Kelly Behun x Barneys

Kelly Behun x Barneys: A Patterned Pop-Up, Where Maximalism Prevails

If you’ve ever seen us advertise for Sight Unseen OFFSITE around here, chances are you’ve noticed us using this photo, of Kelly Behun Studio’s 2014 presentation, about a million times. We use it in part because we love so much the collection she presented that year, which mixed Op-Art furnishings with a more bohemian rag rug–inspired aesthetic. But we also use it because it’s one of the purest distillations of our vision for OFFSITE — an immersive environment filled with furniture and accessories at different scales, that offers visitors a cohesive view into a designer’s world.

That’s why it came as no surprise when we heard that Behun and her team were creating a pop-up and capsule collection for Barneys New York, on view through October 31st, that translates the studio’s super graphic design aesthetic into a collection of items for the home. Called A Kook Milieu, the pop-up was inspired in part by the pattern and decoration–obsessed 1970s New York gallerist Holly Solomon, who was known for blurring the line between art and design. Behun’s pop-up includes graphic accessories (we’re way into the Marquetry Trays and digitally printed Lazy Suzi), Op Art–inspired furnishings, and collaborations with artists like Cody Hoyt, Manal Kara, and Beth Goobic. But to further evoke the maximalist, pattern-happy look she was going for, Behun outfitted the space with seminal, simpatico artworks, including painted chairs by artist Kim MacConnel and neoprene curtains by Izhar Patkin, which Behun recalled from her days assisting Ian Schrager back in the ’90s. After so much minimalism, the shop-in-shop is a serious breath of fresh air — a must-visit if you’re in New York this fall!

PHOTOS BY LAUREN COLEMAN AND RICK BARROSO

5348 5673V2 5696 5390 5450 5154 5554 Suede Pillows 6315 Ceramic Vases by Manal Kara LR-behun-0805 5386 LR-behun-0842_6 5404 5423 LR-behun-0907 LR-behun-0929_2 Raku Pots by Beth Goobic Radient Side Table LR-behun-0955 Preface Side Table_Kelly Behun and Cody Hoyt Wicker Side Table Marquetry Boxes 63533 3522