When launching a design product label, the story usually goes that said company unveils a collection of goods for all to see. Piaule, a home accessories line that quietly made its entrance at the end of last year, has chosen to take an alternative tack.
Based in New York City, the fledging company has debuted with just one item: a simple white bath towel. Not just any old towel, of course. The Piaule ideal is surprisingly thin and lightweight. Made from 100 per cent Japanese cotton in Japan, the towel consists of two layers – a delicate gauze on one side and then a neatly looped terry underneath it. Airy, yet absorbent, the compact, uncomplicated towel is a stark contrast to versions that might overcompensate on thickness, size and heaviness to conceal its inferiority.
Piaule, which is French slang for ‘room’ or ‘pad’, aims to cater to the modern home by bringing good design and quality in an affordable, high-low balance.
‘We’re planning on rolling out our products one by one as we move forward,’ says co-founder Nolan McHugh. ‘They’re products that traditional designers might find boring or underwhelming – but consumers have a lack of choice, in terms of quality, currently in the market. We want to approach things and make them a really well-designed object that can be used on a daily basis.’
Embracing a pared back, Scandivanian/Japanese aesthetic, Piaule already has products lined up for release; they plan on launching an item every two months. ‘We want everything to feel very considered. There is a lack of quality options, but at the same time there is an overwhelming amount of options, period. We’re trying to strike a balance of a minimal product offering with very approachable things,’ continues McHugh.
Piaule aspires to eventually become a one-stop shop for basic home accessories. Tableware, drinking glasses and diningware are categories that it will bring out later this year. The company has sourced its offerings from specialised makers steeped in tradition, and worked with them to create a pure, understated product.
‘We have a weird attraction to Japanese craftsmen and aesthetics because they typically show a lot of restraint and a lack of over-complication. We just want to be able to adapt to any home and create a very harmonious existence,’ McHugh says.
Made in Japan from 100 per cent Japanese cotton, the towel is comprised of two layers – a delicate gauze on one side and a neatly looped terry underneath
Embracing a pared back, Scandivanian/Japanese aesthetic, Piaule already has products lined up for release and they plan on launching an item every two months. ‘We want everything to feel very considered,' says co-founder Nolan McHugh
INFORMATION
Piaule’s towel is now available for $55. For more information, visit Piaule’s website
-
RIBA Stirling Prize 2025 winner is ‘a radical reimagining of later living’Appleby Blue Almshouse wins the RIBA Stirling Prize 2025, crowning the social housing complex for over-65s by Witherford Watson Mann Architects, the best building of the year
-
A24 just opened a restaurant in New York, and no one knows it existsHidden in the West Village, Wild Cherry pairs a moody, arthouse sensibility with a supper-style menu devised by the team behind Frenchette
-
Yinka Ilori’s new foundation is dedicated to play and joy: ‘Play gave me freedom to dream’Today, artist and designer Yinka Ilori announced the launch of a non-profit organisation that debuts with a playscape in Nigeria
-
With a secret members’ club, this Washington, DC barbershop is a ‘theatre of self-care’At Manifest 002, come for a haircut; stay for the boldly hued social spaces designed by INC Architecture & Design
-
Step inside a ‘dream desert sanctuary’ tucked into Moab's rust-red landscapeSusannah Holmberg designed this home to harmonise with the extreme climate and dramatic surroundings of Utah’s Moab desert. 'The landscape is everything'
-
Nicole Hollis launches a collection of home objects ‘rooted in mindfulness’The American interior designer worked with artists, makers and artisans to create objects for the home, emphasising materiality and visual simplicity
-
USM furniture turns shelter in a New York exhibition‘The Room You Carry’ by interior design studio Loveisenough examines the space between order and wilderness, indoors and outdoors
-
This Brooklyn townhouse renovation nails ‘classic’ without clichéInterior design firm White Arrow transformed a Boerum Hill home into a space that feels historic, contemporary, and just unexpected enough to keep things interesting
-
This designer’s Montecito home – once a modest wood cabin – has been transformed into a charming sanctuaryOriginally built by architect Lutah Maria Riggs, this compact family home has been reimagined by another influential female designer – Tamara Honey of House of Honey – who has imbued the space with her signature touch
-
These sculptural mirrors embody the relaxed spirit of the MedPhotographed in a Mallorcan residence designed by local studio Munarq, these new sculptural mirrors by New York furniture company Ready To Hang are inspired by the sea
-
The owner of this restored Spanish Colonial home turned it into a gallery – with no social media allowedCasa Francis in LA is a private residence, but recently opened its doors to one member of the public at a time for an exhibition centred around domesticity
