Athena Calderone’s New Crate & Barrel Collection Gives a Glimpse Into Her Decorating Plans

If you want to know what Athena Calderone is thinking, just look at her Crate & Barrel collections. “I feel like all of my designs are an extension of where I’m at in my life. What I put out there is almost autobiographical,” shares the EyeSwoon founder. Her first furniture and decor collaboration with the brand back in 2022 was an extension of her Brooklyn townhouse interiors. There was a low, curvy couch, similar to her chunky Mario Bellini sofa, as well as nesting coffee tables, much like her own Apparatus piece. The process behind her latest Crate & Barrel collection (out today) was almost the complete reverse. “I designed this for what’s to come in my new home,” she says. Next up for Calderone? Art Deco. 

Ever since she and her family moved into their sumptuous, wood-panel-clad Tribeca apartment last year, she’s been soaking up as much information as she can about the era (the building was constructed in 1908, but many of the details were added in the ’20s). So much so that her personal style—including her hair, as someone recently pointed out to her—has become more restrained, more sophisticated. “Maybe that’s just me growing up and evolving,” says Calderone. “I’m going through this metamorphosis right now, and the pieces in this collection are reflective of that.” 

While she’s still in the weeds of designing her apartment, she got an idea of what the furniture and decor would look like in a late-1920s setting when Crate & Barrel decided to shoot the collection’s campaign at the Saarinen House in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Ahead, Calderone walks us through some of her favorite moments. 

The Streamlined Sofa

Raffiné 92" Sofa by Athena Calderone

Crate & Barrel

$2,499

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The Raffiné sofa embraces a boxy, angular silhouette with a slanted chamfered edge for extra comfort and tonal piping; it was inspired by a set of Jean-Michel Frank chairs she recently scored at auction. The piece, available in a 92-inch and 105-inch version, also comes with two petite bolster pillows. “I always think it’s important to contrast something so angular with something a little softer,” she says. At the Saarinen House, Calderone leaned into the formality and symmetry of Art Deco design by placing two of the sofas across from each other in the living room, putting the emphasis on conversation (not TV bingeing).

The Room-Dividing Daybed

Reposer Daybed by Athena Calderone

Crate & Barrel

$1,699

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Yes, the Reposer daybed is comfy to lounge on, but it serves another purpose, too. “A lot of people want to live in an open room, but don’t always know how to define each zone,” says Calderone. “I think this is the perfect way to do that, without having a half wall or a screen.”

The Nostalgic Lighting

In her deep dive on all things 1920s and ’30s, Calderone discovered alabaster lampshades and the fact that they throw a warm glow similar to her go-to Noguchi lanterns. The Onirique table lamp and pendant light are her riffs on the old-school material. “If I had to anticipate what will be the most beloved piece [from this collection], it would be that,” she says. 

The Go-Anywhere Accent Chairs

Calderone has a “mild obsession” with collecting chairs, and that’s because she knows that small, sculptural pieces like the Rodin and Coquette can go just about anywhere. “They work as dining chairs, but you can also sit it at your desk or have it against a wall in your entrance to put on your shoes,” she says.

The Next Gen

The Ceremonie dining chair was such a big hit the first time around that Calderone and Crate & Barrel decided to bring it back, this time with fresh chocolate brown mohair fabric and an armchair version (pictured above) upholstered in white bouclé. They also rereleased the cozy Tuco chair in a supersize version after receiving feedback from customers that the first iteration was a smidge too small. Finally, a bar, media console, and tall storage unit are now part of the popular Honore cabinet series. A lot has changed for Calderone over the past two years, but not quite everything.