A closet-size storefront in a Chinatown mini-mall tucked underneath the rumbling Manhattan Bridge may not seem like the most intuitive place to open a gallery dedicated to collectible design, but it made perfect sense for Stephen Markos. In 2019, he launched an Instagram account dedicated to elevating leftfield contemporary designers and contextualizing them within the work of their forebears from the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. Two years later, as the industry was starting to come up for air following the early pandemic, he acquired the shoebox space in Chinatown and christened it Superhouse Vitrine. His concept was simple, yet no less radical than his favorite style of furniture—eschew the industry’s tendency to gatekeep collectible design in stuffy showrooms by displaying them in a glass box that anyone can engage with.

In the years since, Superhouse has emerged as one of New York City’s premier contemporary design galleries to watch, thanks in large part to Markos’s keen ability to identify obscure makers with offbeat ideas that can appeal to discerning collectors and the downtown set. Superhouse’s solo exhibitions have platformed exclusively up-and-comers, helping introduce the market to the fabulous talents of Kim Mupangilaï, Sean Gerstley, Ellen Pong, Alfhild Külper, and Ryan Decker. He occasionally displays their work alongside archival pieces he hand-picked from the past, collapsing decades of design history into an evocative whole united by a maverick, exploratory spirit. One show even tracked down 20 pieces from Art et Industrie, the erstwhile downtown design gallery that helped launch the careers of Michele Oka Doner and Terence Main. Perhaps the torch has been passed.

Thanks to Markos’s unorthodox curation, opening nights at Superhouse tend to draw a crowd. Only two or three people can possibly cram inside the 200-square-foot vitrine, so hosting events posed logistical challenges as the gallery’s profile rose. Markos spent the past six months scouring downtown real estate for a more spacious home that would allow his artists to present more ambitious works and accommodate bigger groups. He found it at a 1,500-square-foot gallery on the border of Chinatown and Tribeca, marking the booming art neighborhood’s latest entry and joining fellow design galleries R & Company, Jacqueline Sullivan, and Twenty First. It opens today with “Celestial City,” an exhibition of carved wooden coffins known as abeduu adeka (“proverb boxes”) by Ghanaian sculptor Paa Joe that pays homage to the Big Apple. Two human-size coffins are shaped like a Heinz ketchup bottle and a yellow taxi; others recreate the Guggenheim and an Hermès Birkin bag.

Markos caught up with Surface about the origin of the vitrine, Tribeca’s booming art community, and how a single DM sparked his latest show.

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Upstairs at Kawabun, the Murray Hill outpost of a 400-year-old Nagoya restaurant, lies Kawachiya, a temple to Kaiseki tradition. This eight-seat counter imbues centuries of accumulated recipes—passed down from chef to chef in an unbroken chain of succession—with modern artistry. The second concept by the Japanese hospitality group Plan Do See, it incorporates indigenous materials to craft a dining room modeled after Sukiya-Zukuri architecture.

At a counter crafted from a single Keyaki tree, Chef Yoshitaka Ito, who honed his knives under Michelin-starred Chef Odo, leads guests through the centuries with a meticulous hand, deftly crafting and plating each course. Bluefin, served at three stages of fattiness, is dusted with salted kelp and shavings of horseradish. Fried anko bathes in verdant chrysanthemum sauce with a sprinkling of lime zest. To cap off the meal, try bright sumo oranges served with tart yogurt ice cream.

Invisible Collection is no stranger to opening pop-ups in collector-rich locales like Southampton and Aspen, but the design-minded e-commerce platform is setting up shop at Phillips Los Angeles throughout the year. The marketplace has curated the auction house’s private client room with a rotating series of exceptional furniture and lighting from premier European ateliers like Studio MTX, one of Chanel’s Métiers d’Art, that resonate with Los Angeles glamour. Another round of hand-picked pieces by the likes of Pierre Bonnefille, Thierry Lemaire, and Garcé & Dimofski will accompany Phillips and Art for Change’s exhibition “Fully Bloomed” until Friday.

New & Notable is a cultural catchall that highlights interesting new products and projects from our brilliantly creative members of The List. With new releases, events, and goings-on, the below moments indicate the power they have to move the needle in realms including architecture, design, fashion, and art.

Studio Plow: The Bay Area and Wine Country–based interiors studio is always hard at work on soulful spaces that capture a sense of place. One of their latest debuts, Casa de Arte, goes a step further by communicating its owner’s deep love of contemporary art, collectible design, her Mexican heritage, and family. For proof, look no further than the San Francisco home’s playroom, where a Carlagara wall hanging made by artisans in Mexico hangs above the Camaleonda sofa by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia.

Wolf-Gordon: Those driven by the pursuit of beauty are often forced to contend with the dichotomy of aesthetic versus function. Thanks to Wolf-Gordon and Dutch design and research firm Studio Rens, who recently relaunched contract-grade paint brand Scuffmaster with a striking new palette of finishes and colors, there’s one less trade-off in the world of commercial interiors.

Matthew Fisher: A deep love of history and the arts permeates the collection of decorative objects, lighting, and furniture Fisher produces for clients and his namesake studio. His newest undertaking is a collection of six lighting fixtures inspired by ancient Greek mythology and the transfixing interplay of light and stone. The collection is available exclusively at Remains—one of the best-kept secrets in antique décor as well as made-to-order lighting.

A Kansas City Chief, Taylor Swift’s boyfriend, former nonsensical tweeter… and film producer? Travis Kelce is reportedly using President Joe Biden’s renewable energy tax credits to help finance the film My Dead Friend Zoe, an indie flick that marks the famous tight end’s inaugural foray into film as executive producer. The low-budget dark comedy, which recently premiered at SXSW, follows an Afghanistan veteran who encounters her Vietnam veteran grandfather at her family’s ancestral lake house. Kelce, along with producer Ray Maiello and entrepreneur Mike Field of Radiant Media Studios, are also producing a second film: King Pleasure, a documentary about Jean-Michel Basquiat helmed by Lizzo’s former creative director Quinn Wilson in cooperation with the late artist’s estate.

When: Until April 13

Where: Stephen Friedman Gallery, London

What: Expanding upon his practice of engaging with clay and its connection to place and ancestry, the Miami-born sculptor recasts the domestic objects, flora, and fauna from his previous works as humanoid characters with uncanny yet recognizable features. Vessels sprout appendages such as ears and mouths, while exaggerated hands shield invisible eyes in mise-en-scène that transform each room into its own distinct environment.

Hacin is a multidisciplinary architecture firm dedicated to design excellence and client service. Working at all scales, the firm’s services include architecture and interior design, graphic design and branding, and adaptive reuse.

Surface Says: Hacin imbues its work with a strong sense of place, especially in hometown Boston. Just look at the award-winning Whitney Hotel in Beacon Hill for proof: its thoughtfully expressive design has a pinch of New England flair and exudes a casual sophistication that impeccably matches the Beantown vibe.

A disgruntled Oscars attendee likens his glamour-free night to “a human lasagne.”

Kate Middleton’s uncanny family photo has spawned even weirder memes online.

James Shaw installs a giant foot in a Camper store on London’s Regent Street.

Dwell’s first editor has been working on her Catskills home for 20 years.