Background
Crosta Smith Gallery came about when Les Beaux Arts Fine Art graduate Marine Edith Crosta and her partner in business and in life Daniel Smith – a fashion commerce manager for streetwear brand Supreme – bought a small house in the South of France. While furnishing their new holiday home, they shopped for vintage pieces from brocantes and flea markets, and in doing so, sharpened their eye for style and quality. They began collecting important Art Deco design and decided to start a gallery specializing in 20th century pieces, typically from 1920 to 1940. With Smith’s passion for craftsmanship, quality and research, combined with Crosta’s flair for interior styling and a sense of aesthetics developed throughout her painting practice, London based Crosta Smith Gallery offers a unique take on 20th Century decorative arts. (Words: Benjamin Weaver / The London List)
Signature Style
The curation at Crosta Smith Gallery focuses on rare and important pieces of French Art Deco and Modernist design, featuring the finest materials, such as precious wood, ivory, parchment, stingray, and techniques inherent to luxury design of the era, like lacquer-work or straw marquetry. While the selection reflects the elegance and innovation of the “entre deux guerres” period, it is remarkably relevant to modern collectors, and contemporary interiors.
Showstoppers
The Pierre Chareau Sideboard, a superb collector’s piece by the architect and designer. The exceptional provenance (Edmond Fleg’s personal apartment), the fire stamp with Chareau‘s monogram, the impeccable proportions and craftsmanship of this piece make it a extraordinary item. The understated elegance of Jean-Michel Frank is embodied in a Coiffeuse, which can be used as a console table in a hallway or a living room, or as a dressing table in a master bedroom. The delicate legs and the wonderfully simple silhouette and the parchment top and the soft almond coloured velvet interior are incredibly chic. The piece is stamped CP, for Chanaux and Pelletier, the furniture makers used by Frank, and comes with a certificate.
Headshot photo credit: Morgane Lay
