‘Walking around this incredible space, I almost feel like we’re behind the scenes at the Met,’ says Sarah Bray, National Interiors editor at Modern Luxury magazine, as she takes a spin through Christie’s warehouse in Long Island City, New York.
With interior decorator Anne Spilman, a friend since her college days in Texas, Bray visited the warehouse for a sneak peek of the objects offered in the Interiors sale on 22 August at Rockefeller Center. Together the pair prepared a series of vignettes that showcase their signature decorating philosophy.
‘Both of us agreed immediately that we really want to do bold colour,’ says Bray, explaining their decision to set one vignette against a bright orange wall.
Also key for the pair was hitting just the right balance of layers, which Spilman considers the most important quality for any interior. This also made the decision to incorporate antiques a no-brainer. ‘Antiques add another dimension, as well as a timelessness,’ she explains.
‘The word “antiques” is often associated with maximalism, but that doesn’t have to be the case,’ Bray adds. Of the vignettes the duo created at the warehouse, the interiors editor explains that ‘they’re extremely layered but not cluttered. It’s just the right mix.’
Bray admits she loves antiques because of ‘the quality and the craftsmanship in every single piece’ and the idea of ‘getting something that you can’t find anywhere else’. Above all, she says, antiques add personality and show that a home has character.
‘I think,’ Bray continues, ‘that people are educating their eye, they’re noticing quality. A lot of people think of auction houses as something elusive, but I think they are a way for clients to educate themselves, to see what they really like. These are pieces that transcend centuries and countries.’