Patrick Parrish, a design dealer, with his son, Clyde, in the small Chelsea apartment in New York he has lived in for nearly two decades. CreditAndrew White for The New York Times
Patrick Parrish
AGE 52
OCCUPATION Owner, Patrick Parrish gallery; author of “The Hunt: Navigating the Worlds of Art and Design” (Powerhouse Books)
LOCATION Chelsea, Manhattan
HIS FAVORITE ROOM For nearly two decades, this 450-square-foot, rent-stabilized apartment was Mr. Parrish’s bachelor pad. Now he’s married, and the living area is where he hangs out with his 2-year-old son, Clyde. And soon the apartment will be a memory: The growing family is moving to a bigger place in Brooklyn.
There must be a lot of history for you here.
I moved in here because a friend of mine told me, “I know an apartment that would be perfect for you. It’s a one-bedroom, and it’s less than two blocks from the flea market.” Because I was going to the flea market every Saturday and Sunday. I would get there between 4 and 4:30 a.m., rain or shine. I was picking and selling to other dealers.
Was it sad to see those flea-market lots become apartment towers?
Yeah, it was. In the beginning, there were eight places where you could buy stuff. Now there’s one — and there’s no one there. I’m up with Clyde. We could go to the flea market, but I just can’t do it. I just burned out.
What’s your weekend routine with Clyde?
This is his command post, this Doug Johnston ottoman. We sit on the sofa and we read. It’s kind of Clyde’s world.
Continue reading the main story
As a design-minded person, does it drive you crazy to have toys everywhere?
He’s got pretty good taste. This vintage Austrian toy that’s like a Tinker Toy but more modernist — I found it and I showed it to him and he just loved it. The other stuff, like this bus, I’m not really into. I am into what he did to it, the way he stickered it up. That’s cool.
Let’s talk about your own toys. Is that a Calder sculpture?
It looks a lot like Calder, and it came out of an estate that had Calders. So is it Calder? I need to send it to the Calder Foundation, but I just never have. If it is a Calder, that’s amazing. But if it’s not, I’m going to think about it differently. For now, it’s potential.
You could say the same of your impending life in Brooklyn.
It’s a little scary to move. You know, this apartment has always had a great vibe to it. It’s always been quiet, it’s always been comfortable. It sounds cliché, but it’s home, even though it’s little. It’s a great neighborhood, and I’ll miss it. But it’s time for a change.
[“Source-nytimes”]
