The 150-year-old, London-based antiques dealer Mallett is moving into the 21st century through a new project that pairs contemporary design works with historic items drawn from the dealer’s inventory. Three design companies—Mexican silversmiths Tane, the Milanese jewellery atelier Pomellato and the New York-based firm Calico Wallpaper—will show works at the dealer’s 18th-century headquarters, Ely House, in Mayfair. The selling exhibition, entitled Design House (21-26 September), is part of the London Design Festival.
The move represents a radical new strategy for the traditional furniture dealer. “Design House marks the beginning of a new era for Mallett, introducing curated partnerships to reflect the best of Mallett’s history and heritage as well as its legacy looking forward,” a spokeswoman says. In October, the Swiss entrepreneur Simon de Pury will auction at Mallett’s headquarters 350 contemporary art and Modern design pieces drawn from the collection of the Geneva-based collector Baroness Marion Lambert.
Meanwhile, “Tane’s participation in Design House has the personal support of Ambassador Gómez Pickering who sees it as part of the celebrations of the Year of Mexico [festival in the UK],” says a Mallett statement. The festival, a key cultural diplomacy initiative, also includes a new installation in the John Madejski Garden at the Victoria and Albert Museum by the Mexican architect Frida Escobedo (You Know You Cannot See Yourself So Well as by Reflection).