VISIT A Dusky Display of Belgian Designer Nel Verbeke’s Lights
The inaugural exhibition within Emma Scully Gallery’s new viewing room, directly above their previous space in a 19-century Upper East Side townhouse, “Mirror at Dusk” presents an array of lighting from Brussels-based conceptual designer and artist Nel Verbeke. In each hand-blown, silver-coated glass fixture, the designer embraced the tones of twilight and the meditative concepts it evokes, with forms that vary between vertical tube and circular light sources beneath tarnished domes.
“Nel made the first contemporary design piece I collected, called the Mirror Hourglass. I was immediately drawn to her work and her research-based practice,” Scully shared in a statement. “By returning to the early industrial period and the Romantics’ responses to industrially-made works, she confronts one of the most important questions for today: What does it mean to make collectible design in a world of industrial production?” “Mirror at Dusk” will be on view until March 29.—David Graver
Credit: Giovanni Cardenas…
OBSESS Through the Garden Gates of Carolina Herrera’s 3,000 Flowers in the Sky
No matter the season, attendees at Carolina Herrera’s runway shows can count on a few certainties: that they will be greeted with glamour, inspiration grounded in creative director Wes Gordon’s most top of mind artists, literary figures, films, or architecture, and the personal touch of a single seasonal bloom at their seats. But last week, Gordon greeted runway show attendees with not one but a field of 3,000 red ranunculus blossoms that appeared to have grown from the concrete within a cavernous floor of the SOM-designed Solow building in Midtown. The magenta field broke through the pall of Manhattan’s recent onslaught of gray winter mornings, spellbinding guests and social onlookers against the backdrop of a snowy Central Park.—Jenna Adrian-Diaz
Courtesy of Khaite…
SHOP
Hand-Finished Steel and Bronze Define Khaite’s Madison Ave. Boutique
Prior to Khaite’s Fall/Winter 2025 runway show—which unfurled in a glowing golden ring engulfed by a darkened Park Avenue Armory—the beloved New York City-based fashion and accessories brand, founded by Catherine Holstein, debuted a Madison Avenue boutique. The 2,000-square-foot store, as well as the luxury label’s 4,000-square-foot Mercer Street flagship, and even its runway show were all imagined in collaboration with architectural designer Griffin Frazen, Holstein’s husband. For Madison Avenue, Frazen adapted and advanced Khaite’s retail visual language while exploring a new system of spatial organization.—D.G.
Credit: Courtesy of Hero and the Pearl Box…
PLAY Heroes and Pearl Box Prove Tribeca Glamour Is Alive and Well
Before it settled into its present state of gallery-laden tranquility and stroller-crowded sidewalks, Tribeca had a raucous reputation for high-rolling, martini-slinging debauchery. A night out at dual-concept hotspot Heroes and Pearl Box, the latest venture from the teams behind the West Village’s Tokyo Record Bar promises something of a platonic ideal squarely between those two extremes. Guests enter the Tribeca triplex to Heroes, whose 26-oz. dry-aged bone-in ribeye and duck au poivre is as captivating as its lavender-washed interiors.
Once you arrive at the top floor, Pearl Box, brace yourself for a scene. Against a backdrop of caviar service, red velvet carpeting, and playfully sculptural seating by Holloway Li, owner-partner Ariel Arce sets an immaculate vibe.—J.A.D.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Joyn Studio…
SAVOR Chez Fifi Revitalizes New York’s Extravagant French Bistro Scene
Having weathered the era of austere French bistros, the newly opened boîte Chez Fifi marks a return to extravagance. The Upper East Side dining room follows in the footsteps of indulgent institutions like Balthazar, La Grenouille, and Pastis. The latest project from Sushi Noz owners and brothers Josh and David Foulquier is an ode to their mother, the eponymous Fifi.
Brought to life by Stockholm-based Joyn Studio, the bi-level townhouse pays homage to the spirit of the family matriarch. The cobalt bistroplaque by the bar once hung in her garden, the lilting jazz evokes the music played at her dinner parties, and the roasted chicken follows her grandmother’s recipe. Even the art, a gallery of works including pieces by Calder and Miró, is the family’s collection.—Abigail Saldana
Credit: Courtesy of the Wren…
OBSESS The Wren’s Cozy Approach to Craft Textiles
The brainchild of textile designer and artist Virginia Star Busmann and cofounder Ellen Nevrokopska, the Wren offers craft and artisan-driven homeware drops. Their latest, a small batch of mohair blankets, are handwoven in Spain from the wool of Angora goats for a luxuriantly soft and smooth handfeel. An Earth-toned palette—appropriately named Fawn, Moss, and Sable, is equally easy on the eyes.—J.A.D
Courtesy of PBS…
SEE
PBS Goes Behind the Scenes with Sophie Elgort
Fashion, editorial, and fine art photographer Sophie Elgort’s Portrait Mode is a new four-episode documentary series on the free streaming service and broadcast channel PBS All Arts. A behind-the-scenes look at four of Elgort’s photo shoots, the episodic explores her creative process alongside American Ballet Theatre (ABT) principal dancer Skylar Brandt, Grammy Award-winning producer and musician Nile Rodgers, EGOT winner Rita Moreno, and acclaimed photographer Arthur Elgort, her father.
Sophie not only hosts the series, but also executive produces it. “I’ve always been behind the camera, and having these conversations during photoshoots is something I’m already doing,” she tells Surface, “so it’s so nice now being able to showcase not only the still images, but also these stories and moments with these remarkable artists.”—D.G.
