Italian designer Paola Lenti will be showcasing her furniture designs at the LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton next week. The Reserve will host a private preview event on Thursday, June 14 and will be open to the public beginning on Saturday, June 15 through the end of September. Paola Lenti and her team will fly in from Italy for the opening.
The LongHouse Reserve is meant to provide peace, joy and beauty to the community and visitors from far and wide, according to LongHouse Director Carrie Rebora Barratt. Lenti’s pieces, Barratt said encapsulate this mission with their beautiful vibrant colors, sure to “take your breath away.”
Over 100 of Lenti’s armchairs, sofas, poufs, tables and umbrellas will be displayed across the 16-acre property. The pieces are comprised of natural woods, rich textures, organic color palettes, as well as weather-resistant fabrics and eco-friendly fibers.
This year marks 30 years of business for Paola Lenti and her 130 workers. “It’s a wonderful year to be celebrating with them,” Barratt said. “They were really excited to have the LongHouse venue to help them celebrate their anniversary.”
According to Lenti, LongHouse is “the ideal place to insert artworks accessible to everyone.”
Barratt described the Longhouse-Lenti partnership as “just right,” having formed a few years ago when Lenti met LongHouse Reserve founder, Jack Lenor Larsen.
Another crucial player in this partnership is West Chin’s West Out East, which helped facilitate shipping and insurance between Lenti and LongHouse. Lenti’s furniture is also available for purchase from West Out East, which has a Hamptons showroom in East Hampton.
The exhibit marks Paola Lenti’s first real presence in the Hamptons, as “this is the first time there will be this much of her furniture in the Hamptons ever, and a real chance for people to see this extraordinary work that’s coming straight from Milan to East Hampton,” Barratt said.
It also marks ten years since LongHouse’s last big furniture show.
The LongHouse Reserve opened to the public in October 2021 after the passing of its founder, Jack Lenor Larsen, who lived there prior to his death. He wanted it to be a public opportunity to do something special with art and nature, said Barratt.
Art and sculptures can be found all over the home and its vast gardens, mainstay collections which are always on the ground but are moved around each spring.
“LongHouse is a union of art and nature, with a mission to inspire living with art in all forms. Our collaboration with Paola Lenti is a true fulfillment of that mission,” Barratt said.
Email tvecsey@danspapers.com with comments, questions, or tips. Follow Behind The Hedges on Twitter and Instagram.
