Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » sneak peek: hayden harnett

today is a bit of a departure from our normal schedule of sneak peek mondays, but we were so jazzed about this incredible space that belongs to toni hacker and her husband ben of hayden-harnett, that we couldn’t resist showing it off. dealing with such wide open spaces is no doubt a challenge, so it’s great to see the solutions they’ve come up with to divide it up. and those windows!?! seriously, wow - natural light is such a great accessory. so next time you’re in greenpoint, brooklyn be sure to stop by their store to see the latest designs toni has cooked up (or visit hayden-harnett on the web here), as i’m sure this place definitely would inspire anyone. thanks so much to toni and ben for opening up their home to us today! you can click here to see more, full-sized images, and, as always, you can click here to find all the sneak peeks, and tons of inspiration for your home. -anne

[above: Our apartment is a work in progress, and it's been something of a learning experience to work with such a large undefined space. Lots of great furniture from eBay, TN and KY junk stores, antiques from upstate, artwork by our friends and by Ben, the occasional cat posing languidly in all the sun we get. Lamp: an epic eBay battle. Windows: amazing light for every-day. Stairs: into our bedroom.]

Our pet fig tree, Figgy, was a huge print influence on our upcoming Target collection hitting stores 12/28-3/15. Ben’s been working on this painting for a week or so, and the guitars badly need to be re-stringed and tuned…

Py stops to consider what record she should put on the stereo next. Vinyl by our friend Anthony Clune, owner and genius behind tonkydesign.com. You can order them in any color. Super fun and easier to remove than wallpaper.

View from the top of our loft stairs…friends in town from Knoxville, TN. The painting on the lower right hand side is by Lynn Talbot (amazing artist whose work we collect). The mobile was found on ebay in the Atomic Mobiles storefront.

Map of the USSR from junk store in Knoxville, TN, table-cloth from Richfield Springs, NY; fiddle-leaf fig rescued, and awaiting re-growth of leaves…

Sometimes Ben & Toni wish they could stay in the guest room instead of their own…

Toni thinks the poster, a replica of a German school diagram is all about sex. I think she’s right. . . We have original building beams running through the top of our loft and I love how they add character to the whiteness of our space. Silhouette of Ben and Toni cut at Disney World this spring on a weekend trip. An old legend says to count the beams in a new room the first night you sleep there, make a wish, go to sleep, and your wish is certain to come true…we’ve both made our wishes.

Ronettes drawing by Molly Butterfoss our new spring ‘09 eco-tote artist; w/ NYC wooden city kit from Muji (bought at MOMA shop) and fresh grass for the kitties.

Cast-iron bear waits for pennies and nickels, surrounded by woodland creatures, gems, moveable type, and more. In the box? It’s a mystery. . . Toni’s good-luck (rubber!) horseshoe; also one-each from her collection of cameos, & ship-paintings.

as an enthusiaist of the hodge-podge approach to home decor i have to say this is one of the most enjoyable sneek peeks i’ve viewed in a while. i love it when you can take the most random items and make them work together seamlessly. you’ve incorporated souvenirs, road trips treasures, and gifts from friends - all things that hold such sentimental value - into the design of your space with heartwarming results.

The tan/white duvet is from Target, the line from DwellStudio. And having been in the Greenpoint store, I can say with certainty that these are pics of their home. I LOVE Hayden-Harnett’s bags. They’re absolutely gorgeous and I drool over them every time I go in there.

Hi,
You have such a beautiful home! My husband and I have a fig tree as well and I’m wondering if you have any tips for keeping them alive indoors? I didn’t realize that was even possible…
Thanks!

thank you all so, so much :) it’s a pleasure to hear so many kind words about our home. we love it here and greenpoint, i have to honestly say, is a great place to live and work. we walk to the studio and the warehouse in the morning…stop off for coffee. it’s worth taking a visit to our hood if you’re in nyc.

to answer some of your questions about our stuff and stuff:
-all bed linens are from DwellStudio at Target
-the white desk is from IKEA… it’s actually a dining table that we repurposed
-fig trees love lots of light and to get really dry between waterings…too much water will kill fig trees. think sahara, not jungle.
-the white bookshelves propping up and surrounding the tv are all from ikea (we’re big fans). the cool thing is that you can use the bookshelf the tv is on as a room divider
…very excited to try this when we redecorate or open a new store.

I would like to stay in your guestroom! Hope it’s not rude to ask, is your swan chair real? If not, where is it from? I can’t afford a real one, but this is the exact color I want. I like the color combo of the green & chartreuse chairs together. Also, I like how you refer to your houseplants as pets.

Gasp! As if such giant windows weren’t enough to get joyful about…giant round and archway windows! This is a fantastic space. It’s interesting that many details remain close to the ground - except for the mobile!

Love! - linked over from R29. The dining table/chairs are a near copy of the set my grandmother’s promised me, except that sometime in the late 50’s/early 60’s she covered the seats in bright red/orange beach towel fabric. She’s nutty that way, but it looks amazing.

Hi Toni and Ben,

You guys are amazing! Love your store, love your home, I’m so amazed at the life you guys have built. I admiring from afar (in TN!) and your success is really inspiring. Thank you for sharing.

wowie,
we live down the street from this bldg and are big fans of H&H.
i recognized the bldg immediately (before even reading the heading) and am delighted to see the inside.
it’s no surprise that their apartment is as lovely as their shop!

wow..thanks for all the super-props!
katherine, if you come into the store, please introduce yourself. i’m working in the back of the shop in the design studio m-f, 10-late.

figgy is doing quite well and LOVES all the sun he’s getting. he’s sprouting a ton of leaves now. we just bought a buddy for him, a malaga chestnut. they seem well paired and the cats love the chestnut tree.

we’d be open to people filming in our apt…depends on the type of film and how the kitties and plants would be treated.

the guest room bed is a malm twin in black from ikea. it’s not on the ground, but it’s really super-low profile.

the junk store in knoxville where the map is from is near the art supply store on kingston pike…it’s really a peddler’s market and there’s TONS TONS TONS of amazing furniture and art there. seriously. go. go now. it’s cheap and it’s awesome. wish i could remember the name. it’s near a strange-ish movie theater, art supply store, and the aveda salon.

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