You can’t have a scroll through the home décor niche on Instagram or TikTok without coming across a photo of Athena Calderone’s Brooklyn townhouse. You may also know her as @eyeswoon, and her home is absolutely ravishing. It truly always stops my scroll and has me taking a closer peek. While looking like a complete work of art, it has a warm feel that makes me want to cozy up and get comfortable. This is truly the look that so many of us are going for, so of course, I insisted on picking her brain on luxury housewarming gifts.
With so many holidays, birthdays, and events coming up, I’m planning for a few gifting moments and immediately thought to ask Calderone for her take. Her response included many of her favorite items she has in her home. Since she’s tested and approves of them, I certainly trust her picks. Join me in shopping for friends, family, and yours truly.
“Design and food is the interplay of raw materials. Playing with both contrast and cohesion to create harmony or at times polarization. This holds true for the way you plate a meal and serve it for your guests or yourself! The beautiful scalloped edging and warm clay appeal of these dinner plates help to elevate any meal, turning even the simplest dish into something extraordinary. This is a gift that keeps on giving.”
“Rose Uniacke’s work is a lesson in juxtaposition—delicate yet robust, grand yet intimate, raw yet luxurious. This push and pull of contrast and contradiction, of tension and restraint in a room are what inspire my own work. This book gives us all a rare glimpse into Uniacke’s work and process to inspire our own.”
“I’m constantly seeking out decorative objects to amplify the script in a space. I audibly swooned the moment I laid eyes on this marble bowl by Chandler McLellan. Due to its handmade nature, there are delightful variations in the color and markings, making each one irresistibly unique.”
“Our mood is inextricably linked to our surroundings. Design is a very emotive experience, and I truly believe that what we choose to fill our home with has the ability to influence how we feel, every day. Canoa Lab ceramics echo that sentiment with their shapes and textures that pay homage to ancient artifacts. Handmade from stoneware with grog from Manises, Spain, each vessel is brushed with experimental glazes to create their unique textured surface.”
“Initially envisioned as a place to burn palo santo, this handcrafted petite footed bowl is a versatile and sophisticated piece that doubles as a great catchall for jewelry or a beautiful decorative object.”
“Candles always enhance the mood with their visual trickery. These elements of illumination bring a sense of calm, warmth, and intimacy. This candleholder was designed by my dear friend, Colin King. I love its exaggerated proportions and simple geometric form.”
“To me, curiosity is the golden ticket to remaining fresh in all your creative endeavors. So I surround myself with the unexpected, those pieces that conjure visual intrigue in order to perpetually summon that practice. This candelabra is usually sitting pretty on my entryway table, its botanical hand-wrought tendrils inviting me home with a warm welcome.”
“I love the entire line of Richard Brendon’s glassware but especially his old fashioned glasses. The quality of these mouth-blown crystal beauties is supreme, and their opulence will whisk you back to the glamorous art-deco era.”
“The alluring aroma of this sweet floral scent is akin to a flowering vine, and who wouldn’t want that romantic sentiment to sweep through their home? The vessel comes in a variety of hues to suit any space or mood, too.”
“This blanket exudes so much soulfulness, sentiment, and warmth with its handwoven, brushed texture. Throw it over a chair, a couch, the end of your bed, or even your shoulders for instant comfort.”
“Inspired by shells often found in old European churches, this limited-edition piece designed in collaboration with New York–based ceramicist Simone Bodmer-Turner is a decorative ode to the holy water basins at Chapelle du Rosarie. This small church in the hillside north of Nice was the iconic artist Henri Matisse’s final project for his nurse, caretaker, and muse, Sister Jacques-Marie.”
“The kitchen is my workshop, my studio, my creative outlet. It is where I take risks—where I fail and persevere. A lot of my experimentation, my trials and my errors, have happened in a Staub cast iron pan. It is the ultimate can-do-anything pan that every chef, both novice and experienced, should have in their kitchen.”
“I demand a lot of my kitchen tools but especially my knives! This trio by Material Kitchen lives up to the hype. They’re crafted from Japanese stainless steel and high carbon to be meticulously sharp and incredibly resilient—I can attest to that! These are a kitchen staple.”
I’ve seen these sell out multiple times, so move fast.
Everyone needs one of these books.
Who doesn’t love a swivel chair?
It looks even better with flowers.
I’m obsessed with this artist.
So pretty.
I have this and am so into it.
A candle is the most failproof gift.
Light up their life.
The unconditional love that comes with rose quartz is priceless.
