Combing Les Puces in Paris, interior designer Lauren Piscione came across a weathered wood étagère (likely originally a water trough) that she needed to show her clients, the couple Allie Fitzpatrick, a chef, and tech-whiz Andy McCune. Instead of texting a photograph, Piscione met Fitzpatrick and McCune for drinks later that evening, thinking she’d just be persuading them into collecting this unique, slightly askew, heavily patinated piece. 'Instead, we were like “maybe we should buy more things? Maybe we should start a gallery?"’ says Piscione. 'That was on the weekend. By Monday, we were exchanging decks and opening an LLC.'
Galerie Was: ‘a place of discovery, exploration and always ever-changing’
What percolated in Paris became reality on New York’s Lower East Side, where the three have combined forces into an aesthetic adventure called Galerie Was. Doors opened this past week (coinciding with New York Design Week 2023), revealing a muted, meditative tableau of French and Danish 'old things' (per Fitzpatrick). Patina is found here in high supply. The gallery space, which came with wood-beamed ceilings and vaulted skylights, is set up in vignettes with dreamy, earth-tone pairings of period antique finds, including the original Parisian cornerstone, and distinct pieces by Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand, Le Corbusier, and Jacques Adnet.
But it’s not just matured modern masters on offer. 'We want this to be a place of discovery, exploration and ever-changing,' explains Fitzpatrick, who is already plotting their next sourcing trips to Sweden and Japan. Initially, the business plan was only to source vintage furniture globally by shipping crates to New York from across the world, but 'the minute that we went from a showroom to a gallery was the second we started representing artists', says Fitzpatrick.
On their current roster of contemporary makers are ceramicists Yoona Hur and Mugly, painter Marianne Kolb, craftsman stereos A for Ara, homeware designers Koen Van Guijze and Oda and King – all seamlessly woven into the gallery’s spaces. 'At the moment, none of them are exclusively represented by us,' explains Piscione, 'and eventually we hope to start creating custom collections and exhibits, and create pieces that are site-specific for our gallery.' These makers weren't chosen at random, nor were they 'cold called', says McCune. In fact, quite the opposite.
The ethos of Galerie Was is rooted in relationships: Fitzpatrick and McCune, who have homes in Tribeca and Bridgehampton (with interiors overseen by Piscione), collaborated closely with these creatives on their personal properties. 'Just to double click on that,' starts McCune, who founded the Squarespace-acquired imaging app Unfold and now is building Cosmos, a creatives-forward Pinterest alternative, 'the fact that we've worked with a lot of these artists before on our own projects is one of the coolest points. They're coming in full trust with us,' he adds.
But it’s not just simpatico synergy that bonds Galerie Was together. 'We definitely are linked under this desire to create a beautiful human experience,' says Piscione.
301 Broome Street
New York, NY 10002
-
Jaguar’s big rethink earns its Type 00 concept car a Wallpaper* Design Award 2025We salute the forward-thinking and bold choices of the dramatic Jaguar Type 00 Concept, a preview of next year's all-new electric GT
-
Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025: JB Blunk rings are sculptures for the handThe JB Blunk Estate has partnered with J Hannah on the reproduction of four special rings
-
CES 2025: we select the best new tech for home and workplaceTen new devices that’ll help define the domestic realm and the world of work, should you wish to immerse yourself still further in the algorithmic mire
-
Design practice Astraeus Clarke is inspired by cinema to tell a story and evoke an emotionIn a rapidly changing world, the route designers take to discover their calling is increasingly circuitous. Here we speak to Chelsie and Jacob Starley the creative duo behind Astraeus Clarke
-
Hella Jongerius’ ‘Angry Animals’ take a humorous and poignant bite out of the climate crisisAt Salon 94 Design in New York, Hella Jongerius presents animal ceramics, ‘Bead Tables’ and experimental ‘Textile Studies’ – three series that challenge traditional ideas about function, craft, and narrative
-
One to Watch: designer Valerie Name infuses contemporary objects and spaces with historical detailFrom vessels to furnishings and interiors, New York- and Athens-based designer Valerie Name finds new relevance for age-old craft techniques
-
First look: Matthew Fisher opens the doors to his first gallery in ManhattanHistory, design, and environmental consciousness converge at M. Fisher in New York City, offering an experience that is as meaningful as it is visually striking
-
Cooper Hewitt’s ‘Making Home’ triennial reveals an intimate side of the museum’s Gilded Age architecture'We live and work in the Carnegie Mansion, but it's not typically something that we engage with directly in our exhibitions,' says Alexandra Cunningham-Cameron, one of the co-curators
-
Forged in the California desert, Jonathan Cross’ brutalist ceramic sculptures go on show in NYCJoshua Tree-based artist Jonathan Cross’ sci-fi-influenced works are on view at Elliott Templeton Fine Arts in New York's Chinatown
-
Italian designer Enrico Marone Cinzano fuses natural perfection with industrial imperfectionEnrico Marone Cinzano's first solo show at New York’s Friedman Benda gallery debuts collectible furniture designs that marry organic materials with upcycled industrial components
-
New York exhibition celebrates Maria Pergay, the ‘pioneer’ of metal furniture‘Precious Strength: Maria Pergay Across the Decades’ is on show at New York gallery Demisch Danant (until 30 November)
