b'How to Breathe Lifeinto a RoomCollecting the antique and the unexpected from the far corners of the worldBY ROSE BENNETT GILBERTLeft: Bradarie de Lille, France, 2023: Do-it-yourself deliveryYonadi disassembled the six-shaded lamp he had just bought so he could hand carry it home on the plane. Over his neck, a bag with more market finds. In his other hand, a gift of fresh strawberries from wife Jackie. Center: New York City, 2016: The New York Design Center (200 Lexington Avenue) spotlighted the Albert Joseph Gallery among its 52 finest antique and vintage dealers. Right: Springfield Avenue, 2024Reassembled and ready to brighten another collectors home, the articulated lamp illuminates art from other times, including a 200-pound alabaster Buddha, one of many Buddhas on display at the Albert Joseph Gallery. S tep just beyond the black awning in25yearstravelingtheworldhuntingdownandplaces,learnothercultures,dobusinessinother frontoftheAlbertJosephGallerybringing home his extraordinary collection of out- countries. and youre in for an enchanting worldof-the-ordinary artworks and furnishings. He traces that creative urge to his father, an of art, furnishings and decorative ob- Every home should have an antique or vintageexecutive in the printing business who often took jects from all around the globe. piece, he says. Not only are they sustainable, buthim to art and furniture galleries in New York City. Here you may also find a uniqueperiodpiecesalsochangetheenvironment.TheyThose excursions inspired the first of Yonadis conti-solution to a knotty decorating prob- breathe life into a room.nent-spanning searches for art, antiques and vintage lem of your own: how to make a home truly yourOtherwise,consideringtheongoingreignofdecorativeobjects.Hetraveledalone,bargaining own, reflecting your individuality and your familysMid-century modern design, with its Less is Morethroughtranslators,treasure-huntinginsmallvil-lifestyle.motto, right-angle silhouettes and unadorned sur- lage markets, doing business on a handshake, mas-Albert (Joseph) Yonadis Gallery at 1988 Spring- faces, Yonadi says, you might as well be living in atering local currencies, braving dicey neighborhoods fieldAvenueinMaplewoodisrichwithbespokedoctors office.and falling into at least one country latrine. He was answers. Its 3,000 square feet are filled with one- He is a case in point. Idiosyncratic antiques andalways dealing with the clouds of dust endemic to of-a-kindantiques,vintageartandartifactsfromartifacts cured the case of burnout he suffered fromanything coming out of long-time storage.many centuries, several continents and myriad secreta first career as a restaurateur during his late 20s andThe fun of it was for me to get dirty, he says. sources that Yonadis not revealing. (Does Macysearly 30s. I had this globe I used to spin to lookMy clothes needed washing every night. If there tell Gimbels? he likes to tease.) at all the countries I could go to. It ignited a fire inwas no laundry service where I was staying, I had to He is willing to reveal why he has spent the pastme, he says. I had this creative urge to go to otherwash them in the bathroom sink.12/ matters magazine / hearth + home 2024'