Athena Calderone Launches First Standalone Furniture Collection Assembler I

Athena Calderone, founder of lifestyle platform EyeSwoon and author of the James Beard Award-winning Cook Beautiful, has launched her first standalone furniture collection, Assembler I. The 14-piece suite of furniture and lighting debuted exclusively at The Future Perfect in New York. Drawing on French Art Deco design, the collection features high-gloss wood, lacquer, parchment, and nickel accents. Calderone, who previously collaborated with Crate & Barrel, described the process as learning a new language, emphasizing her studio's ownership of the drawings and proportions. Notable pieces include screens and lampshades made with vegetable-based parchment from Kyoto, a Courbe side table with sinuous carving, and a dining chair with Prelle brocade. The collection balances form and function, with ergonomic chamfered edges and a coffee table with an inset black glass top for practicality. The Future Perfect, founded by David Alhadeff in 2003, hosted the installation in its David Chipperfield-designed townhouse in the West Village, where Kamp Studios restored the plaster walls. Art from Calderone's studio and gallerist Amelie du Chalard's New York outpost adorns the walls. Calderone views the collection as a beginning, stating she seeks discomfort to see what can be born from it.