Studio and Boutique Tours

Temple St. Clair’s New York Shop Feels Italian

The West Village jewel box is filled with Florentine details

by Marion Fasel

April 4, 2024—Temple St. Clair has divided her time between New York City and Florence, Italy since she launched her beloved label in 1986. In the Big Apple, the American designer lives and works around the Greenwich Village neighborhood. Florence is where Temple, who speaks Italian fluently, spends a significant amount of time overseeing the creation of her jewels.

Temple’s creative life is beautifully reflected in the décor of her first boutique in New York City located at 803 Washington Street near the Whitney Museum and Highline in the Meat Packing District.

Collaborating with interior designers, Francesco Barthel & Enrico Latorraca at Riccardo Barthel & C., the 800-square foot jewel box space was transformed into a shop that feels like an elegant artist’s studio.

Artisanal furnishings composed of wood, metal and marble highlight the décor. Florentine creators were responsible for many custom-made items which were shipped from overseas.

Find out more about the details below.

The Story Table in the center of the boutique showcases the process of new and archival pieces made over the course of Temple’s career.

The designer circulates objects and ephemera in the space like a little exhibition to tell the backstory of designs.

On any given day, the display could include everything from exclusive Rock Crystal Amulets to Limited Edition creations and High Jewelry pieces.

Animals, which have long been a source of fascination for Temple, are usually part of the display. The creatures come from reality history and fantasy like falcons inspired by the Renaissance and Pisces fish from the Zodiac collection.

One of Temple St Clair’s many signature Amulets on top of a drawing for the design in the Story Table.

A paint color dubbed “Temple Blue” covers the walls.

Burnished brass highlights the custom designed floor and wall display cases and mirrors. Upholstery within the showcases is Ridgeline in Cloud Blue from Jim Thompson.

A pair of Gustavian antique chairs from DeGournay in Paris with seats covered in “Ishibilia” fabric from Lorenzo Castillo are among the found a reclaimed pieces of furniture in the shop.

A 1950s vase Temple found in Venice is another vintage piece with a personal touch in the space.

The construction of Florentine winter gardens such as the Limonaia behind the Palazzo Pitti in Florence inspired the iron and glass sliding doors that divide the front and back rooms of the boutique.

Reclaimed white oak repurposed from structural members of historic dairy barns and other agrarian buildings in the mid-Atlantic region cover the floors.

Textile artist Betil Dagdelen fabricated the pendant lights.

View from the outside looking in of the Temple St. Clair boutique at 803 Washington Street in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District.

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