Jamie Gray

The New York
Eye

Murray Moss

Dave Alhadeff

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Less ironic than The Future Perfect, more user-friendly than Moss, Matter is owner Jamie’s Gray’s personal mix of objects for the body, wall, table, and shelf. While he seeks out American designers, he also says he’s “still waiting for the design capital of this country to emerge.” His main focus is on functional objects, but he’s also playful. He’s got quirky one-offs like Rob Teeters’s Book Table, an 18-inch thick bound book that doubles as a bedside table, or an oversized charm bracelet cast in porcelain by hot young Dutch team Demakersvan.

According to Gray the next frontier in design is the environment, though his perspective is more informed by preservation than pollution. “I feel like I curate a collection of functional objects that are so well made they’ll never see a landfill,” he says. “Even when people are done with them, they’ll eventually find their way to some auction house.”

Gray believes the most exciting design right now is coming out of the UK. At Matter he carries the entire line of Established & Sons, known for innovative works from designers both up-and-coming and known. “Amanda Levete of Future Systems creates these sinuous forms that reference nature, but are truly otherworldly,” says Gray. “Her Drift bench, though inspired by driftwood, is nothing short of remarkable in a gloss black finish.” The Cinderella table (by Demakersvan) “shows a beautiful use of technology,” says Gray. “It evokes a bit of classical form while its hi-tech design turns it inside out.”

Click on the photo gallery to the left to see more designers Gray likes to keep watching.

Matter: 405 Broome St, New York; 212/343- 2600; mattermatters.com.

"Jamie Gray" originally appeared in the Fall 2008 issue of Culture+Travel. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Culture+Travel's Fall 2008 Table of Contents.