Photos by Quinton Mulvey
Sandeep Salter is the founder of two Brooklyn gems. Picture Room — a gallery and retail space featuring rare prints and art books — showcases emerging and contemporary artists. Its neighboring shop, Salter House, is a light-filled boutique with an expertly curated selection of natural and sustainable housewares.
We spoke to the McNally Jackson alum and mother of two about what’s inspiring her now, and how she styles the Soft Loafer, our newest style for transitional dressing between seasons.
Comfortable
Greta Thunberg, and Anne Truitt
I opened Picture Room because I wanted to give people access to artwork that would otherwise not make it to market - bringing work out of the artists' studios I frequented to show and sell work that was a part of their studio practice, something other than the finished work seen in galleries... Salter House was born from more environmental concerns. My husband, Carson and I wanted to create a shop that was operating and selling sustainably - a place that would become a reliable source for our community to buy housewares. Furthermore - we wanted an outlet to produce homewares in collaboration with our Picture Room artists. The two shops feed into each-other, and allow me to engage with a spectrum of professional modes - from making coffee, to designing linens, or curating private collections for our clients.
What advice do you have for other women business owners starting their businesses?
Be kind
What do you look for when acquiring new work for Picture Room?
I'm always looking for the formal detritus of an artist's practice - sketches, objects, prints, materials tests. When I visit a studio, I head straight for the flat file, I look at the corners of the studio, and into the stacks of work that are discarded and shuffled away. That's where I find the work that captures my imagination most - where I can really see the process of the artist, and share something more intimate about their work.
Favorite aspect of motherhood?
My children
Favorite travel destination?
Colorado
Must visit places at said destination?
Twin Lakes, and Aspen
How do you like to style your Soft Loafer in Fawn Suede?
Most recently, with sheer green socks
