WALLPAPER

StudioTwentySeven opens a sprawling flagship in New York

Words Adrian Madlener
Photo William Jess Laird & Karl Simone
Location STUDIOTWENTYSEVEN New York Gallery
Visit WALLPAPER

Collectible design gallery StudioTwentySeven was established in Miami by Nacho Polo and Robert Onsuka. With a carefully curated selection of limited edition and one-off furnishings that exemplify the best in textured minimalism and revived craft traditions, the platform soon gained a strong social media following. Though the duo have maintained a brick and mortar space in Miami for many years and consistently grown their business across the globe, it was the recent opening of an expansive Tribeca flagship that allowed them to see their vision come to fruition

Step inside the StudioTwentySeven flagship

The 700 sq m space is situated on the ground floor of New York’s historic Beaux-Arts-style Textile Building, a space that once played host to star chef Jean Georges’ 66 Restaurant and that is now at the centre of Tribeca’s booming gallery district. ‘When going out to look for a place in which we could open a flagship, we stumbled upon the dark, demolished ground floor of this Neo-Renaissance building,’ says Polo and Onsuka. ‘We knew it would be the right fit and that it could be brought back to its original splendour’

The duo set out to make the most of the space’s original 16-foot-high cast-iron-framed windows, ornately-carved stone façade, restored oversized doorway, and perhaps most importantly, it’s proximity to Anish Kapoor‘s first public art installation in the city, the Mini-Bean. Positioned beneath the equally iconic Herzog & deMeuron-designed ‘Jenga-tower‘, this colossal artwork serves as the perfect backdrop for the equally monumental gallery

One of Polo and Onsuka’s main aims in transforming this space – a meticulous two year process – was to frame it like a domestic environment; an immersive extension of their own home. That is achieved, in part, through a rotating selection of contemporary art works from their private collection: a bright red hanging bear by Paola Pivi or Sam Gilliam’s White 48” Disc painting for example

Inside the double height flagship, curvilinear walls and a rotunda set the stage for undulating settees such as Jérôme Bugara‘s Amélia Sofa, and angular works like Jimmy Delatour‘s XPO Buffet Console. A bespoke ivory colourway, formulated exclusively for StudioTwentySeven, seamlessly carries through from painstakingly-finished ceilings to window drapery

In a bid to make the interior feel as unified as possible, Polo and Onuska paid close attention to every detail. ‘We designed custom accents like oversized pulls, large hand-carved chestnut doors and a built-in library,’ says Onuska. ‘We worked closely with master Lebanese carpenters to ensure the best quality and direct translation of our initial concepts for these elements.’ Architectural lighting firm L’Observatorie was instrumental in engineering a custom system for this sprawling environment

This latest addition to the New York collectible design scene has given new meaning to the ever-popular trend of contextualised displays. Collectors can get a sense of how the pieces they’re acquiring might fit into their own homes

Open by appointment, the gallery hosts a program of solo exhibitions—new works for its tightly-curated roster of talent—including one dedicated to the work of French designer Francesco Balzano, planned for later in the year

STUDIOTWENTYSEVEN