December 14, 2015Feeling festive: A dramatic glass-and-brass Sputnik chandelier sparkles above a glamorous Italian mid-century cocktail table inlaid with onyx and brass tiles at the booth of Disegno Karina Gentinetta. Top: A view of the booths at the 1stdibs Gallery at the New York Design Center.
Many 1stdibs fans may not realize that the idea for the website was hatched at the famous flea markets of Saint-Ouen, outside Paris. Wandering through the maze of booths at the Marché aux Puces, founder Michael Bruno declared to a friend that he was going to put the markets online. Nearly 20 years later, the site has changed the way the world shops for rare and beautiful objects.
What most 1stdibs fans do know, however, is that the singular pleasure of wending through a warren of stalls and physically examining one’s acquisitions — flipping them over, looking for their marks, feeling their weight — can still be enjoyed at 1stdibs’ bricks-and-mortar location, on the 33,000-square-foot 10th floor of the New York Design Center, at 200 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. More than 50 dealers have set up booths there that contain not only furniture but also thousands of such smaller pieces as mirrors, fireplace tools, ceramics, condiment sets and other items that fit more easily under a tree than an English secretary or a Giò Ponti credenza. “I like to see and touch things,” says dealer Inga Davidsson, of Area iD. “It’s an old-fashioned experience that is disappearing in New York. Because of the cost of real estate, vendors cannot afford to have bricks-and-mortar stores. That makes 1stdibs’ NYDC floor unique.”
“There’s eye candy everywhere!” exclaims Maplewood, New Jersey–based dealer Albert Joseph, who has a storefront here. “Because it’s laid out so beautifully, you can totally immerse yourself in the place and the experience.”
Dealer Michael Pashby adds that the range and quality are unsurpassed, and that “the people who staff the space are extremely knowledgeable and helpful. The designers mostly know what they’re coming for, but the public may not. The staff knows how to guide them. I just like going in and talking to them.”
The 1stdibs Gallery’s location in this venerable trade-showroom building makes it convenient to designers and consumers alike. It also hosts regular exhibitions and events. (For more information, go to 1stdibs.com/nydc.) In other words, there are few more interesting places to finish up your holiday shopping. To get you started, we’ve selected 21 particularly gift-able gems.
Chinoiserie Box, 19th-Century
offered by Albert Joseph
Who isn’t a pushover for chinoiserie? Nineteenth-century “comfort boxes” like this one from Maplewood, New Jersey, dealer Albert Joseph were employed by their original owners to hold such personal items as grooming tools or makeup, and they were repainted as they were handed down through generations. Use it as a gift box for a loved one’s present. With its intricate gold design, you can forgo wrapping! $450
BEST GIFT EVER RECEIVED?
“That would either be a vintage Patek Philippe watch from my dad on my wedding day or a 1940–50 motorcycle-racing game from my wife, with lead-painted toy bikes on a wheel that you spin before betting. I know it sounds crazy: solid white-gold watch or a game, but I love motorcycles.”— Albert Joseph
Ebonized Turner Chair, 19th-Century
offered by Lee Calicchio
Turner chairs were a British curiosity when they began appearing in the 16th century. Meant to be a showcase for the wood turner’s art, they became elaborate examples of what was possible when an artist manned the lathe. But their triangular seats, flared shape and rudimentary decoration can also appear almost tribal. Simpler and less boastful than its forebears, this 19th-century ebonized walnut example from Lee Calicchio has a sculptural integrity that transcends style. $3,000.
BEST GIFT EVER RECEIVED?
“A cashmere throw from LJ Cross. It keeps me nice and warm.”— Lee Calicchio
Coalescence Sculpture, 2014, by Albert Paley
offered by Highland Park
Two years ago, New Yorkers were treated to the sight of 13 Albert Paley sculptures on Park Avenue. It was a reminder of the magic behind this Rochester artist’s work. For more than 40 years, he’s been making hard steel look as fluid and pliable as ribbon. Paley’s Coalescence, from dealer Highland Park, is part of a series from 2014 and will bring a bold contemporary pop of holiday red to any niche, shelf or tabletop. $26,000
BEST GIFT EVER RECEIVED?
“We were shopping in midtown one evening a few weeks before Christmas when my then-boyfriend suggested we go into Tiffany’s. We went up to the counter, and the salesperson, who’d secretly met with him the week before, handed him a ring. He dropped down on one knee and proposed.”— Eve Kelly Herman
White-Painted and Parcel-Gilt Candle Stands, Late 18th-Century
offered by Michael Pashby Antiques
Candle stands are an idea worth reviving. Light and portable, they’re easily brought into any room to instantly enhance the ambience with the flicker of a flame. “They were always considered the highest type of aspirational thing because they were difficult to make and conserve,” dealer Michael Pashby says of these exquisite late-18th-century English parcel-gilt versions. “It’s remarkable that they survived at all, because they’re so delicate.” Rarity and uniqueness is what makes a gift precious — reason enough for the splurge. $24,000
BEST GIFT EVER RECEIVED?
The best is always the last gift I received. It is just so nice to know that someone has taken the trouble to remember you.”— Michael Pashby
A Collection of Murano-Glass Vases, 1970s
offered by Elizabeth Pash
Since the 13th century, when Venetian glassmakers were concentrated in Murano to keep their furnaces far away from more populated areas of the city, the work that has emerged from the island has been considered the pinnacle of the art form. In the 1970s, it took a particularly free-form and colorful turn, as seen in these vases from Elizabeth Pash. With their Commedia dell’arte colors, they will bring a smile to anyone on your gift list this year. Small vases $550, large $650
BEST GIFT EVER RECEIVED?
“A car! My husband and children completely surprised me with a red convertible on my birthday a few years ago. Once I recovered from the shock, I really loved it — and I still do!”— Elizabeth Pash
Set of Six Plates by Roger Capron, 1960s
offered by Guéridon
Vincennes, France–born artist Roger Capron moved to Vallauris, on the Côte d’Azur, in 1946. Along with Pablo Picasso, who descended on the little coastal town two years later, and other artists, he helped revitalize a moribund ceramics industry. The extensive body of work he left behind, such as this 1960s porcelain plate set offered by Guéridon, attests to what many believe was the area’s golden age of pottery. They also set a cheery morning-after table. $1,450
BEST GIFT EVER RECEIVED?
“My parents gave me a chocolate Labrador retriever puppy whom I named Kitty, because as a child I had loved Hello Kitty. I was living in Switzerland, and Kitty was in Helsinki, so I flew to Finland to retrieve her.”— Alexia Morand
