The French-born, Lisbon-based designer Emmanuel Babled is getting his dues Stateside, with dealer Renaud Vuaillat staging a solo show devoted to his latest work. Vuaillat’s new Twenty First Gallery, located in an elegant 19th century West Chelsea townhouse, could not be a more apt setting for his exhibition, ‘Emmanuel Babled’.
This sun-drenched gallery, which retains an elegant marble fireplace mantel, throws into light just how Babled’s ahead of the curve designs – from limited edition and unique furniture to lighting – are entirely compatible in a traditional interior.
‘Contradiction is key to Emmanuel as he juxtaposes the fragility of hand-blown Murano glass with the sleekness of white Carrara marble in new and novel ways for his "Osmosi" series,’ says Vuaillat. While Babled, a visiting professor at Milan's Domus Academy and Design Academy Eindhoven, taps into centuries-old Italian craftsmanship, he turned to computerised technology to complete this distinctive body of work.
The exact shapes of hand-blown biomorphic glass forms in dusty teal and burnt yellow were 3D scanned and a precise opening milled via digitalisation into a marble console. ‘So the unique glass forms fit exactly inside the top and sides of the console with no seams whatsoever,’ says Vuaillat.
Babled’s 'Quark' series is also on view. These pieces include amoeba-like wenge wood coffee tables, and another table in cast bronze and welded with thin sheets of gleaming copper.
Its inaugural presentation is devoted to the French-born, Amsterdam-based designer Emmanuel Babled, whose work spans limited edition and unique furniture to lighting
‘Contradiction is key to Emmanuel as he juxtaposes the fragility of hand-blown Murano glass with the sleekness of white Carrara marble in new and novel ways for his "Osmosi" series,’ says Vuaillat. Pictured: 'Osmosi' console. Photography: Nicole Marnati
Babled’s 'Quark' series, which includes amoeba-like wenge wood coffee tables (pictured left) and a cast bronze table welded with thin sheets of gleaming copper (right), is also on display
Babled tapped into centuries-old Italian craftsmanship while also turning to computerised technology to complete the distinctive body of work. Pictured: a coffee table (pictured left) and a table lamp (right)
Hand-blown, biomorphic glass forms are fused seamlessly into marble bases. Pictured: a pair of vases from his 'Osmosi' series. Photography: Nicole Marnati
INFORMATION
‘Emmanuel Babled’ is on view until 10 June. For more details, visit Twenty First Gallery's website
Photography courtesy of Twenty First Gallery
ADDRESS
Twenty First Gallery
458 West 22nd Street
New York, NY 10011
-
Inside Miu Miu’s ‘proudly modern and minimal’ new London storeWallpaper* takes a tour of Miu Miu’s newly refurbished New Bond Street store, which is designed as a gathering place for the Italian house’s ‘spirited, intelligent, thoughtful community’
-
Herzog & de Meuron are renovating New York's iconic Breuer Building. Here's a first look at the renderingsThis fall, the brutalist icon will be re-opening as the New York headquarters for Sotheby's.
-
Eleven great things to see at 3 Days of Design 2025The scale and scope of 3 Days of Design has expanded dramatically since its inception 12 years ago. Here, we share our pick of standout exhibitions and events from the upcoming edition (18-20 June 2025)
-
Why are so many rooms covered in curtains?Comfort, privacy, and performance are all contained in the rooms swaddled in plush draperies
-
This Manhattan apartment and studio is a shrine to artThis New York artist's home is both comfortable and flexible, acting as a studio and a showcase for his work and collected pieces. We take a tour for our interiors series, The Inside Story
-
Life’s a beach at this tropical-glam Miami developmentFive Park Miami Beach mixes streamlined glamour with vibrant colour, and is the focus of Wallpaper’s interiors series, The Inside Story, as the Floridian city holds its annual Grand Prix
-
A Frank Lloyd Wright lamp broke auction record at Sotheby’s – fetching $7.5 millionThe architect's ‘Double-Pedestal’ lamp, which was designed for the Dana House in 1903, has become his most valuable work ever offered at auction
-
Step inside this Upper East Side jewel box apartmentThis radiant Lexington Avenue home is a harbinger of good things for the Upper East Side, and the latest focus of The Inside Story, our series spotlighting intriguing and innovative interior design
-
This Colorado ski chalet combines Rocky Mountains warmth with European design nousWood and stone meet artisanal and antique pieces in this high-spec, high-design mountain retreat
-
Swiss utilitarianism meets West Africa in this Armando Cabral and USM furniture collaborationA centuries-old West African motif signifying movement, adaptability, and progress served as the starting point for this collaboration between New York-based designer Armando Cabral and Swiss furniture brand USM
-
Hilltop hideaway: Colony creates tranquil interiors for a Catskills retreatPerched between two mountain ranges, this Catskills retreat marries bold, angular architecture with interiors that offer warmth and texture
