Hermès Maison Madison is presenting a new window installation by artist Raul De Lara, exploring the imagined lives of the objects that fill a New York home.
The installation continues De Lara’s creative relationship with Hermès. In 2023, he designed the window display celebrating the opening of Hermès Aspen.
For the Madison installation, De Lara uses handcrafted wooden sculptures to explore the emotional connections people form with everyday objects. The work includes a sculptural sofa embracing a leather bag, shoes standing upright in carved wooden socks, and a monumental houseplant inspired by leaves collected in Central Park.
At the center of the installation is an oversized houseplant featuring white oak leaves modeled directly from specimens hand-selected by De Lara from a tree in Central Park. Crafted from ethically and locally sourced wood, the leaves demonstrate De Lara’s ability to transform a rigid material into forms that appear organic and alive.
Through these sculptural interpretations, the installation considers the ways ordinary objects can become part of the emotional fabric of a home. By giving familiar furnishings and personal belongings imagined lives of their own, De Lara draws attention to the relationships people develop with the objects that accompany them through everyday life.
The installation brings together craftsmanship, natural materials, and imaginative storytelling, inviting viewers to consider the objects around them from a different perspective—and to imagine the hidden lives they might possess.
Photos by Skot Yobauje
