May 16

May 16 TheW+ Interior: Tyler Hays M.Crow & Company / New York

Recently I had the pleasure of discovering a design shop named M.CROW & Company by Tyler Hays, in New York’s SOHO District- while I was waiting for my reservation at the Roman and Williams designed, Le Coucou. Tyler Hays, a self proclaimed “maker”- actually makes— a “whole lot of things”, and this is putting it lightly. The painter / sculpture / clothes maker / ceramic artist / brewerer / weaver / and furniture artisan- and I am sure there’s more I’m skipping, was born and raised in rural Northeastern Oregon in 1968. According to an article in Business of Home, it was in Oregon that Hays got his start tinkering with items in the kitchen and the yard. His Mother collected salt clay and early Americana ceramic pieces- which his family used to store food. The ceramic pieces, painted with “super inspirational colors”, pretty much affected Hays’ aesthetic direction as a designer.

Tyler Hays Ping Pong Table under Lindsey Adelman Light Feature.

In the 90s, Hays moved to New York in his mid-20’s, where he presumably tried making a living as an Artist, and according to the shopkeeper at M.Crow, he slowly begun to invest little by little in ground floor spaces in SOHO, which he used as his artisan studio and for exhibition of his pieces. Today all his products under his 25 year old BDDW label are fabricated in Philadelphia. Visitors can enjoy the totality of Space under the moniker “M.Crow”, a unique shop selling everything from bespoke furniture to garments designed and fabricated by Hays and his team. While goods are not produced in New York anymore, the shop now acts as frontage for designers and fans looking to procure something uniquely Tyler Hays.

Items are not cheap. A gender-neutral boiler suit I was eyeing costs about 700 USD. Furniture pieces and lighting take some time to manufacture. A handmade Cherry console table with oxidized metal and leather finishes can take upwards to about 6-8 months from order to site delivery, once the order is confirmed. However, it sure is a nice place for inspiration and discovery, especially if the aesthetic you’re looking for is the “American pastoral” aesthetic. For those wanting to source something truly special, look out for unique hand painted bespoke ceramic tiles adorning a couple of the portals in the space. Also enjoy sublime light fixtures produced by Hay’s friend and contemporary, Lindsey Adelman. The Adelman pieces actually have room to breathe in the shop’s double height industrial interiors. I also enjoyed the shop’s fabric selection- woven by Hays and his team, hung beautifully in the main gallery space. Other “workware” also on offer include denims and khakis at typically eye-popping prices- it’s clothing- but to Hays, also an elevated art form.