08/14/03

Early 20th-century science and beauty mesh to create fabulous home fashion.

by Contributor

The Scene
Empiric is the brainchild of mechanical engineer Michael Towey and New York interior designer Shelley Woods, whose commitment to flawless artifacts of yonder is striking. Wandering through this showroom of functional, refined furniture and curios, you half expect to see Douglas Fairbanks Jr. or Madame Curie lingering among the mix of laboratory utensils (glass beakers, steel scales, mortars and pestles) and classic early twentieth-century American furniture (oak barrister bookcases and stripped metal filing cabinets).

The Goods
Institutional furnishings include stripped metal stick and panel leg tables and flat files, crescent and club chairs, sectional sofas and one-of-a-kind items like apothecaries. Among the accessories are dental cabinets, small clocks, assorted trays and vintage telephones. Originally a printmaking studio and art gallery, Empiric can also create large custom prints.