Artists Don Carney and John Ross are the creative duo behind the brand Patch NYC, with a shop, studio and gallery in Boston’s South End. They started the company two decades ago in New York City, named for a shared love of antique and vintage textiles. They would use patterned pieces of these fabrics as signature details on the bags and hats they designed. Their accessories were an instant success, their debut collection picked up by Barney’s and Bergdorff Goodman’s. Their unique talent for mixing pattern and styles with vintage and modern translated into an expanded collection that includes jewelry, candles and pillows, as well as art. Their aesthetic is a layered look, anchored by the art and textiles that they describe as ‘Butch Granny’. Don’s artwork decorates candles and plates, whilst designs derived from John’s graphics and photography adorn pillows and wallpaper. Patch NYC products are sold in shops around the globe. Their first shop, in New York’s West Village, closed in 2007 when they relocated to Boston to be closer to Don’s family. Don and John missed creating the environment for their products, so in 2010 they opened their next shop in a perfect courtyard space in Boston’s Southend. As their artistic pursuits grew so did their shop moving in 2011 into a larger, neighboring space. The former shop became Don’s studio. As a result of the partners wanting to display the art without it being distracted by the accessories; they fulfilled a dream last May, opening a gallery across the courtyard from the shop. Patch NYC’s creative process is often a family affair, Joseph Carney, Don’s father’s paintings were amongst the first exhibited in the gallery, and both of their mother’s handiwork is found on Patch NYC’s needlepoint pillows. As well as the retail and wholesale businesses the couple are busy collaborating with other brands such as West Elm, Anthropologie and Astier de Villate. Don also works as the creative director at Miriam Haskell, commuting weekly to New York City. John’s next project is an exhibition of his fine art photography, reminiscent of Dutch still life painting, in the gallery.
Shopkeeper Photograph: Kathleen Chisholm
46 Waltham Street, Boston MA
