One on one: the NYC-based home goods label Piaule debuts with the perfect towel

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
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Pei-Ru Keh is a former US Editor at Wallpaper*. Born and raised in Singapore, she has been a New Yorker since 2013. Pei-Ru held various titles at Wallpaper* between 2007 and 2023. She reports on design, tech, art, architecture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle happenings in the United States, both in print and digitally. Pei-Ru took a key role in championing diversity and representation within Wallpaper's content pillars, actively seeking out stories that reflect a wide range of perspectives. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, and is currently learning how to drive.
-
Tweed meets speed in Miss Moonshine, a boat dressed in Savile Row
Miss Moonshine is a speedboat that blends tweed, mahogany, and raw power with a heritage steeped in racing and smuggling
-
Piaget’s two new ultra-thin Altiplano timepieces tick all the right boxes
Piaget unveils the Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon and the Altiplano 910P, which honour the maison’s ultra-thin watchmaking heritage
-
‘Stone, timber, silence, wind’: welcome to SMK Thy, the National Gallery of Denmark expansion
A new branch of SMK, the National Gallery of Denmark, opens in a tiny hamlet in the northern part of Jutland; welcome to architecture studio Reiulf Ramstad's masterful redesign of a neglected complex of agricultural buildings into a world-class – and beautifully local – art hub
-
These sculptural mirrors embody the relaxed spirit of the Med
Photographed 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 allowed
Casa 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
-
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 art
This 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 development
Five 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 million
The 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 apartment
This 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 nous
Wood and stone meet artisanal and antique pieces in this high-spec, high-design mountain retreat