After enduring a style drought that has lasted decades, New Yorkers are finally being rewarded with some furniture stores that offer excellent contemporary design. The boutique of the moment is Furniture Co (818 Greenwich Street; 352-2010), brainchild of architect David Schaefer, whose tastefully restrained furniture will be on exhibit this summer at moma in a show titled "The Unprivate House." The agenda of Furniture Co -- in a reflection of the store's less-is-more-fabulous philosophy, the dot has been dispensed with -- is as daring as it is admirable: to represent a group of like-minded designers steeped in the Donald Judd school of minimalism; to produce these exclusive designs themselves; and to add one new designer's name to the company letterhead every year. Be forewarned: Tables and upholstered pieces run as high as $10,000. But the quality is unsurpassed.

Related:

• Archive: “Best of New York”
• Table of Contents: May 3, 1999 issue of New York | Subscribe!