Natalie Vichnevsky’s darling Williamsburg store Golden Calf is something of a contradiction. Let me explain. On the one hand, Natalie is guided by a personal policy of only buying things she truly likes and items that are of a high construction and style standard.
Yet when I asked her about her store’s name, she told me it referred to the biblical Golden Calf, a false idol. She continued, “we appreciate nice furniture, objects…but in the end recognize that it’s all just stuff.” For a store owner to have such a refreshing, Buddhist-like perspective is remarkable, admirable and my husband hopes contagious. I was reminded the other day that we startedthis company to SELL furniture we didn’t need anymore…
Anyhow, it makes sense that Natalie’s level-headed, come-what-may attitude translates to her design inspiration and aesthetic, as Natalie claims that she draws influences from anything and everything that she encounters. And naturally, her inventory is made up of a happy variety, a mix of antiques such as simple Chinese pieces, Mid-Century classics and items refurbished with clever new upholstery. Mostly, she appreciates natural materials, things made in a traditional manner and anything handcrafted. She has a deep commitment to stocking meaningful items, such as a handmade trunk crafted using one-of-a-kind hardware by a local Brooklyn man.
I’d like to go ahead and just say that Golden Calf is the closest thing to being inside a (very cool) little fairytale house which is befitting, given the fact that Natalie also offers design services that cater mostly to family homes in the fabled Park Slope neighborhood. Read on to learn more about this fascinating gal in her own words- her answers to how she defines her aesthetic and what her company motto is are utterly hilarious, but also so telling of her refreshing laissez-faire attitude.
