When you are in possession of a certain level of taste and a certain aesthetic inclination, your world narrows down significantly. You end up meeting people, going to places, seeing things that become interconnected and form a mental map, as well as a geographical one.
At one point Galerie Half, a Los Angeles purveyor of interior design, will inevitably pop up on this map. This gallery, curated by Cameron Smith, specializes in sourcing iconic mid-century design pieces and mixing them up with antiques and contemporary objects. It puts it all in a space, physical and aesthetic, that is earthy, subdued, and lived in, pretty much the opposite of what, on some level, is the archetype of LA.
Indeed, when you enter Galerie Half’s space on Melrose Avenue you leave Los Angeles altogether for a world that is serene, where both the city’s wax polish and its grime have no place. The last time I had such a transportive experience was visiting Axel Vervoordt’s castle in the Flemish countryside. But that made sense; this – and that’s a compliment – does not. And yet, it is there, in all its restrained glory.
Smith’s curation is flawless – chairs by Jean Prouve and Pierre Jeanneret, next to tables by the Japanese-American artisan George Nakashima, and Poul Hennigsnon’s and Marcel Breuer’s lamps, and an occasional artwork that may or may not have high pedigree, but makes you feel that it must. So is the way the objects are arranged in a space that feels – sorry, but here come the cliches – like a sanctuary.
In case you cannot visit the space itself, Galerie Half has just published a monograph. In its 300+ pages there is a large array of objects that have gone through the gallery (some of which are still there), as well as several interiors of famous people (who knew that Jason Statham had good taste?) Smith has supplied with furniture and objects. It’s eye-candy for those who prefer their candy wabi-sabi and not in a shiny wrapper.
The book is mercifully light on text and saves itself the embarrassment of the highfalutin style that so often accompanies contemporary design and architecture books. But its visual impact is undeniable.
The day before I visited Galerie Half I went to see the flagship shop of The Row on Melrose Place. It was one of the most beautiful stores I’ve been to. Flipping through the Galerie Half book and seeing that they were the ones who furnished the Olsen twins shop – it’s one of the spaces highlighted in the book – made me go back to my original thought about the world narrowing down. But of course they supplied the furniture for The Row. Of course they have pieces from Rick Owens. Of course the one fragrance brand they carry is Perfumer H. Of course they list Vincent Van Duysen, my favorite architect, in the book’s acknowledgments section. Could it be any other way?
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Galerie Half ($125), published by Flammarion, available now
