The genuine artifact

Ted Muehling, Tribeca

GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Shop

On Instagram, designer Ted Muehling’s profile picture is the face of a watchful owl, the accompanying bio declaring, “forage hunt gather make hoard.” Yes, Muehling is a high-end jewelry and homeware designer, but he’s also a great appreciator of nature and a collector of artifacts, and those identities are inextricably intertwined. 

Muehling’s eponymous shop on Franklin Street in Tribeca is part museum, with curated displays of seashells, rocks, eggs, insects, and other natural objects that inspire his designs. It’s worth a visit whether or not you’re in the market for something. On my latest trip, I admired iridescent moonstone earrings in the shape of teardrops, salt spoons with seaweed-inspired handles, and a porcelain vase, smooth and egg-like. 

Muehling’s design sensibility is understated and minimalistic, echoing natural forms. His loyal clientele includes a cohort of successful New York City creatives like artist Laila Gohar, who recently told the Financial Times that when she sees others wearing Muehling in the wild, it’s “as if we were speaking a secret language.” –Phoebe Fry

→ Shop: Ted Muehling (Tribeca) • 104 Franklin St. • Mon-Fri, 12-430p.