Art and Functionality Converge at Kitty Clay

Kitty Clay, a West Village interior designer, has opened a new eponymous Southampton Village store that builds on the relationships she has made over the years with artists and antique dealers who specialize in art that is also functional.

"I love things that are handmade and also have a utility," Clay said during an interview in her shop Friday.

One example in the store is a collection of stackable cast resin vessels, which include turned wood, by Pia Wustenberg, a German artist based in London. "She designs them and gets craftsmen to make them," Clay said. The vessels are sculptures to be gazed upon, but can also be separated into bowls.

Former New York graffiti artist Andrew Poneros's chandelier, made from wine jugs, hangs in the shop, and clay pots by English ceramist Paul Philp, whose work has been featured at the White House, are in the shop window.

The store also features antiques from the collection of dealer Lee Calicchio, who has a gallery on the Upper East Side. "It's a real honor to have her things here," Clay said.

Imported from Argentina, the store carries tea leaves by master tea blender Ines Berton, who has two shops in Buenos Aires and one in Barcelona, Spain. Clay said a mutual friend introduced her to Berton. When she Skyped with Berton they had an instant connection, because they are both passionate about the same things — having the highest quality and integrity in their products. "It was just a meeting of heart and mind."

"There's a story behind everything in here," Clay said of her store, which also includes tables, couches, seats accent pillows and lamps.

Originally from Kentucky, Clay is well traveled and has lived abroad. She earned a master's degree in fine and decorative arts from Sotheby's Institute of Art in London and worked for and learned from interior designer Elizabeth Hague in Washington, D.C., for 10 years.

In the winter, she travels, collecting works from Europe, Mexico, Argentina and artists across the U.S. to incorporate into her interior design business, and now, her store.

Clay said her new shop is the product of the connections she made in her travels and at Sotheby's, finding the auction houses and markets that carry the antiques and modern creations that fit in with her style.

"This is a weaving together of relationships I have cultivated over the years," Clay said.

Kitty Clay is located at 27 West Main Street, Southampton Village.  It is also accessible from Main Street, in between Waldmann Inc. and Tamara Comolli.

The shop will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week throughout the summer, and will stay open in the fall with modified hours.