Q&A with Don Carney and John Ross of PATCH NYC

Would you describe yourselves as collectors? If so, what types of pieces captivate your attention when browsing? 

Yes, we definitely consider ourselves collectors.  It’s a much nicer term than hoarder!  As artists and designers we like to surround ourselves with inspiring objects and, because the boundaries are blurred between our living and working spaces, those objects spill into every room.  As far as the types of pieces that captivate our attention, we are all over the place from a chunky piece of studio pottery or an oil painting from the 1800s to a squashed stuffed animal or a chipped transferware platter. 

There are two of us so there are two sets of eyes and two pairs of hands digging around and looking for treasures and we both tend to discover very different things.  Our collection happened very organically and without a lot of thought.  We simply filled our home with objects we love and realized the connections between certain pieces afterwards.

When it comes to curating a collection, what are your golden rules?

It seems very practical and boring, but it is important to consider the size of your space.  Sure, that monumental oil painting is a beauty, but will it fit in your fifth-floor walk-up? For ten years we lived in a 750-square-foot studio apartment in Manhattan so we had to abide by the rule of scale.  Having limited space put the kibosh on any large-scale purchases but we were able to focus on small treasures.  Once we moved out of the city into a normal-sized apartment, of course, all those small treasures seemed lilliputian - like we were two 6’3” men with a penchant for miniatures! 

Practicality aside, we think it’s best to buy the things you want to live with, have in your space and admire in the morning while having a cup of coffee. The biggest lesson we’ve learned is how to "edit" our surroundings but that came from years of experience and all those early mornings spent traipsing through flea markets, training our eyes to look for treasures.

How do your tastes differ from one another and have they evolved over the years?

Fortunately, our likes and dislikes are pretty similar, and, when not, we both appreciate the other’s taste. Don gravitates towards objects that are more ornate and decorative while I [John] tend to like things that are more understated or utilitarian. He’ll find an elaborately-gilded wood candlestick and I’ll find a 1940s desktop stapler in a muddy green. We joke that it’s because he’s half-Italian and I’m half-Japanese.

Over the years we’ve become much more discerning in our choices. We are fortunate to have some beautiful pieces in our home, things we love, so anything new we acquire has to be on par with the rest of the items in the room. Craftsmanship, detail, quality, and uniqueness are traits we look for in every new acquisition.

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What advice would you offer someone at the start of their collecting journey to help them find their footing and define their style?  

For us, it's great when an item has a story or provenance, but it rarely factors into our decision-making because we base our choices on whether or not we find the item beautiful.  What’s special to us is the story that begins when we find the item: from where we are to the time of year and who we’re with.

So our advice would be to start by thinking about why something catches your eye.  Was it the shape, the color, the imagery?  It’s an interesting exercise because there is a reason we are attracted to something and discerning those reasons can help define your likes and dislikes.  You might find that you’re attracted to anthropomorphic ceramics or the curve of cabriole legs or a particular shade of faded orange velvet upholstery. 

What were the most unexpected finds you discovered in our upcoming auctions?

We were not expecting the collections of handmade ceramic mushrooms and animal figurines at all! The black triton candlesticks, the tulip floor lamp, the figural gold andirons, all the over-the-top Wedgwood pieces and the large metal bust sculptures came as a nice surprise too!

You've designed and collaborated with an array of brands—from Crate & Barrel, J Crew and Target to Monoprix, Astier de Villatte, and Hermès. What's next for PATCH NYC?

Our collecting journey is deeply intertwined with our work and the way we approach design. Every project is a learning experience and we're always looking for the next creative challenge, whether it's discovering new materials or exploring new innovative approaches and practices. We're always busy working on new designs for PATCH NYC but, looking forward, we’re excited by the idea of designing commercial spaces - perhaps a boutique hotel or restaurant. We’d also love to collaborate with artisans - perhaps an established textile company to create fabrics by the yard or a boutique European porcelain factory with an incredible antiquarian collection and design archives to explore and reference!

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