Athena Calderone’s New Line for Crate & Barrel Is an Instant Crowd-Pleaser
With more than 900,000 loyal Instagram followers, EyeSwoon sensation Athena Calderone could be forgiven for glazing over comments and DMs. But this design expert has been absorbing the wisdom of her online community, taking note of what generates the most excitement and which questions regularly pop up. That crowdsourced knowledge has guided her new Crate & Barrel collection, a dynamic encapsulation of her hit style. “People are always asking how they can get a specific look or piece,” says Calderone. “I’m excited to make designs that might otherwise be out of reach more accessible.”
Marking her first foray into furniture, but also spanning lighting, tableware, art, and accessories, her line stays true to the tenets that have long steered her multihyphenate practice. “I’m always thinking about where I can insert verticality,” muses Calderone, pointing to upright standouts like the Pompeii pedestal, a fluted beauty seemingly composed of column remnants, and the Il Solido floor lamp, a versatile statement piece with a cruciform base. Curves deftly balance angles, whether in the case of the Sinuous sofa or the Angolare sectional. Materials mix nimbly. (Think travertine, shearling, rattan.) And playfulness prevails in treasures like the Bibelot mini table lamp, a serpentine spin on midcentury French ironwork.
History and an authentic spirit of craft create dynamic through lines, with nods to favorite designers (“people who make my heart pitter-patter”) and riffs on vintage treasures from her own homes. The Revival tables, for example, are reinterpretations of a 1950s find that was accidentally trashed after being delivered to her Brooklyn stoop while she was out of town. (Calderone lovingly pieced it back together “humpty-dumpty style.”) Its ridges reappear on the Honoré sideboard, an homage to the rare original in her Brooklyn dining area. Her take now resides in the Chicago office of Sebastian Bauer, Crate & Barrel’s senior vice president of product design, who shepherded the collaboration. “This collection is a proud moment for the brand,” he says. “It’s undeniably Athena.”
“One of the things I love most about design is that spirit of adaptation,” reflects Calderone. “It’s about smashing together different ideas and eras.” But design, she notes, is also about making memories. “Bringing a piece into your home is an intimate invitation. You and your family are going to grow up with it. I take that seriously.” crateandbarrel.com
