Athena Calderone, founder of EyeSwoon, has completed a renovation of her new Manhattan apartment in Tribeca, purchased in 2023 with her husband Victor and son Jivan. The full-floor space in an early 1900s building, once the executive suite of the Borden condensed milk company, blends historic elements with contemporary design influences from Art Deco and Vienna Secession. Collaborating with architect Danielle Siggerud, Calderone transformed the property previously owned by French architect Thierry Despont into a sophisticated home.
Athena Calderone moved from her Instagram-famous Brooklyn townhouse to a Tribeca apartment in 2023, seeking a change after nurturing her design business, EyeSwoon lifestyle site, two books, and furniture collections there. The New York Times described her motivation in an article titled “What Happens When You Get So Influential That You’re Bored by Your Own Aesthetic?” Victor and Jivan were initially reluctant, but Calderone convinced them, emphasizing her high standards.
The apartment, in a building dating to the early 1900s, features herringbone floors, 13-foot ceilings, and oak-paneled walls described as "the color of chocolate syrup." Originally the Borden company's executive suite, it underwent residential conversion in the 1980s and was later owned by Thierry Despont, known for projects like renovating the Statue of Liberty and Ritz Paris, and interiors for clients including Kelly and Calvin Klein. Despont's sepia-toned design included kitchen stools from a 1930s Italian motor yacht and a brass backsplash inspired by a Bugatti grille.
Challenges included long hallways, tiny bathrooms, and dark woodwork, which drew online comments comparing it to Joan Crawford's 1930s home in Mommie Dearest. Inspired by a Vienna trip and Adolf Loos’s American Bar, Calderone embraced the darkness, refinishing the wood with the Brownstone Boys. With Siggerud and Studio Athena Calderone, plus contractor Sacks and Co., they transposed the kitchen and dining areas for more light, added a home office and Victor’s music studio, and maximized space. "We massaged and really kind of juiced every last bit of square footage out of this space," Calderone said.
Influences include Villa Necchi Campiglio by Piero Portaluppi, with its datum line adopted in the apartment, and a 2024 Rome hotel lobby limestone. She sourced creamy limestone panels and drew from global travels, including the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. Partnerships with Calico Wallpaper, Lowe Hardware, Colbourns carpets, and Amuneal created custom details. The collection features Art Deco and Vienna Secession pieces like a 1900 ebonized Viennese desk, Jean Prouvé and Jules Leleu’s Cible table, Jacques Adnet armchairs, and Maria Pergay’s 1968 Flying Carpet daybed under a Kamp Studios plaster ceiling.
Calderone’s style evolves to warmer tones, departing from cooler palettes in her prior homes. The $6.3 million purchase reflects her shift to a more formal, sophisticated aesthetic. "Maybe this is the grown-up, more sophisticated, more educated version of myself," she mused. The wood paneling, a standout, aligns with a broader trend toward layered, characterful interiors, as noted by designers like Heather Weisz and Cara Shahbandi.