Step Inside PDA Gallery In The Naples Design District
Husband-and-wife team Kelly and Mike Mahigel opened PDA Gallery in the Naples Design District with one goal in mind: to bring the most beautiful objects in the world to one of the most beautiful places on earth. With more than 20 years of amassing vintage and avant-garde designs and art, the duo stands by the ethos that with education, time and patience, you can create a remarkable and unique home.
What sets you apart from other galleries?
Kelly Mahigel: Design is our passion, and PDA is fortunate to hold one of the largest late-20th- and early-21st-century design collections. All of our offerings, from vintage Italian seating to Japanese Postmodern cabinets to contemporary ceramics, are museum quality. We help our clients create curated homes with pieces that can be passed down for generations.
You’ve been called “trailblazers.” How do you believe this fits with your work at PDA?
Mike Mahigel: We have complete autonomy, allowing us to take risks and acquire works other galleries wouldn’t dare. We are not afraid to be early or first to a trend. If we are late, then we are failing as curators.
How does the space cater to patrons?
KM: There’s no denying the gallery is modest; however, the contents are anything but. As you walk through, Mike can explain the narrative and technical details behind each piece, while I help clients find the right mix for their collection. We are a gallery of functional art. It is a living museum, and we change the exhibitions often.
How do you choose underrepresented artists as well as those who are doing things people haven’t seen before?
MM: Ninety-nine percent of “what people haven’t seen before” is vintage. When I show clients significant works from 1987 or 2003, they think they were created today. This makes our edit of contemporary designers much thinner than most galleries.
What can people expect next at PDA?
MM: This fall, we will be featuring the most comprehensive exhibition of Shigeru Uchida works ever assembled in the Americas. The acquisition of this collection has taken years—and I promise, it will be mind-bending.