An Invisible Collection and Beni Rugs Capsule, Informed by Poetry and Portugal

SOURCE
An Invisible Collection and Beni Rugs Capsule, Informed by Poetry and Portugal

Next week in Paris for Maison & Objet, the Invisible Collection and Beni Rugs will debut a capsule designed by Lisbon-based studio Garcé & Dimofski. The collection draws inspiration from an influential Portuguese literary magazine from 1915. Known as Orpheu, and founded by poet Fernando Pessoa in collaboration with Mário de Sá-Carneiro, the periodical contributed to Portugal’s avant-garde modernist movement. The magazine’s layered intellectual and emotional undercurrents are transposed into the eight gestural designs that define the Beni pieces, which are crafted in Morocco. Further, the collection invokes the patterns and palettes of the nation’s Azulejo tiles. In addition to its showcase at the Féau Boiseries, Invisible Collection’s Rive Gauche gallery will also host the rugs.—David Graver 

VISIT
With “l’Invitation,” Alexandre Benjamin Navet Ushers Viewers Into His World

A whimsical take on the still life as only Alexandre Benjamin Navet can conjure, the eleven colorful tablescapes within the Paris-based artist’s fifth solo show with Galerie Derouillon, entitled “L’invitation,” welcome viewers into the various angles and objects of a dinner setting. Navet’s pieces are painted reliefs—with sculptural slices of wood accented with color and affixed to a solid background to mimic a trompe-l’œil effect. “L’invitation” follows a series of milestones for Navet, who transformed Fifth Avenue into an immersive wonderland thanks to a Van Cleef & Arpels commission, and installed five large-scale, sculptural vases within the French National Assembly—both in mid-2024.—D.G.

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50 Years Ago, the Morrison Hannah Task Chair Challenged Conventions of Office Aesthetics

It’s an oft-repeated “ism” that good design (supposedly) goes unnoticed. But in 1973, when business partners Andrew Morrison and Bruce Hannah created the Morrison Hannah chair for Knoll, its subtlety of form caused an uproar. With its sleek aluminum frame and plush but unobtrusive cushioning, it offered “ergonomics without ego,” almost 50 years before its time. In the heyday of corporate real-estate, preceding open-plan offices, hierarchical design reigned supreme, “announcing who you were before you even got there,” says Hannah. “So people didn’t accept the chair or like it.”

Some fifty years later, things have changed. “We called it the easy chair because it was easy to make, easy to use, and easy on the eyes,” says Hannah.—Jenna Adrian-Diaz

SAVOR
At This South Beach Newcomer, Burgers and a Side of Bluechip Art

Behind lush green drapes on historic Española Way, the fashionable 45-seat canteen feels a world away from the South Beach din, blending speakeasy vibes with standout collectible design furniture by Gio Ponti and Joe Colombo. Co-founder of Spicy Hospitality Group Andre Sakhai curates a rotating gallery of bluechip art, from Picasso to Basquiat, and emerging talents from his personal collection.

Alinea alum James Taylor brings his signature precision to the comfort food category, with dishes like King Crab Scampi, Two-Way Chicken, and an expertly edited steak menu. Outside at the Americana-style order window, his nostalgic cheeseburger recipe—it took nearly three years to perfect—is served to-go along with other roadside classics like chicken sandwiches and milkshakes.—Nate Storey

PLAY
In Time for Indoor Season, an Art House Cinema Takes Audiences Through the Looking Glass of Fame

Downtown Manhattan arthouse cinema Metrograph looks to the prophetic utterances of Andy Warhol—or at least his 1980s talkshow 15 Minutes to inform the lineup of cult films that make up its 15 Minutes feature series. Curated by Inge de Leeuw, the theater’s director of programming and an alumna of International Film Festival Rotterdam, the series pulls from a rich oeuvre of directorial talents including David Lynch, Ingmar Bergman, and Sofia Coppola. Alongside seminal features like Sunset Boulevard and Mulholland Drive, the series also includes indie hits like Nicolas Winding Refn’s The Neon Demon, which stars actor Elle Fanning as a Los Angeles ingénue who falls through the looking glass of stardom. —J.A.D

OBSESS
Bevza’s Crushed Grain Fun Bag Surprises and Delights

When it was previewed during the designer’s pre-fall presentation in Paris, Bevza’s Crushed Grain Fun Bag surprised and delighted insiders with its playful form factor. A magnetic clasp allows its Spanish-made leather to take shape as a 3D geometric form, or to be released and styled flat as a traditional shoulder bag. After a contingent of New Yorkers likened its shape to a fortune cookie, founder and creative director Svitlana Bevza even nicknamed it the Fortune Cookie Bag, in hopes that it might bring good fortune to anyone who sports it. —J.A.D

STAY
For Its Netherlands Debut, Rosewood Takes to a Former Palace

Housed in the Dutch capital city’s former Palace of Justice, which was erected in 1665 and has been carefully restored over the last decade, the Rosewood Amsterdam marks the luxury hotel brand’s first property in the Netherlands. It’s also the final new hotel development that the city will permit within a historic building along its UNESCO World Heritage-listed canals. Studio Piet Boon has been tapped to helm the interiors, marrying the palace’s heritage and grandeur to contemporary Dutch craftsmanship. 

This includes the reimagining of historic spaces like cellblocks and courtrooms, now transformed into distinct guest spaces. The Dutch studio also designed the hotel’s Salon Boat, which will be used to travel to and from the hotel when doors officially open on June 1.—D.G.