A New Way of Collecting: VELVENOIR Launches Collectnoir

A New Way of Seeing: VELVENOIR Launches Collectnoir

In a culture defined by speed, noise, and visual overload, a different kind of platform has quietly taken shape. This year, we have launched collectnoir, a curated online atelier inspired by slow living and intentional collecting.

Unlike trend-driven marketplaces, collectnoir is shaped by curators, those who have spent years working behind the scenes of private collections, international exhibitions, and hospitality projects. The result is something radically simple: fewer works ranging from collectibles, to contemporary art, objects and curated groupings.

Each month, our team and invited curators, select artworks, collectibles, and sculptural objects with a limit to max. 50 works per months. Throughout our social media channels we invite collectors and clients to learn more about the artists, designer and the grouping, their story, inspirations and most importantly their why.

Curating Beyond the Frame

Collectnoir is not a storefront. It is a curated digital space — conceived as an intimate, algorithm-free gallery. Quiet by design, it offers room for contemplation, unhurried discovery, and genuine connection with contemporary works.

The focus lies on ceramics, works on paper, small-format photography, and sculptural forms. Materials are chosen for their tactility. The palette remains deliberately restrained. Each work is selected not to impress, but to invite a personal encounter — to begin, or deepen, a private dialogue with art.

“We approach Collectnoir with the same curatorial sensitivity we bring to private collections and site-specific commissions,” says Alexandra Schafer, founder of VELVENOIR. “It’s a response to a world saturated by speed — and a quiet gesture toward intentional, meaningful collecting.”

A Monthly Rhythm

Rather than presenting an endless catalogue or encouraging hurried decisions, Collectnoir unfolds with a deliberate pace. Each month, fewer than 50 works are introduced — carefully selected and accompanied by curatorial insight, artist background, and reflective commentary. It’s a space designed for slow looking, focused attention, and quiet discovery.

This rhythm allows for something essential: space to connect.
Collectors, architects, and interior designers are invited to engage with us directly — whether through a scheduled Zoom call or a simple WhatsApp message. Behind Collectnoir is a curatorial team committed to dialogue: offering context, sharing artist connections, and helping to place meaningful work within both residential and hospitality spaces.

Here, every work is not just shown — but thoughtfully presented, and always open to conversation.

An Invitation to Discover

Over the past decade, VELVENOIR has worked closely with private collectors and design-led developments across the US, Canada, Europe and the Middle East. Collectnoir builds on that foundation—an accessible, deeply personal atelier shaped by the belief that art should be lived with, not just looked at.

It offers a more intimate way to collect. A slower way to connect. And a reminder that some of the most powerful works don’t speak loudly—they echo.

“Every artwork or collectible we present has been chosen not because it’s new, but because it holds something timeless,” says Alexandra Schafer. “That’s what we’re interested in, in works that speak beyond the moment.”

Collectnoir is now live, with new curations launching each month.

A curated online atelier by VELVENOIR
www.collectnoir.com
Instagram: @collect.noir