Organic furniture store Cocoon Gallery makes Palm Beach debut
A Southwest Florida-based business that crafts organic furniture and artwork has debuted a location in Palm Beach.
Cocoon Gallery, founded 20 years ago in Greenwich, Connecticut, by Mitchell Siegel, opened Friday in an 1,800-square-foot space at 410 S. County Road.
The business, which moved its headquarters to Naples in 2020, manufactures customized furniture and artwork from organic materials, including wood and precious minerals sourced from some of the most remote parts of the globe, Siegel said.
Related: Worth Avenue Association's popular walking tours combine architecture, history in Palm Beach
Cocoon's showroom space in Palm Beach sits in a prime location on the corner of South County Road and Worth Avenue, Siegel said. A 5,000-square-foot warehouse in West Palm Beach also is planned.
“We are so looking forward to expanding our business to Palm Beach," said Siegel, who spent years working in the textile industry before launching Cocoon.
"In a market with world-class cultural experiences, Cocoon Gallery will distinguish itself as an expert in functional, natural art. The unparalleled materials, impeccable craftsmanship, superb designs and uncompromising standards set Cocoon apart, and customers and guests alike will find each visit to this new gallery space immensely gratifying.”
Pieces crafted by Cocoon are 100% sustainable, Siegel said, and only fallen trees are sourced. For each tree that Cocoon receives, a new one is planted in its place.
Siegel holds an exclusive permit to import exotic species of wood from Southeast Asia, Brazil and other locations.
Once raw materials arrive in Naples, the company's 50-plus artisans go to work kiln-drying, sanding and finishing them into distinctive sculptures, wall art and furnishings including tables, lamps, and other home and office décor, he said.
"We will take something from nature, and we will make something functional for the home," said Siegel, who traveled throughout southeast Asia to learn the art of craftsmanship. "It could be a fallen tree that we would make tables out of, but we just don't cut the wood and sand it. We add different types of finishes to it, different types of bleaches to it.
"From a pond in Thailand, we can make a piece of wall art. We'll grind up shells like powder and do an inlay with paint and a twig. We have underground roots that could be 40 feet high and 120 feet long, and we'll make a sculpture out of those," Siegel said. "We take sea vines, and we make wall pieces and sculptures. We hollow out palm tree trunks and make big vases out of those. We bring in rocks from Brazil — they look like jewelry — and make tables out of them."
Cocoon customers can purchase pieces in the company's showrooms, or they can commission artwork that can be customized to meet their requests and specifications, Siegel said.
“Our fine wood craftsmen embrace the challenge of turning our clients’ vision into reality,” he said.
Siegel said he's excited to open the showroom in Palm Beach, where he expects business to be just as brisk as it is in Naples.
"It works for the homes here," he said of Cocoon's customizable art.
Siegel considers Cocoon's Palm Beach showroom a jewel. He said he didn't rush the construction process in order to ensure that everything was perfect before it opened.
For information on Cocoon Gallery, visit www.cocoongallery.com/.
Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Organic furniture store Cocoon Gallery debuts Palm Beach location
