Here's another piece that went to @untitledartfairs with @irl.nyc
Thank you for all the support (in person, virtually, telepathically, etc 🩶)!
When’s It Gonna Be My Turn, 2025
This vanity doesn't have a name yet but it is a special one. It was made for @nicoleabetitus , someone who truly understands what it means to love art and support artists, and it simply would not exist without her
Please behold... The Alchemist's Folly! My first large-scale immersive outdoor sculpture, presented at Collectible Fair's 2024 inaugural NYC debut.
A year ago, Harry Heissmann asked what I thought of building something along the lines of a giant outdoor strawberry gazebo. I continually tried to evoke a more abstract feeling, and over the six months it took to sculpt it entirely by hand in my home studio, it organically developed, constantly changing and shifting. I was looking at Surrealist painters, specifically Remedios Varo, Dorothea Tanning, and of course, Hieronymus Bosch and his otherworldly strawberries.
I wanted the piece to feel as if it was in this ethereal moment of transition, one that pulls you in, envelops you, and transports you to another place.
There are a few Easter eggs in the name if you know what to look for, but I was mainly thinking about alchemy—the supposed transformation of matter or a seemingly magical process of creation or combination. Whereas a folly is "a costly ornamental building with no practical purpose, especially a tower or mock-Gothic ruin built in a large garden or park." Historically, follies were built on estates to resemble fake ruins and look as if they’d always been there. And with the passage of time, they would. BUT a folly can also be a foolish idea or mistake, which was quite funny to me!
Photos 1-4: @simonleungphoto
I'll be showing new work with IRL Gallery at Untitled Art Fair, Miami Beach!
Come say hi, we'll be in booth B55, Dec 2-7
Love Me Until I Love Myself, 2025
These two pieces are being exhibited with IRL Gallery at the Aspen Art Fair which opens today @irl.nyc@aspenartfair_org
Tír na Spéire: Wall Sculpture & Mirror, 2025
Dimensions: 21x3.5x30
We’re taking a look at designer Nicholas Devlin’s work, whose sculptural furniture comes from a fantasy realm where the boundaries between memory and imagination blur. From his iconic gazebos that resemble “giant inhabitable strawberries” to his mirrors adorned with miniature towers and cottages, each piece captures a sense of whimsy and mystery that is both comforting and haunting. The reflective surfaces of his mirrors add another layer of intrigue, creating a dialogue between the viewer and the tiny architectural forms that seem to emerge from another world. His chairs, with their anthropomorphic qualities, and his tables, which often resemble surreal landscapes, further showcase his ability to transform functional objects into portals of storytelling. It’s the kind of work that feels alive, as if it holds secrets waiting to be discovered.
Nick’s process is deeply intuitive, rooted in a desire to capture how something feels rather than how it should look. “I start with how I want it to feel, which becomes a sketch, and then work through it until it feels right,” he says. Each piece is handcrafted in his Brooklyn studio, a testament to his artisanal touch. The finishes are so precise, so immaculate, that they might be mistaken for machine-made or the product of a large team. Yet, it’s the subtle imperfections—the faint traces of his hand—that give his work its soul. Whether it’s the delicate layers of plaster in his mirrors or the organic, flowing forms of his chairs, Nick’s ability to balance structure with emotion is unparalleled.
As one of the brightest new designers working today, Nick continues to refine and evolve his practice. His earlier work, with its vibrant, playful finishes, has given way to more elegant, refined forms, yet his singular vision remains unmistakable. There’s no one else creating work quite like his, and it’s this unique perspective that makes his pieces so compelling. We have no doubt that he’ll continue to push boundaries, creating objects that resonate on both emotional and functional levels. Nick’s work isn’t just furniture; it’s a conversation, a story, a world unto itself.
“Isn’t it crazy that the entirety of Whoville in 'The Grinch 'existed inside of a singular snowflake?” Brooklyn-based designer Nicholas Devlin asks. It’s the kind of question that he might explore in one of his own pieces, which often harbor entire worlds of their own. Castles, cottages, and villages from fairy tales like those of the Brother Grimm are re-created at the scale of furniture, sculpted in fortified plasters, wood and metal framing, epoxies, fiberglass, and acrylic paint. His Castle Vanity from 2023 is one of his most recent works, finished in a glistening white with drawers hidden behind tiny cottages, custom-made for Nicole Abe Titus. This is a newer direction for Devlin, who’s made drippy mirror frames and squiggly lamps, although much of his work does sit solidly in the world of feeling enchanted and otherworldly.
“I think there’s often a sense of shame or embarrassment to liking something we think we’re not supposed to like,” Devlin says. “There are so many aspects of the world that are unforgiving and cold, so I think it’s especially important to live with and enjoy things we actually love.” Some of Devlin’s favorite commissions include a garden folly for Harry Heissmann and a powder-room collection that includes a cottage-shaped toilet paper dispenser and a melting candelabra sconce for Eli Mizrahi.
Head to the link in our bio for more design-forward children's furniture.
Photo: Nicholas Devlin
