Inside Suzanne Rae Pelaez’s Bushwick Space
Suzanne Rae Pelaez lives and works in Brooklyn, designing clothes that not only speak to Brooklyn’s current love of craftsmanship and local specificity, but also to a more timeless idea of beauty through evolution. Inspiration has come from sources as varied as Aldous Huxley, William Blake, Francesca Woodman, and Brooklyn street-art. Educated at both Bryn Mawr and Parsons, with a background in art history and the NYC gallery scene, Pelaez moved six years ago into a live-work space in Bushwick that proved to be an energizing change from the tiny Soho apartment she had been living in, which only fit a twin-bed.
“I didn’t know too much about Brooklyn culture at the time, and, in truth, part of me was apprehensive to leave Manhattan. But I quickly grew to love Brooklyn’s chill, laid-back attitude. It was good for me… more my vibe, and it has enabled me to engross myself in my work and philosophy more honestly,” Pelaez tells us. Looking around her Bushwick home-studio, we can see exactly what she means. Light floods the space through huge, uncovered windows, and the lofty ceilings and gallery-white walls are the perfect physical canvas for Pelaez to design and construct her line. Racks of her clothes are arranged around the perimeter of the room and single pieces are suspended from metal rods, as perfectly integrated into the space as any other work of art. Bookshelves line one wall, and the haphazard way the volumes are arranged makes it evident that Pelaez actually reads and references and lives with her books—no color-coordinated, sterile stacks for her.
In fact, that might be the most definitive thing about Pelaez’s home. She lives here. There is nothing overly designed or artificial in her space, even while so many things are artfully arrayed. Whether it’s a fur throw lying across the back of a tufted, white Chesterfield sofa or a tangle of dolls piled on the velvet cushions of an antique chair, things are arranged both for utility and, it seems, inspiration. One of the things Pelaez responds to the most right now is “the Brooklyn street-art scene. It’s reflective of the times and right there for the people to see and reflect on. I like that accessibility.” Her appreciation of accessibility seems to be incorporated perfectly into her home and studio because the living and working spaces flow into one another, reflecting the relaxed vibe Pelaez espouses. “Living here I somehow feel more removed from the race of New York City, which enables me to be more honest with myself, my work, my philosophy. I feel encouraged to be an individual with a strong mind and strong will. I don’t feel as affected by what others think than I think I would if I lived elsewhere.”