In Manhattan, interior design galleries are clustered in the Midtown, SoHo and Flatiron areas, but the Delbert-Arthur Gallery that recently arrived in the Meatpacking neighborhood is a design haven in a sea of chic fashion shops and trendy restaurants.
“Out of all of the retail locations I looked at, this was the space I thought was most conducive to doing interior design vignettes,” said Delbert Bruns, founder and owner of the Delbert-Arthur Gallery, which opened earlier this summer. “When I first came here and saw it was opposite the Whitney, it was like, this is a win-win. A lot of clients in the trade — architects and interior designers — come to the Whitney, I would say more than any other museum. There has been a lot of walk-in traffic from the trade as well as tourists and private clients.”
The 4,000-square-foot space, showcasing furniture, lighting and decorative pieces, is situated at 82 Gansevoort Street. Aside from its location, the gallery is further distinguished by what it primarily showcases — timeless design crafted from innovative materials. “Those are the two attributes that really distinguish me, just because other galleries are showing statement pieces, louder creations, one-offs,” Bruns said. “What we have here is more subtle, I would say, elegant and timeless.”
The Pavage de Couleurs cabinet by Katia Luna Benai.
But upon first entering the gallery, one is immediately drawn to the exquisite, pyramid-shaped Pavage de Couleurs cabinet by Katia Luna Benai, with its mother-of-pearl front and walnut frame, shown with two matching side tables. It’s part of her debut furniture collection, Helix Bespoke Studio, introduced at the Salone del Mobile in Milan in April. She’s known for her limited-edition luxury wearable objets d’art, including exotic handbags, reflecting the culture of the ancient Amazigh people of northern Africa, though she has evolved into creating architecturally inspired furniture as well. Each piece, Benai said, “has a story, not only in its form and function, but in the cultural and personal influences that shape it. I want people to feel the history, the craft and the vision.”
“The Pavage de Couleur was the one piece I really liked, just because it’s new to me in terms of design and what you see in galleries,” Bruns said. “Katia presents a distinctive look. Her colors are much more bold than other artists I work with.” She also provides “a good link to flirt” with both new clients usually drawn to pieces other than what Delbert-Arthur typically displays, and established clients. Generally, the gallery opts to display, as Bruns said, “standout pieces that at the same time blend into the room setting.”
Garnier & Linker lighting and furniture has a significant presence. There’s a limited-edition console by the Paris-based Guillaume Garnier and Florent Linker, who designed the piece early in their career together, in collaboration with a sheet metal worker who also does automobile repairs. “They wanted to see how they could take one large sheet of metal and wrap it in a design and patinate it,” Bruns said.
Also displayed in the gallery are cast bronze lamps from the Surculus Collection by Barbara Palatin-Doyle, in shapes inspired by undulating tree trunks and branches, and with shades crafted from Japanese hosho paper. Each piece is handmade, and carefully polished and patinated. Therefore, each lamp is unique. “Out of all collections in the gallery thus far, these lamps do extremely well,” Bruns said.
Among other pieces displayed, the oak Marhaba armchair by Maxime Old for Anne Jacquemin Sablon, with its double layer rattan sides, and ceramics by Korea’s Hyejeong Kim utilizing subtle tones of glazes and weathered features. Furniture can be customized, with different woods, colors or dimensions.
Bruns signed a temporary lease lasting just six months, but he said he is negotiating to stay long term. Previously, he had a gallery at 200 Lexington Avenue.
Describing his approach to curation, Bruns said: “I’m looking for pieces that will be extremely appreciated and lived in, pieces with exquisite materials and timeless design — something very functional, but also a work of art. Most of the designers at the gallery are French and trained in France. But there are more and more materials out of Asia being used. The overall ethos of the gallery will continue to be Franco-Asian.”
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