Based on the design for the Valentine Chair #2, which is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Ranalli sought to create a freestanding multifunctional valet that mimicked his modernist architectural values. With a mirror, embedded LEDs, and an integrated bench, the valet is a dramatic focal point for an entry or bedroom. Continuing in the tradition of the Bauhaus and the international style but adding a twist that separates his work from that of his predecessors, Ranalli retained the geometric forms and undecorated surfaces but used a material called Everform, a new man-made substance that appears at first glance to be a more luxurious material—such as marble or alabaster.  The valet can be commissioned in custom sizes, and colors. Additionally, drawers and shelving can be incorporated into the design.  

Todd Merrill Studio is pleased to announce our representation of esteemed architect and designer George Ranalli. Ranalli, whose work sits at the intersection of neoplasticism, minimalism, and postmodernism founded his architectural design firm in New York in 1977. A Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, he is credited with carrying forward the lessons of Italian architect Carlo Scarpa into contemporary settings. Like Scarpa and another architectural influence, Frank Lloyd Wright, Ranalli has created bespoke furniture and object design concepts in tandem with his interior architecture throughout his storied career.

This gallery partnership marks the first time that Ranalli’s original furniture design work will be made available for public purchase. The gallery will introduce Ranalli to a new generation of collectors through a selection of limited edition, hand-crafted furniture including tables, chairs, and case pieces.

Ranalli’s timeless furniture designs are part of the permanent collections of the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Denver Art Museum, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as private collections around the world. He has been exhibited in the U.S. at the Cooper Hewitt Museum, Detroit Art Institute, Hudson River Museum, La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Internationally he has been exhibited at the Biennales of Venice, Paris, and Ecuador, the Canadian Center of Architecture, the Helsinki Festival of Art, and the Promosedia International Chair Exhibition.