer hat or merely as another dreamy consumer.
RSS Feed
Add a Comment