Our names are: Bessie Corral + Oliver Corral.
We’re known for being: Warm.
I'm talking about: Warm, cozy, special, curious and engaging spaces.
You can find it at: The real world is in Greenwich Village in New York City and the virtual world is online at Arje.com for everyone to enjoy a taste of it. Our homes exist in both 3D life and in digital life; this was really important for us.
Before we inhabited this space, we were: Using the space as a home + showroom + office for our brand Arjé. It always felt quite chaotic as we never intended our home to be our studio or clothing showroom with our team, customers and clients coming in and out throughout the day. We really made the most of something we had, but it was always intended to be a temporary solution.
What inspired me to launch/create/design it was: We always intended Arjé to be a full lifestyle brand. We always believed once we were more successful with our clothing collection, we would be able to have the resources to build the complete lifestyle vision. However, during the pandemic, we realized the more successful we were becoming, the more energy and efforts needed to be allocated to that part of the business—and we would never start building our dream. We were fortunate at the time of the peak of the pandemic to be in London and, during our time there, away from the city and our studio/home/office, we gained a new found perspective and had additional emotional space to think about our future and why we do what we do. We just knew we had to start building our dream brand. So we decided to turn our personal home into the Arjé HOME to start creating the complete narrative of the brand.
What happens there is: It’s the Arjé HOME. It's a personal home and virtual showroom where every object, artwork and element has either been created, curated or collaborated on by us with makers from around the world. And every single item is available on Arje.com.
What makes it special is: That we created the home ourselves with our bare hands. We did all the renovations from the ground up and experimented, taught ourselves and challenged ourselves beyond belief to create a dream home. We left no corner untouched!
One thing you can’t miss is: The play on textures, layers, shapes and forms that run throughout the home. You feel like you’ve entered another world where each object and form feels like a character welcoming you in.
My favorite secret detail is: The shapes running through the home. Every single form has been curated and created from three shapes: circle, triangle and square. And when you look carefully around you when you are in the home, you see every single shape work in harmony together or, as we like to say, “dance” through the home!
For me, what it means to hold space is: To make someone feel safe, loved, welcome and seen in their totality.
Our spaces are so important, especially in this time, because: Our spaces hold energy, convert energy and have the power to inspire energy. A space is your nest designed to hold you in and recharge you from within. A well-designed and intentionally considered space can change your mood, your health and those around you. Space is one of the most powerful concepts in our human life that needs to be honored!
The work we do can help you live your process because: It’s designed to make you feel good—inspired, energetic, curious, playful and warm.