Rarify Debuts Largest-Ever Collection of SOM Furniture in NYC

The following piece examines Rarify’s first-ever furniture-focused exhibition, Furniture by SOM: Design 1950–1991. The show is staged across two floors of LuisaViaRoma’s SoHo shop in New York.

It brings together 60 pieces of furniture, artifacts, and photography by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). The exhibition highlights the firm’s influence on interior design and its connection with fashion during a pivotal four-decade span.

Exhibition Overview

New York Fashion Week serves as the backdrop for this show. The exhibition aims to highlight shared values such as design innovation, craftsmanship, and quality across architecture, furniture, and fashion.

The display spans 1950–1991 and presents SOM’s interior work on two levels. Objects are paired with original architectural photography to tell a story of material and form over time.

The presentation features works by designers like Gordon Bunshaft and Davis Allen. It includes archival imagery by Ezra Stoller and Matthew Gordon, showing how SOM’s furniture interacted with its spaces.

Designers and Photography

Key designers anchor the exhibition. The photographs provide context for how these pieces were conceived and used within SOM interiors.

This approach highlights the collaborative nature of SOM projects. It shows how furniture integrated with architecture and lighting, shaping the character of buildings.

Key Pieces and Design Highlights

The selection reflects both standardized modernist language and more experimental efforts from the 1970s and ’80s. Notable objects include a rare metal-mesh lounge chair by Davis Allen upholstered in original Jack Lenor Larsen fabric and a striped Italic Desk by Gordon Bunshaft.

Other highlights are a long stainless-steel and leather bench created for a 1960s Chase Manhattan Bank project and bespoke side tables from ABC. These pieces show SOM’s range, from sleek, machine-age sensibilities to tactile, texturally rich designs for specific needs.

• Rare metal-mesh lounge chair by Davis Allen with Jack Lenor Larsen fabric
• Striped Italic Desk by Gordon Bunshaft
• Long stainless-steel and leather bench for a 1960s Chase Manhattan Bank project
• Bespoke side tables from ABC

Understanding SOM’s Design Language

The exhibited works map SOM’s evolving interior vocabulary. The show reveals the firm’s focus on combining efficiency, craftsmanship, and material innovation with a disciplined sense of form.

Rarify’s Archival Curation and Authentication

Rarify organized the collection from its archive of vintage furniture, built through online sales, auctions, and office liquidations. Co-CEOs David Rosenwasser and Jeremy Bilotti curated the selection to show the breadth of SOM’s output, dividing the show into segments reflecting both standardized modernist design and exploratory pieces from later decades.

Rosenwasser spent more than 1,000 hours working with SOM’s head of product development, Satya Cacioppe. They researched archival drawings, photography, and period sources to identify and date each piece.

He notes that without this archival work, many unlabelled, meticulously made objects could have been lost. Careful documentation allows for authentic identification and appreciation.

Source, Collaboration and Education

Rarify’s mission is to collect, restore, sell, and educate about modern furniture. Its Philadelphia gallery and collaborations with brands such as Gantri and Studio Guapo support this goal.

The current exhibition at LuisaViaRoma makes a major design archive accessible to a broader audience. It also connects the archive to contemporary fashion discussions.

Why This Show Matters to Architecture, Interiors and Fashion

The convergence of SOM’s architectural legacy with furniture and fashion offers a unique look at mid-to-late 20th-century design. The curatorial approach emphasizes design innovation, material experimentation, and craftsmanship.

For professionals in architecture and interior design, the display shows how furniture can define or transform space. For fashion observers, it highlights cross-disciplinary influences that shape contemporary aesthetics.

Dates, Venue and Access

The exhibition Furniture by SOM: Design 1950–1991 runs through April at LuisaViaRoma in New York’s SoHo. Rarify continues its educational program through its Philadelphia gallery and collaborations with modern furniture brands.

About the Players

Rarify is a gallery and archive specializing in modern furniture. It is known for its rigorous archival research and authentication process.

SOM remains a touchstone for tectonic modernism in architecture and interior design. Its interior objects reveal the practical and aesthetic considerations behind iconic buildings, banks, offices, and public spaces.

 
Here is the source article for this story: Rarify exhibits largest-ever collection of SOM furniture in NYC