Hunt Modern—an upscale design gallery and studio originally located in Santa Fe, New Mexico—is officially moving to Birmingham and opening in 2023! We spoke with owner and founder of the gallery, Lauren Hunt, to learn more.

About Hunt Modern

Although Lauren Hunt has always been passionate about design, it wasn’t until furnishing her home—a modernist house in Bolinas, California designed by William Leddy—that she realized how much she enjoyed applying herself to design. When Lauren and her family moved to Santa Fe around 2015, she knew it was time to start her own gallery.

“I realized that I really enjoyed working with the material, and the pieces I was choosing tended to move up in value. I almost started the business in the San Francisco Bay Area, but I decided to wait until we moved to Santa Fe. Then, I started acquiring pieces in 2015 and officially opened our doors in 2016.”
Lauren Hunt, Hunt Modern

Most of the products carried by Hunt Modern are European 20th century furniture, but not all pieces are vintage. Hunt Modern is the sole U.S. distributor for Phantom Hands, a Bangalore, India-based company that creates handcrafted, design-driven contemporary furniture.

“The main reason we rep Phantom Hands is that they do the best re-editions of Pierre Jeanneret’s pieces, which have become very collectible. A pair of original Jeanneret chairs will go for $60,000 or more. Phantom Hands creates handmade re-editions of these pieces that are arguably of higher quality than the originals at a fraction of a price.”
Lauren Hunt, Hunt Modern

Moving Hunt Modern to The Magic City

Later this year, Lauren will be opening Hunt Modern’s gallery in The Magic City. She’s already found the perfect space for the gallery—a historic building on Morris Avenue currently being built out by David Carrigan. Lauren first stumbled upon the building while meeting a friend for coffee, and it sparked her interest.

“I drove by the space and started thinking about the possibilities for Hunt Modern. The space is a shell and about six months from completion, but once I started looking around the area I knew it was the right spot. I tend to believe the things feel right are worth waiting for.”
Lauren Hunt, Hunt Modern

In addition to the gallery, Hunt Modern’s new location has enough space for the company’s warehouse in the back. At Hunt Modern’s original Santa Fe location, Lauren had to store any pieces not currently on display at a second location.

“Hunt Modern is not your typical furniture store—I don’t have a catalog of pieces. Aside from the Phantom Hands collection, each piece here is unique. It’ll be very nice to have the warehouse on-site, so I can bring clients back to see the pieces in the warehouse in person.”
Lauren Hunt, Hunt Modern

According to Lauren, the permanent space is supposed to be ready for move-in by September or October. In the meantime, Lauren plans to open a short-term space at 213 24th Street North in April.

Why Birmingham?

Morris Avenue — (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

Since the majority of Hunt Modern’s clients are online, Lauren could have set up shop in any city or town she’d like. So why Birmingham?

“The main reason we landed in Birmingham is that my husband is originally from this area and was interested in returning to run a Waygu beef ranch that we had purchased in Childersburg. That said, there have been some delightful surprised for me here. The level of architecture is amazing. I realized that many of the homes here have really strong architectural features—and not just the vintage homes but contemporary homes as well. It is very inspiring. When it comes to interior design, although I don’t see many designers using the pieces I sell, an equivalent level of interior design and architecture is definitely in Birmingham.”
Lauren Hunt, Hunt Modern

Since moving to The Magic City, Lauren has been busy getting her new home settled and finalizing plans for Hunt Modern’s new space. However, she’s still had a few opportunities to interact with the people of Birmingham.

“I have been so surprised at how lovely the people in Birmingham are. Everyone seems easygoing and very friendly. We’re living in Forest Park, and our neighbors have really taken us under their wings. I’m thrilled to be here and can’t wait to see more of what makes Birmingham so unique.”
Lauren Hunt, Hunt Modern

Stay up to date on Hunt Modern

Want to learn more about Hunt Modern or have questions about one of the pieces from their collection? Visit the Hunt Modern website, follow them on Instagram or reach out via inquiry@huntmodern.com or 505.670.1569!

Excited to see Hunt Modern open in Birmingham? Tag us @bhamnow to let us know your thoughts!