Hidden Trails — Glassware Disruptor Sophie Lou Jacobsen's Insider Guide to Exploring New York

What better way to see the world than through the eyes of our favorite tastemakers? In Hidden Trails, we look at the places that feel most like home to our community of design insiders — wherever those might be — to help you uncover what their cities have in store for you.

Sophie Lou Jacobsen's whimsical glassware, lighting, and collectibles remind me of many things, from the air of mystery in potion flasks that change color, fume, and contort in children's fairy tales to the charm of mid-century France's pop balloon glasses and the priceless preciousness of a serendipitous antique find. Perhaps that's what's making her work so resonant for industry insiders and décor enthusiasts alike — its ability to simultaneously amuse, enthrall, and inspire, to tell a story and, somehow, to defy time.

This feeling of transience — of existing between multiple moments and places —doesn't just imbue the French-American designer's creations, including the translucent vases of her Giardino Segreto collection and the Chinoiserie-inspired glass homeware series she more recently produced in collaboration with British wallpaper brand de Gournay, Tulipa. Instead, movement has defined her life as a whole.

Having grown up in the United States, Sophie Lou Jacobsen relocated to France with her family at the end of high school, spending a few years in Paris before setting off again to attend Central Saint Martins in London. But "at a certain point, New York called to me," she says. Despite not seeing herself "moving back to the US for good, I felt as though it would be a shame not to take advantage of the opportunity to live in this city at least once."

Fast-forward nine years, and Jacobsen is now just months away from being considered a 'real' New Yorker — becoming one with the place that has witnessed her growth the most. "New York has given me so much," she says of her second home. "I built my studio here, and thanks to its immense, welcoming community, I have gained a sense of self, too."

Away from family and most of her friends, the rising designer has forged new connections and embraced the city's ever-becoming essence as her own. "No matter where you are at in your life or career, you can take a certain turn and find yourself where you need to be," Jacobsen says of New York. From design exhibitions to trendy New York restaurants, these are the places she loves most.

Travel Back in Time at The Met

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028, United States

When it comes to art in New York, the answer is always The Met. It's an endless source of inspiration: you can get lost in it every time you go and discover something new, which, to me, is a reminder of how important beauty, craft, and art have been to all civilizations, and will continue to be.

Feel the Pulse of NYC's Design Community at Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery

Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery, 52 Walker St 4th floor, New York, NY 10013, United States

Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery's curation and art direction are always poetic, inventive, and refreshing, and I find it to have the most interesting and exciting design programming in the city at the moment. The openings seem to pull everyone in the design community — and beyond. I am particularly fond of Natalie Weinberger's pate de verre lighting, and their selection of historical furniture.

Feel at Home at La Cantine

La Cantine, 60 St Nicholas Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237, United States

Started as a luncheonette, this small neighborhood restaurant grew into one of the busiest cafés in the area thanks to its delicious sandwiches, salads, and warm and friendly vibe. But for me, La Cantine's dinner service menu, Sunsets, that takes the cake: made of Parisian-style sharing plates that rotate weekly based on market finds, the food is simple, moreish, and keeps coming. For all the trendy restaurants NYC has to offer, an eatery where you feel this at home, this casual, yet eat and drink so well, is harder to find than you might think.

Go in Search of Treasures Around Town

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Quarters, 383 Broadway 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10013, United States
Christopher Cawley, 75 E Broadway #231, New York, NY 10002, United States
Outline, 365 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217, United States
TANGERINE, 616 Lorimer St, Brooklyn, NY 11211, United States
NOMIA, 650 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211, United States

Quarters, the new showroom-store-restaurant by design studio In Common With, is a delight: here you can find anything from 20th-century European furniture and rare books to cutlery and coffee, all the way down to the most delicious anchovies. You can also have a bite to eat, or enjoy a glass of wine. A sight to be seen, the space is beautifully designed and topped with a large fresco on the bar ceiling, painted by Roman artist Claudio Bonuglia.

Another extremely special space, tucked under a bridge in Chinatown, is the store of antique dealer Christopher Cawley. From the tiniest of boxes to furniture, paintings, tapestries, and bronze deers, it’s a true shop of wonders. As for clothing, my go-tos are independent retailers Outline, in downtown Brooklyn, Tangerine, and NOMIA (both in Williamsburg).

Find Calm in the Outdoors

The Noguchi Museum, 9-01 33rd Rd, Astoria, NY 11106, United States
Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY 11231, United States
Sunny’s, 253 Conover St, Brooklyn, NY 11231, United States

The gardens of the Noguchi Museum — one of my favorite museums in the city — are one of the outdoor spaces I love most: they are a calm, peaceful, and meditative oasis from the hustle and bustle of the city. I also love to walk down to the very end of Red Hook, where you find yourself on the water, faced with a view of the Statue of Liberty. There, there's a perfect dive bar, Sunny's, where you can sit outside and watch the sunset.

Interested in mastering the art of entertaining amid the ongoing 70s dinner party revival, and most importantly, in doing so by learning from Sophie Lou Jacobsen herself? Dive into Livingetc Executive Editor Pip Rich's interview with the designer and find out about the easy-to-recreate style tips guaranteed to turn your next hosted event into a tasteful success.

Keen to learn more about actual taste? See how culinary artist Imogen Kwok fuses her love of art history, food, and design into edible installations the world's most celebrated fashion houses are currently fighting over to host.