Kent, Conn. has a chic new home decor destination.
Interior designer Craig Anthony Longhurst has opened an eponymous design studio-slash-gallery in the town center. Longhurst, a Melbourne native who moved to New York about 15 years ago, is known for his wide-ranging style, and the items available for sale reflect that. There’s everything from 1970s-era Pozzi designs to pieces from Donghia and Cassina from the 1980s and 1990s, with Marcel Breuer — who lived not far away in New Canaan — represented as well.
“My aesthetic is very eclectic. There’s no common theme and that’s the interesting thing about it,” said Longhurst. “When I’m working on a project for a client, I narrow it down, but when it comes to this space, I can be more open about what I buy, because I’m not buying for anyone in particular — I’m buying a piece because I really like it.”
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His favorites include a set of 20th-century Swedish wingback armchairs with hand-carved rope pattern frames, $9,600 for the set; a signed Leda floor lamp by Jacques Jarrige, also $9,600, and a ribbon chair signed by Cesare Leonardi and Franca Stagi in lacquered fiberglass for $8,600.
The store also functions as a gallery. It is exhibiting works by Robert Baris, an artist who lived in New York, Connecticut and the South of France, and had a studio in Sharon, Conn. “He has a wonderful backstory — he was independently wealthy and never sold any of his work,” said Longhurst. “He painted because he loved to paint.”
While the store opened in late February, Longhurst, who divides his time between an apartment in Chelsea and weekend home in nearby Falls Village, finds pieces all over — thrift stores, flea markets, auctions online and off. “I always have my eyes open,” he says. “I’m always on the lookout for my clients and myself.”
Craig Anthony Longhurst: 27 North Main Street, Kent, Conn., 917-280-8878.
