Learning the ABC!

There is a store in New York City (now there’s an understatement :) ) …but before you go thinking I have lost the plot completely, let me explain that this is not just any old store. Noo! This revered treasure trove is six amazing floors filled with furniture and design, design and delights and ideas for design!

It is an absolute oasis of creature-comfort cravings for the style set (or not) to get lost in and browse for h-o-u-r-s amongst the countless displays of magnificent ‘window shop’ inspiration. Honestly! It’s the kind of place where I nearly always end up with a complete fan crush for the stylists and so want to be them. Or at least have their fantastically creative imagination. Oy Vey…maybe in my next life :)

Tinerate, ABC Carpet & Home has been around for as long as I can remember (but as I am such a spring chicken that is not saying much :) Ah, just an aside, good thing I know how to crack myself up :) ) and has become the go-to for New Yorkers and visitors alike for, well, just about everything ‘home’…including meals. They have a couple of great restaurants within the cellar levels, ABC Kitchen and the latest opening, ABC Cocina, being of almost Michelin standard.  Bookings are often required well in advance but failing to remember to make a reservation, it is  possible to obtain a seat at the bar for a counter meal however be warned, that can mean eating the evening meal well well well before the sun has set.

So popular is this store that it has almost become a ‘must-do’ for the tourist in the City. In fact whilst I was there, I ran into a couple from South Africa madly running the ranks of the basement level with a very chi chi designer wearing the most fabulous feathered hat and purple suit I have ever seen, stocking up on essentials. The poor darling :) complained to me that ‘the Rand is not so good so I can not buy all that I want’ in that very clipped staccotoed accent that is soo removed from the Aussie drawl that for a moment I wondered if I had just been reprimanded and not taken in to a confidence. Such a first world problem; do hope she managed to get her haul home!

This fabulous store with, seriously, something for everyone, has even been written up by the infamous New York magazine…

…ABC Carpet & Home’s Manhattan flagship store retains a certain warehouse aesthetic: Worn hardwood floors creak under your feet, glittering chandeliers and gigantic antique carpets adorn the high ceilings and furniture vignettes – often more piles than displays – stand everywhere. It’s like an estate sale for your packrat dowager aunt, albeit with impeccable taste. Andrew Sesssa

Anyhoo, each of the massive floors of this downtown Broadway institution has been crafted so that an entire floor is dedicated to a specific theme or commodity, and it was in the market level that I stumbled upon this pure heaven of sweet treat tablescapes, each set up as a little story to entice the shopper. (By all accounts, very effective too :) )

IMG_6804

Too tempting not to take a seat and settle in for the day, right! :)

Till next time.

Tipsy Pipsy xo