EXCLUSIVE: Athena Calderone Talks Style on the Eve of Her 1stDibs Art Deco Decor Curation
MILAN — Known for conjuring exquisite interior visions, renowned interior designer, creative director and author Athena Calderone admits she has found many a treasure on online design marketplace 1stDibs.
Her enthusiasm for the site and the part it has played on cultivating her own contemporary classical revival have led her to an official collaboration. Her limited-time holiday gift curation of art, home furnishings, fashion and jewelry will be sold on 1stDibs starting Wednesday and will remain shoppable until Dec. 15.
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Highlights of the curation include iconic designs inspired by the creative’s own taste. These include an Art Deco Gio Ponti-inspired green and gold ceramic Sicilian vase from 1939, currently priced at 1,500 euros; a Hermès Rouge Retourne Birkin priced at 27,474 euros, and a Pablo Picasso coffee table book by the Museum of Modern Art in New York from 1980, priced at 435 euros.
Calderone, who is the founder of @eyeswoon, recently embarked on a new redesign of her TriBeCa apartment. Rich with historical accents like Art Deco-era wood panelling, it was once owned by famed French architect Thierry Despont. The aesthete chats with WWD about her careful eye and creating a homey atmosphere with museum-worthy pieces:
WWD: Which of these 1stDibs pieces are most special to you and why?
Athena Calderone: The Jules Werson, Art Deco Bronze Nude Female Dancer, circa 1920.…I studied dance in high school and college so I was really attracted to the movement and the motion of this female form. It reads as a silhouette and reminds me of the glamour of that Art Deco era. It is just so striking. My home is very much a neutral backdrop with its creamy plaster walls so I loved seeing this in contrast to make a strong visual statement. The Bronze Greek Volute krater vase…I am always looking to the past to inform the future. This Greek vase holds so much presence in a room. It pairs really beautifully with the dancer who is also bronze and speaks to ancient historic times. The form is so vastly different from anything that feels modern that we see today in contemporary design.
WWD: When you embark on a new decorating project, how do you maintain a homey atmosphere with museum-worthy pieces?
A.C.: While my Amagansett [New York] home is a beachside residence from the ’70s, the decor or objects don’t necessarily follow that same period. In fact, mixing different eras and design styles in a room has been an ethos I’ve held throughout my entire creative journey. I think it’s this very clash of periods and materiality that makes a room both visually and emotionally interesting. It’s what makes your eye linger and curious when there is something unexpected to encounter. Lately, my eye has homed in on pieces that are evocative of the 1920s and ’30s — alabaster and iron, objects that would not normally be styled in a midcentury home but that is what I love so much about design. You can really change a space from the objects within it. The key is to surround yourself with pieces you love regardless of their provenance and create a space you want to be in, then it will always feel homey.
WWD: This is an ultra-chic curation, how did you approach it?
A.C.: Thank you. I love nothing more than diving down the digital rabbit hole of discovery for a specific piece of an upcoming design project. Researching, studying and exploring design on 1stDibs is literally one of my favorite pastimes. One search always leads to the next and ultimately uncovers something I never knew I needed. I always walk away with a rare piece while expanding upon my visual knowledge of the design masters. I know from firsthand experience how long it takes to dig through all of the items on 1stDibs — it’s a treasure hunt after all. So for this curation, I started with keywords surrounding items I am currently attracted to — 1930s figurative sculpture, Grecian neoclassical style vessels, silverware, as well as decor that offers a nod to history in their materiality, textured iron, alabaster, etched or frosted glass, plaster relief, hammered silver and gestural oil paintings. There really is something for everyone here.
WWD: Can you tell us about a special piece in your own home?
A.C.: I have so many pieces from 1stDibs in my Amagansett home, but I did end up purchasing this stunning Georges Braque [a French painter] still life of a table setting after our shoot. I love the subdued color palette and how it reacts to the union of my creative life: design, food and entertaining.
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