In local parlance Greene Street, NYC is known as "West smow", on account of the prevalence of high-quality designer furniture producers who have their flagship stores there. The Artemide store, for example, is a couple of doors down from USM Haller, across the road from USM Haller is Kartell - it really is uncannily like the navigation bar at smow.com
Indeed as we strolled down West smow on Friday morning we couldn't help thinking that only Moormann failed. Then we spotted number 75. Appropriately enough, directly across the road from Droog, and without doubt a building on the brink of rentability.
We were, however, in Greene Street for the US press launch of Patricia Urquiola's new products for Molteni ... and although we really don't like saying such things we have to say "typical Molteni". Not bad, indeed in places excellent, for all in terms of the fine detail just - well, big. Very big. And as such not our thing.
But more on Seniora Urquiola's work later.
Following the show at Molteni we were then, somewhat unwittingly, present as Dutch producer moooi arrived in New York City - securely packed in the back of a New Jersey truck.
How romantic.
We then spent the rest of the day in the nearby Ben Sherman shop - green !!! - before returning later in the evening for the official opening of the new moooi presence at B&B Italia.
The store is located next to the NYC flagship store of British fashion designer Paul Smith; who for New York design week have created the most the wonderful window display of Joe Colombo lamps. The stylistic links between Colombo and Smith may be pretty obvious, but the display itself is, despite its simplicity, fantastic.
Dragging ourselves to the moooi launch the first thing we noticed is that, somewhat curiously, they are starting in NYC principally with "older" products. OK the Brave New World lamps from Freshwest were there, but if we're honest, and with the best of intentions, we're still just not lovin' them. What we are still lovin', however, is the Horse Lamp and Pig Table by front for moooi - still genius, still good and still wanting them so badly.
Obviously we wish moooi, and Moormann ;), all the best with their new ventures and look forward next year and to seeing how they have grown.
Leaving the moooi bash before the prosecco and the wild mushroom crossini's started tasting toooo good we headed of to the cinema and "Objectified"...
