“I love giving people an example of how they can guide themselves with their decor,” says Carolyn Willander of Object Permanence.
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Carolyn Willander has a vision when it comes to showcasing her love for 1980s Art Deco, ’70s space-age, and ’90s postmodern design. When the 32-year-old opened Object Permanence, a vintage design shop in Bushwick, Brooklyn, in March, she decided to set up her modest, 175-square-foot staging space like an apartment and change up the interior style—and re-merchandise the entire store to match—every six weeks.
The result is an experimental shopping concept that’s part showroom, part art installation, and entirely immersive. Everything’s arranged to help customers envision how these pieces could be arranged in their own homes. “Someone came in for her empty apartment, bought five things from me, and sent me a picture of her apartment [that was set up like my store],” says Willander. “That’s the dream, for someone to come in and buy what I had created for them. I love giving people an example of how they can guide themselves with their decor.”
Carolyn Willander’s exacting eye for both merchandising and picking objects comes together in her store, Object Permanence. Her first aesthetic, a sort of 1980s-inspired Malibu Barbie Dreamhouse vibe, is replete with soft pastels and hints of chrome and lacquer.
Photo courtesy of Object Permanence
Willander debuted Object Permanence with an aesthetic that she calls the “1980s Miami Barbie Dreamhouse.” Every piece fits into the specific color palette of washed-out coral pink, aqua blue-green, and ivory white, punctuated with shiny gold hardware. The South Florida-themed Easter eggs were all there: a framed flamingo, shells in the wall art, tropical birds on a lamp.
The rug, glimpsed at the bottom of the photo on the left, pulls the space together for every era Willander celebrates, and is definitively not for sale. (Everything else you see is!)
Photo courtesy of Object Permanence
The next setup was a 1980s-meets-1920s Art Deco revival living room, which one could imagine a fabulous Manhattan woman of the Studio 54 era coming home to. Willander placed crystal sculptures on the shelves, covered the walls with glam art, and introduced pops of black that brought a level of intrigue and mischief to the space.
Willander is intentional with her aesthetics. Pictured here is the 1980s meets 1920s Art Deco revival look, featuring a beautiful etagere shelf in gold and glass.
Photo courtesy of Object Permanence
See the full story on Dwell.com: The Vintage Furniture Seller Whose Brooklyn Store Cycles Through Aesthetics Every Six Weeks
