12 Must-See Design Galleries with Unique Spaces
ByAena NabongImage Courtesy from Pierre Yovanovitch.
In today's contemporary art world, design gallery spaces are throwing out their traditional white cube spaces and are creating experiences as captivating as the collectible designs they showcase. Imagine grand ballrooms showcasing cutting-edge furniture or pre-war loft spaces where contemporary design takes center stage! These unique spaces blur the lines between gallery and playground, inviting design enthusiasts to not just view the collection, but to truly immerse themselves in the world of collectible design.
Curious to find out more? Keep reading for our highlights on collectible design galleries and their unique spaces that are redefining the gallery visiting experience.
Ladbroke Hall, London
Image Courtesy by Carpenter's Workshop Gallery.
Image Courtesy by Carpenter's Workshop Gallery.
After being expanded to a 43,000 square foot space, Ladbroke Hall envisioned to be a new creative cultural space in London that integrates art, design, music , food and more. They serve as the flagship for Carpenters Workshop Gallery where they seek to move away from a traditional gallery setting to a more immersive, innovative and emotional space.
The gallery, established in 2006 in Chelsea, London, has since expanded to Paris, New York, and Los Angeles, playing a key role in promoting collectible and innovative designs where they blur the boundaries between art and design.
Carpenters Workshop Gallery displays unique collectible designs, while Ladbroke Hall serve as the central hub for various activities. The renowned architect David Adjaye, known for his contribution on notable buildings such as the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC, was also involved in the renovation of the main building.
The Grand Sablon 40, Brussels
Image Courtesy from Object with Narratives
Image Courtesy from Object with Narratives
Spanning over 2000 square meters across three floors, this space breathes new life into its rich history while connecting the past with the present. Objects with Narratives’ goal is to provide a dynamic platform for contemporary artists, both emerging and established, from around the world, with a special focus on highlighting the skill of Belgium's top craftsmen.
The first floor features a continuous space for dedicated projects, including solo and curated exhibitions, while the second floor serves as the showroom and flexible space, catering to the ever-evolving needs of the art and design community.
Each area of the gallery tells its own unique story, starting with the beautifully adorned ballroom, once frequented by Brussels' elite for their couture needs. This space serves as an introduction, offering a glimpse into the diverse rooms that follow. Next to the ballroom, the director's office that has been re-imagined, blending tradition with a modern twist. Moving beyond, the classical white cube provides a backdrop for wall pieces, sculptures, and objets d'art.
Shanghai, China
Surrealistic Symphony by Aaron Poritz & Vincent Pocsik, 2023. Image Courtesy from Objective Gallery.
Objective Gallery cultivates a narrative environment that embraces a personal and collaborative approach to art and design. It brings together artists and designers to create a collection of elegant yet functional furniture, lighting, art, and lifestyle objects.
Housed in a historic bank building of The Bund located in Shanghai, Objective Gallery's evocative gallery space showcases its curated collection. The gallery also unveiled a new space in New York City in 2022. Sourcing collectible design pieces from around the world, Objective Gallery aims to inspire aesthetically and promote a mindful way of life.
With an emphasis on uncompromising quality and bespoke design, Objective Gallery bridges the gap between art, design, and craftsmanship. It curates bespoke designs and sources functional artworks worldwide, offering clients unique pieces that create a spatial narrative with objects of resonance.
New York, US
Image Courtesy from Studio Twenty Seven
Studio Twenty Seven was founded in Miami by Nacho Polo and Robert Onsuka. The gallery offers a carefully curated selection of limited edition and one-off furnishings that showcase textured minimalism and revived craft traditions.
The 700-square meter Tribeca space is situated on the ground floor of New York’s historic Textile Building, previously home to Jean Georges’ 66 Restaurant. Polo and Onsuka were drawn to the building's Neo-Renaissance architecture and saw its potential to restore the building to its former glory.
To create a cohesive interior, Polo and Onsuka meticulously designed custom accents such as oversized pulls, hand-carved chestnut doors, and a built-in library. They collaborated with master Lebanese carpenters to ensure high-quality craftsmanship and faithful execution of their designs. Architectural lighting firm L'Observatoire engineered a custom lighting system for the expansive environment, further enhancing the space's ambiance and functionality.
New York, US
Image Courtesy by Pierre Yovanovitch.
Pierre Yovanovitch has brought a touch of Paris to New York City with the opening of his 10,000-square-foot gallery in Chelsea. This marks the acclaimed French interior designer's first American gallery space, coinciding with the launch of his furniture brand, Pierre Yovanovitch Mobilier, in 2021. Yovanovitch's decision to position the gallery in Chelsea, known for its vibrant arts scene, mirrors the location of his Paris gallery in the Marais arts district.
Situated in a penthouse atop a pre-war building in Chelsea, the gallery features a rooftop terrace and an expansive open-plan layout. Yovanovitch aimed to create a residential feel in the gallery, allowing visitors to envision how the pieces would fit into their own spaces. The emphasis is on simplicity and architecture, with the furniture taking center stage and the interior kept minimally decorated yet immersive.
The top-floor location provides ample natural light and a connection to the outdoors through the rooftop terrace, enhancing the homely atmosphere.
Barcelona, Spain
Image Courtesy by Side Gallery.
Side Gallery, founded in 2015 and based in Barcelona, specializes from the 20th century and contemporary design. The gallery focuses on establishing a dialogue with Latin American design, particularly from countries like Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela. Their collection showcases Spanish and Italian design from the past century, along with rare pieces from significant architects worldwide such as Oscar Niemeyer and Luis Barragán.
The gallery's space is in a 19th-century factory, where the building stands out as a exemplary example of industrial architecture, now a hub for art, design, and architecture in the city of Barcelona. The renovation of the 700-square meter exhibition space was made by Architect Guillermo Santomà that preserved the structural features of this historic building while introducing contemporary elements creating a dialogue between past and present.
Side Gallery is dedicated to preserving and promoting modern and contemporary design, where they explore cross-cultural ideologies that bridges the gap between innovation and traditional design.
Bornholm, Denmark
Image Courtesy from Koppe Contemporary Objects.
Køppe Contemporary Objects is a gallery and presentation platform that focuses on sculptural objects bridging art and craft. Founded by architect Bettina Køppe, who has a background in curating contemporary objects, the gallery works closely with a group of artists who share a common interest in materials and traditional crafts. These artists explore the meaning of objects in terms of function and iconography, often blending tradition with interpretation and experimentation to create contemporary works.
Located on the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, Køppe Contemporary Objects is housed in a beautiful house at Rønne Harbor. The gallery hosts five exhibitions per year, showcasing works from its artists. Additionally, artist and ceramicist Michael Geertsen's workshop is located on the property and is open for visits during the gallery's opening hours.
New York, US
Image Courtesy from R & Company.
R & Company is a pioneering design gallery in New York City that was relocated to a new space in Tribeca, just near its original location. The new space, behind a historic 1869 cast iron storefront, offers 8,000 square feet of space, allowing the gallery to expand its support for 20th- and 21st-century design.
Designed by Kulapat Yantrasast and Andrija Stojic of the design studio Why, the new gallery blends the historic cast iron building's history with contemporary elements. A three-story atrium brings natural light into the space, and a monumental marble staircase connects the levels. The top floor houses exhibition spaces and offices, while the middle floor is dedicated to a library and archives, with plans for programming around historical and contemporary design.
The lower level features permanent installations dedicated to artists like Jeff Zimmerman, Rogan Gregory, and Katie Stout, showcased against the building's exposed bedrock pillars. The gallery's debut show in the new space, "20 Years of Discovery," highlights areas R & Company has been integral in developing, including Brazilian Modern design, Postwar American design, Contemporary design, and "Difficult" design, featuring works by icons and mavericks alike.
Chicago, US
Swallowing Dirt Exhibition by Tanya Aguiñiga. Image Courtesy from Volume Gallery.
Volume Gallery was established in 2010. The gallery is dedicated to material-driven practices across various disciplines, with a focus on contemporary and historical American art and design. The gallery emphasizes the significance of materiality and is committed to promoting innovative makers of the present and recent past. In addition to its exhibitions program, Volume Gallery releases editions, publications, and engages in site-specific commissions, showcasing the work of American artists and designers to audiences regionally, nationally, and internationally.
Throughout its history, Volume Gallery has placed pieces in significant public collections, including The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Arts and Design, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Mint Museum, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, and The Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Seoul, South Korea
Image Courtesy from Gallery LVS.
Established in 2008, GALLERY LVS aims to enrich Korea's cultural landscape by showcasing a wide range of modern and contemporary art, including paintings and media art, through local and international exhibitions and projects. The gallery plays a vital role in promoting global cultural exchange by providing a platform for emerging Korean artists to gain international exposure and by bringing works by established international artists to Korea. GALLERY LVS actively contributes to strengthening cultural ties and fostering artistic dialogue between Korea and the global art community.
Singapore
Image Courtesy from Galerie 5.
Image Courtesy from Galerie 5.
At Galerie 5, light becomes art.
Becoming the Sol Luminaire's first gallery, Galerie 5 explores the interplay of light beyond human interaction. Galerie 5 stands out among traditional shophouses as a unique hub of innovation and creativity, redefining the involvement of light in retail.
The gallery embraces the Principle of 5, which represents a five-dimensional world that creates a harmonious effect on human and object, form and function, design and technology, through the five key elements of light. Galerie 5 features resident brands, including artisans from around the world that brings unique perspectives and craftsmanship to the space.
Visitors to Galerie 5 can experience light as a medium of various art movements and styles. The featured brands and artisans incorporate interdisciplinary approaches, material exploration, and circadian rhythm to engage all five senses, offering a holistic and immersive experience.
Text from: Galerie 5 - Sol Luminaire
New York, US
Image Courtesy from Tuleste Factory.
Image Courtesy from Tuleste Factory.
Tuleste Factory is an art and design gallery situated in Chelsea. It is founded and curated by the duo Satu and Celeste Greenberg in 2018. The factory, located in a classic New York loft space, showcases a rotating lineup of designers and artists, spanning furniture, design objects, photography, and fine art.
To create a rhythmic dialogue between the object, the space, and the visitor, the gallery exhibits itself like an open living room that hosts a curated selection of art pieces. When entering the Factory, you are transported into a space where the room and walls work in a symbiotic symphony granting you an unforgettable experience.
These contemporary design gallery spaces go beyond what is expected; they are meticulously crafted destinations fostering inspiration and discovery. As these spaces push boundaries, they redefine not just the way we experience design, but the very definition of collectible design itself.
Any views or opinions in the post are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the company or contributors.
