Each piece in the Desert Series is a unique work of art, made of porcelain using a unique fabrication technique developed with Paone’s paternal aunt, the ceramicist Anne Paone. Two new additions in this series, the Desert Table Lamp and Large Desert Pendant in the Negative Finish, offer the same visual and textural elements in an alluring shade of black with blackened brass hardware. The Negative Finish, conceived with new collaborator ceramicist Jeff Nimeh, takes the original series and inverts the aesthetic using metallic oxides and carbonates.

Inspired by the beauty of a dried-out desert lake bed, each piece is a handmade one-of-a-kind object that produces a mysterious quality when internally lit, embracing the flaws and accidents inherent in the craft and process of making: the series exemplifies the wabi-sabi ethos of acceptance of transience and imperfection.

“The vitrines at E.R. Butler & Co have always presented design in such a totally New York way,” says Jes Paone. “These impeccably crafted glass boxes mysteriously present the highest order of objects on the streets of SoHo in front of the most elegant architectural hardware store. I really could not think of a better way to display my work as a New Yorker in the design industry. It is satisfying to be a part of that history.”

“We have been working with designers for the window displays since the store's inception, and we’re thrilled to have Jes partake in the next exhibition,” says Rhett Butler, founder of E.R. Butler & Co. “I was immediately struck by the pairing of the pillowy organic porcelain shapes and his clean take on brass work, with its puzzled connections being able to produce a rich three dimensionality with two-dimensional cutting. Also, the new Negative Finish takes a beautifully gothic stance that pairs well with my interest in that historical design style.”

The Desert Table Lamp and Large Desert Pendant in the Negative Finish will be shown with the rest of the designs in the series: the Desert Silo Lamp, the Desert Table Lamp, and the Desert Pendant in Small, Medium, and Large. All pieces will be on view and available for purchase through the E.R. Butler & Co. showroom on 55 Prince Street from May 14, 2022 until August 14, 2022.

Jes is a New York-based architect and designer, and founder of the eponymous firm Jeshua Paone Architecture Studio. He was most recently the VP of Architecture and Design at luxury developer DDG, where he was the senior architect and co-designer of several innovative projects in New York City, including 41 Bond Street, 325 West Broadway, 100 Franklin, The Standish and the tallest building north of 72nd Street, 180 East 88th Street.