LOS ANGELES, CALIF.- Phillips and Sight Unseen are proud to announce an exciting partnership centering around the auction house’s recently-launched outpost in Los Angeles. Through the collaboration, Sight Unseen will curate a rotating selection of contemporary design pieces for Phillips’ West Hollywood gallery space, to be exhibited alongside the auction house’s consigned works of 20th century and contemporary art, design, jewelry, and watches. The first installation, on view in Phillips’ space at 9041 Nemo Street, includes the works of ten designers from California: Atelier de Troupe, BZIPPY, Casey McCafferty, Christopher Norman, LAUN, Michael Felix, Nicholas Bijan Pourfard, Objects for Objects, Ryan Belli, and Soft-Geometry. All of the pieces will be available for purchase through Sight Unseen. Phillips will also host a book launch on 9 November for How to Live with Objects, the first book by Sight Unseen founders Monica Khemsurov and Jill Singer.

Meaghan Roddy, Phillips’ Head of Design, West Coast, said, “Phillips has long recognized California’s rich history and significance in the context of architecture and design, with our new outpost underscoring our commitment to the creative culture and ecosystem in the region. We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with Sight Unseen in championing this group of endlessly talented local designers and bringing their work to our community of collectors, both here in Los Angeles and beyond.”

“Ever since we founded Sight Unseen in 2009, we’ve made it our mission to champion the work of independent designers,” says Monica Khemsurov, co-founder of Sight Unseen. “Having access to a platform as visible and influential as Phillips is such an incredible opportunity both for us and the designers we represent. And the Southern California designers we’ve gathered together for this project really deserve to be seen and recognized — they represent the next chapter in California’s storied design history.”

HIGHLIGHTS TO BE FEATURED IN THE COLLABORATION

LAUN have created a site-specific installation for the outdoor space at Phillips Los Angeles consisting of custom pieces from their Ribbon collection, which is based around layered aluminum tubes that stack together to form solid pieces in an infinite combination of widths and forms. At Phillips, two brand-new Ribbon pieces will be introduced, the circular bench and curved sofa. LAUN was founded in 2018 by Rachel Bullock and Molly Purnell, who brought together their backgrounds in woodworking, metal working, and architecture to build a practice of enduring spaces and products. LAUN’s object line harnesses the talents of L.A. manufacturers to craft furniture suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

Ryan Belli is creating a custom settee for the installation, composed of a hand carved blackened-oak frame upholstered with Kvadrat’s Ria fabric. The piece is inspired by natural rock formations in Bryce Canyon. Belli will also exhibit a green dining chair in hand-carved, painted poplar. Belli is a Los Angeles–based designer who constructs all of his pieces in his studio by hand. After seven years working with the Haas Brothers, he created his own furniture studio, BELLI. Drawing inspiration from both natural and industrial forms, he innovates by using material intersections in unexpected ways.

All of the rugs featured in the installation have been provided by the Scandinavian brand Nordic Knots, which creates handmade rugs in timeless patterns, using colors drawn from the Nordic light and landscape.