Athena Calderone Crate&Barrel Collection: The Pieces Worth Buying and the Design Rules Behind Them

Athena Calderone for Crate&Barrel is a collection of more than 100 pieces of furniture, lighting, decor and tableware, launched in 2022 and inspired by mid-century European design. Athena founded EyeSwoon in 2012 and wrote Live Beautiful, a design book that has sold more than 250,000 copies, and Cook Beautiful, which won a James Beard Award. Seating is where the collection starts for me. The Raffiné sofa, chair and ottoman set the tone, the Rodin chair and bench pair velvet with a slim metal frame, and the Ceremonie dining chairs come in Dresden brown and natural bouclé.

Athena’s tables carry the collection’s material story: travertine, burl wood and slim metal pedestals. The Dualité coffee table pairs travertine with burl wood, the Sassolino nesting tables and pedestal side table are burl wood, and the Argent side tables are metal. The Facette and Les Crêtes vases are two white sculptural shapes to finish a surface. I would put one low coffee table in the middle of the room, one Argent pedestal beside the sofa, and leave the rest of the surface empty. Her rooms work because the negative space is real.

Athena designed a full lighting range for Crate&Barrel, and the table lamps are the easiest way into it. The Onirique lamp has an alabaster shade, the Courbe pairs green ceramic with a rattan shade, and the Ruins lamps are cream and black ceramic with pleated shades. The Nouveauté floor lamp has three linen shades and the Memoria sconce is linen. Crate&Barrel also lists two canvas pieces by artist Aliyah Sadaf for Athena Calderone, Reverence and Solace, so the wall is covered too.

The EyeSwoon shop sells objects meant for daily use, and the tabletop is where I would shop first. It carries Kinto glass cases and ceramic plates, a Studio Oliver Gustav scented candle and an Il Buco Vita cutting board. Her book Live Beautiful runs 256 pages, visits the homes of designers and tastemakers, including two of her own, and was photographed by Nicole Franzen. It is the clearest explanation of why her rooms look the way they do.

Society Limonta makes the linens in Athena’s shop: the Nite fitted sheet and duvet cover, the Lipe towel set and the Maya placemat. If I could buy one thing from this page for the house, I would start with the sheets, because they are the object you use every single night.

Begin with one large piece, the Raffiné sofa or the Dualité coffee table, then let a single lamp and one vase do the rest. Add the daily rituals from EyeSwoon after that: a candle, a good plate, proper sheets. When you want the thinking behind it all, read Live Beautiful.