Design Matters with… R & Company

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The ABASK Artist Studio is open, and we have partnered with New York’s most distinguished champion of collectible design,R & Company,to spotlight its artists and our makers side by side. Here, its founders, Zesty Meyers and Evan Snyderman, share details on their life in design and our collaboration.

What role does craft and design play in your life? 

Zesty: Every day, every moment, I'm surrounded by it. I love the way things are designed and feel in my hand. I like touching them to open the door, to open the drawer, forks, cups, plates. I love all of it.

Evan: I cannot think of too many parts of my life that do not involve craft or design. Having been raised in the craft world and growing up in the design world, I find that these subjects are integrated into all that I do. My wife is also an artist, and you can probably guess what we talk about at the dinner table. 

Why do you think partnerships are important to promote your artists?

Zesty: Partnerships help us optimise time, which I think is a really big issue for us. In our profession, we are meant to provide pleasure, culture, rushes of endorphins, which I don't think enough people talk about. Together, we can save time, achieve more and expand our mission beyond our individual audiences. 

How would you describe your interiors style?

Evan: Personally, eclectic. I love to mix modern design with contemporary design, yet all I need is to be grounded by historical antiques and collectibles. I collect objects and love to display them in my home. That said, my home is constantly changing. Things move in and out as there is never enough space to show all that I love. 

What is the best craft or design gift you’ve ever received? 

 Zesty: Recently, Jolie Ngo gifted me one of her 3D-printed vessels. It’s amazing what she’s doing in plastics, both technically, because it’s exceptionally light, and visually, because it’s brightly coloured and striped. I wear a Paul Smith striped shirt every day of my life, so when Jolie presented me with this vessel, I was thrilled.

Evan: As a former glassblower myself, one of my favourite gifts is when people give me credit for glassblowing time at Brooklyn Glass, because it forces me to get back to the studio and make things that I then turn around and give away. 

“We can take leadership roles in defining why culture is important, in this case through design.”

Zesty Meyers, R & Company co-founder

What room in your home do you do your best thinking?

Zesty: The dining room, at my dining table, which is a solid, free form cut hardwood table from Brazil with beautiful 70s burnt umber chairs that really contrast with the Brazilian wood. It’s lit with a stunning Galaxy Cluster by the American artist Jeff Zimmerman.

 Evan: The kitchen; I love to cook, and this is my safe space in the house where I can dive into making food and clear my head. 

What is the first item and last item you bought for your home? 

Zesty: The first item was a storage unit. Since it is a loft with 12-foot ceilings, we couldn't put a regular sized wall unit in; it would have looked like dollhouse furniture. So, we had to go on the hunt to find a massive wall unit. We ended up with a Brazilian one that's over 20-feet long. My newest piece of design came in the mail yesterday. It's a perforated screen that most people use to cool pastries, but for me, it's how I'm going to separate my salmon roe and salmon caviar caught on a recent fishing trip in Alaska.

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What drew you to working with ABASK on this collaboration? 

 Zesty: Working with a partner that excels at presentation on every level pushes us to do the same, better than what we've done before. And that's the whole goal, right? Either we present it right and the client gets it or they don't. That's the only way we can succeed.

Evan: Ever since we started, we've always looked for interesting ways to collaborate with other like-minded individuals in the field – be it another gallery or artist, or in this case ABASK, who we think share the same values – in order to grow our company through sharing. This is how we built our business. We always learn. We know that we can't do this alone or singularly.

Which item in your home brings you the most joy?

Zesty: I think the item that brings me the most joy is in my pocket every day. It's my money clip by George Jensen, and it's the object of design that I probably touch more than any other. It’s a wonderful thing.

Evan: A Girl table lamp by Katie Stout. 

“We want to help our artists grow. Our job as a gallery representing artists is to make their careers happen.”

Evan Snyderman, R & Company co-founder

What do you - or what would you like to -  collect?

Zesty: I never collected enough Scandinavian pottery, particularly from Sweden. I’d like to buy more Krenit bowls from the Danish designer Herbert Krenchel. I have a bunch of them at home, but I've always wanted a giant set. I don't know why I haven't taken the time to put it together.

Evan: I started collecting antique toys when I was a kid, and I still find myself unable to pass a great one up when spotted at the flea market. Thankfully, I don't go to the flea market as much as I used to. 

What item in your home can’t you bear to part with?

Zesty: My striped socks. My fear is that Paul Smith will stop designing striped socks one day, so I have way more than I need. I don't know how many pairs I have but way more than most people probably should, and I refuse to stop buying them.

Evan: Our Jeff Zimmerman Morphos' chandelier. It was one of the first major design pieces I purchased, and it centres our entire home.

“I have long admired Zesty and Evan and their incredible knowledge, talent, and wonderful roster of artists.”

Tom Chapman, ABASK co-founder

How does our collaboration represent the ethos of R & Company? 

 Zesty: It’s about discovery, quality and presentation. I think what we have in common is that we have the same client, and this is the way our client really lives. They have some things that are incredibly made by hand and some things that are a little more industrially designed, but in the end, they are all things that give their owner and the viewer the satisfaction, the comfort, and the joy they're looking for.

What's the greatest heirloom that you will be most proud to pass on?

Evan: My 1968 Plymouth Belvedere. I've owned this car for 25 years and raised our family in it. There are many road trips to remember. 

Zesty: One of the heirlooms we have in our loft is from my grandfather's house. It's more sentimental than collectible, but it's a bookcase by Paul McCollum. I had it in my room growing up, and now it’s in one of my son’s rooms. It's gone through four generations. It has nothing to do with value, but more to do with sentimentality.

What is your go-to gift for a host? 

Evan: Hand-blown glasses, hopefully made by me. Everything tastes better in hand-blown glass. 

Zesty: Well, definitely an object. As of late, it has been something by Roberto Lugo from his Village Potter series. One of his bespoke ceramic cups or a butter dish in the form of a SEPTA train or maybe even his ceramic coffee pour-overs in the shape of a Philadelphia water tower.

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