Everything Dwell’s Style Editor Saw in an Afternoon of NYCxDesign

As Dwell’s style editor, every week feels a bit like Design week. But my typical busy schedule reaches new heights during NYCxDesign, taking place from May 16-23 this year. Last Friday, I had a whirlwind day, with nine back-to-back appointments—so I brought along photographer Levi Mandel to document the day. We trotted around TriBeCa to check out Quarters, Colony, Egg Collective, and Tiwa Gallery, walked north to see what was happening at Orior, Hem and 3.1 Phillip Lim, and then taxi’d up to the Madison Square Park area to take a spin through Suite New York and Design Holding. 

Quarters

I’ve long been obsessed with In Common With, a modern-but-warm lighting brand out of Gowanus, since its launch in 2018. And now, the founding duo, Nick Ozemba and Felicia Hung, are designing more than just lighting: Meet Quarters, their new TriBeCa concept store, housed in a 19th-century 8,000 square foot loft. No appointment necessary, local design enthusiasts can stop by, take some pictures (every single inch is photogenic), test the furniture, shop the curated home accessories and pantry goods, and once the wine bar opens, enjoy a beverage. 

What I love most about the interior is that it doesn't shy away from color—something I can’t say about too many showrooms these days. While there are still shades of beige, punchy magenta, burgundy, mustard, and chartreuse dominate. I’d have never thought to pair the hues seen in the bedroom together, but the palette just works (even down to the raspberry-colored slippers tucked under the bed).

Pretty much everything in the store was designed in-house, accompanied by some seriously chic vintage finds like this boxy chartreuse velvet sofa.

Colony 

After 10 years in a charming loft on Canal, Colony just made the move to a retail-level storefront on West Broadway. Just like its previous home, this space has exposed ceilings and beams; the perfect clean but raw backdrop for gallery owner Jean Lin’s layered, impeccably crafted, and a little bit funky furniture curation. 

The floor was filled with mostly independent American designers. Lin walked us through some of her favorites, starting with a textured walnut wall cabinet by Grain. Its most unique feature isn’t immediately visible, but once you interact with it, you notice that the joint is connected through a ball bearing rather than a typical hinge, just like the credenza. 

Egg Collective 

I try not to play favorites, but Egg Collective truly blew me away this year. The deeply considered show honored Irish architect Eileen Gray, centered around her "House for Two Sculptors," a project that never made it past the blueprint. Not only did Egg Collective create a full digital rendering of the house, but there was even a 3-D model in the showroom. 

The showroom was filled with pieces designed for the space Gray envisioned. The furniture, designed in-house, was centered around sculptures by friends Taylor Kibby and Molly Haynes. 

The ceramic chain mounds by Taylor Kirby were reminiscent of knitwear, scrunched up on steel mesh structures. 

Tiwa Gallery

Lindsey Adelman exhibited at Tiwa Gallery this design week. Hand-blown oil lamps set an old world, moody medieval tone. No electricity meant no hardwiring or cords were needed; the simplicity in both form and function was an exciting shift from Adelman’s typically intricate style.

The oil lamps were set in front of sewn patchwork panels by Brooklyn designer Sarah Nsikak. I loved that the fabric was sheer enough that you could see the flames from the opposite side.

Orior 

Taking a lap through Orior is a must during design week; the New York and Ireland-based furniture brand is always showing something new and fabulous. This year, the lineup included a cartoon-like chocolate brown chair, a hefty tall stone planter, a desk with "anthropomorphic solid wood legs" straight out of a Dalí painting, and the chunkiest coffee table I ever did see. 

Hem 

The Hem showroom was all about Hem X, the Stockholm brand’s platform for limited-edition designs. This is where they’ll commission emerging designers to imagine something a little more offbeat than the brand’s main collection. 

Hem worked with New York gallery Superhouse to give ceramic artist Ellen Pong the stage this year, presenting a "mirror-meets-memo board." The buttons are magnetic, so you can add paper reminders to the panel and check yourself out. 

3.1 Phillip Lim 

The 3.1 Phillip Lim store in NoHo is selling more than just clothing at the moment. We stopped by to check out Crafting Selfhood, an impressive group show curated by Karen Wong and Lora Appleton, celebrating AAPI Heritage Month. Between clothes racks are compelling sculptures by thirteen artists, each connecting back to their heritage. 

Seoul-born, Queens-raised artist Janny Baek’s playful ceramic sculptures of wacky, extra-terrestrial-like characters. 

The hand-built ceramic dimmers on Eny Lee Parker’s lamp were everything to me; each connects to a different bulb. 

Suite New York

After thoroughly exploring lower Manhattan, we taxi’d uptown to check out Suite New York. The showroom took over the sprawling unfinished 20th floor of its building, hosting Italian duo Giopato & Coombes. Getting out of the elevator and seeing the dramatic suspended fixtures set in front of the New York City skyline was unbeatable. 

Foggy Venice mornings inspired the pair’s new light fixture, Bruma, made from hanging sheets of textured, bubbled glass. They were specifically drawn to the fleeting moment when fog makes contact with the water, and the strange reflections created. Rather than depicting nature in a literal sense, they set out to evoke the feeling and essence of that golden time. 

Design Holdings 

While we were in the area, we walked over to the new Design Holdings building to finish off the day. We perused the newest offerings from Flos and Louis Poulsen, from outdoor models in a lush garden to upcoming reissues of my favorite classics. 

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