HOST on Howard: AvroKO’s Love Letter to Hospitality

Featured Art & Design

January 15, 2025

Kacey Perez

Step into HOST on Howard, the newly opened gallery from the founding partners of AvroKO, and you’ll find yourself in a vibrant tribute to the art of gathering. Located on Howard Street in Manhattan’s SoHo district, the gallery blends design, craft, and storytelling into a single cohesive experience, offering what Founding Partner Kristina O’Neal calls “a celebration of hospitality as a ritual for both gathering and belonging.”

HOST on Howard serves as a physical manifestation of AvroKO’s two-decade ethos: crafting spaces and objects that foster connection. The gallery showcases a curated collection of hospitality-grade furniture, lighting, and art objects, alongside playful yet functional service trolleys designed to elevate tableside moments. “For the last 20-plus years, our job has been to invent tools for gathering—ways to make people feel comfortable, delighted, and considered,” explains William Harris, Co-Founder and Principal.

Interior view of HOST on Howard, featuring thoughtfully arranged vignettes with hospitality-grade furniture and lighting.
Pictured above: founding partners of design firm ArvoKO and HOST on Howard. Pictured here: The HOST on Howard space, featuring pieces from it’s first event, “The Paradisa”.
A collection of high-design service trolleys showcased on jewel-toned platforms within the gallery space.
The Paradisa exhibition at HOST on Howard, displaying bespoke furniture and art objects inspired by the Edenic walled garden concept.

The gallery’s debut exhibition, “The Paradisa,” invites visitors into a walled garden of hospitality, evoking the Edenic ideal of abundance and harmony. The exhibition features a capsule collection of bespoke furniture, glowing Elara lighting fixtures, and “Modifieds”—repurposed artifacts that reflect AvroKO’s penchant for innovation. Jewel-toned platforms elevate five striking service carts, while a massive horseshoe-shaped bar anchors the space, embodying the seamless interplay of form and function.

Beyond a showcase of design, HOST on Howard is a dynamic venue for connection, hosting private salons, collaborative events, and thought-provoking panels. “We’ve designed a place to house both stories and objects in unison,” says Founding Partner Adam Farmerie, “inviting others who care deeply about hospitality to join us in celebrating its transformative power.”

With its rich greens, dramatic arches, and thoughtful vignettes, HOST on Howard is more than a gallery—it’s an immersive dialogue on the timeless and evolving nature of hospitality. As O’Neal notes, “Through our designs, we hope to create experiences that foster a more connected and hospitable world.”

Close-up of the Elara lighting fixtures illuminating the gallery, highlighting AvroKO’s focus on craftsmanship and design.
Art objects and ‘Modifieds’—repurposed artifacts—displayed as part of The Paradisa exhibition, reflecting innovative design approaches.
The massive horseshoe-shaped bar at the rear of HOST on Howard, equipped with top-of-the-line bar equipment and seating for guests.

Credits:

Photography courtesy of ArvoKO.