These Vintage Sellers Couldn’t Part With Their Jack Lenor Larsen Dining Chairs
What makes a purchase “worth it”? The answer is different for everybody, so we’re asking some of the coolest, most shopping-savvy people we know—from small-business owners to designers, artists, and actors—to tell us the story behind one of their most prized possessions.
Who?
If you’re plugged into the vintage furniture corner of Instagram, you probably already know all about The Swan’s House. Sara Swan-Gandy and her husband, Arthur, have been sourcing showstopping pieces from the 1950s to 1990s for their home decor boutique located in Tarrytown, New York, which they opened in 2019. The shop’s pale pink walls and dramatic inventory—including curvy velvet sectionals, brass étagères, and opalescent clamshell and heart lamps— evoke a chic grandmother’s Miami condo. Candles, puzzles, stationery, throw pillows, and other small trinkets all fill the shelves.
“We’re always trying to find that iconic piece people will keep forever,” Sara says. “When you come in you’re hit on all sides by beautiful, visual, and sensory things.”
“We aren’t saying, ‘This is how your home should look,’” Arthur adds. “Take a few pieces and mix them with what you have.”
Sara, a native of Ireland who previously worked in fashion, and Arthur, a carpenter by trade who owned a set building company, hunted for vintage as a hobby before opening the store in 2019. Forecasting trends is their forte: They started selling their collection of Murano glass mushroom lamps years before they were considered trendy, and the 1980s spiral, laminate, and tessellated stone accent pieces dominating your feed are Swan’s House specialties.
In their Ford Transit, Arthur makes upwards of 20 stops on pickup days—and it can be backbreaking work. “I have a scar across my back from barely being able to carry something through a narrow hallway,” he says.
What?
Sara and Arthur rarely keep their finds, but occasionally make exceptions. At the moment, the most prized possession in their colorful Tarrytown ranch is a set of 1950’s French Louis XVI–style oak dining chairs upholstered in Jack Lenor Larsen “Caravan” velvet fabric. The late textile designer’s signature midcentury designs enlivened homes and offices, and are on permanent view at the Museum of Modern Art and the Louvre (listings on 1stdibs go for thousands). Caravan’s neon geometric pattern pops against their 1970’s caramel-burl-wood-and-smoked-glass dining table. “I was like, I can’t put these in the store or I will regret it for the rest of my life,” Sara recalls. “They fit so perfectly with who we are.”
When and Where?
Last July, Sara arrived at an apartment in Connecticut to pick up a 1970’s pink tweed lucite dining set. She then found out everything was for sale—classics by Karl Springer, Milo Baughman, Michael Taylor, artwork, glassware, and lighting, and the Jack Lenor Larsen chairs. “They just took my breath away,” she says.
Sara and Arthur returned a few days later and spent hours chatting with the late owner’s daughter. Her mother, who was also Irish and recently passed away, sourced most of the decor on shopping trips to Manhattan in the ’70s. “They spent 50 years eating every meal in these chairs,” Sara says. “We were talking about how much family meant to us and we both started crying.”
This is Sara and Arthur’s favorite part of the job—the handover of heirlooms and client connections. From their haul, they kept the chairs along with a matching painting the owner commissioned, and the daughter gifted them her mother’s Italian glass decanter. “She loved that they were going to a young family and would start this new life with us,” Sara adds.
Why?
The chairs are now a fixture of Sara and Arthur’s dining space for meals and arts and crafts with their son. Inspired by the original owner’s taste, they hung up the canvas and styled the decanter nearby. “We’re continuing that legacy of how special they are,” Sara says. Arthur adds: “You know how kids sit on their knees—and there’s nothing wrong with the fabric. Imagine the quality. You don’t get that anymore.”
When the couple bought their home, they moved from a tiny Brooklyn apartment and felt an urgency to fill the rooms. They’re slowly swapping in furniture they actually love, like the chairs. Sara’s tip: Don’t panic buy. “When you see the right thing for your home, you’ll know it immediately,” she says. “You’ll get that butterfly in your stomach.”
