The Carolina Herrera x Cabana Home Line Is Made for All Occasions, Both Eclectic and Elegant
Wes Gordon, creative director of Carolina Herrera, had long been a “super fan” of Cabana’s editor in chief, Martina Mondadori Sartogo. The only problem was, they had never met! So he decided to employ the tactic that, in this digital age, so many of us do to show affection, admiration, and interest. He slid into her DMs.
“I think it was something like—I am a huge fan of what you are doing. Next time when you are in New York, I would love to meet you,” Gordon recalls of his Instagram message. A few months later, Mondadori Sartogo took him up on his offer. (She admits she did her fair share of social media stalking: “The first time I noticed Wes on Instagram was when I saw this table setting he did at his house in Connecticut when he was entertaining,” she says.)
At first, they were just friends. But, soon, it became clear they were destined to become creative collaborators. They had the same drive, the same references, the same “love of beauty, the belief in the power of the small details,” says Gordon.
Today, the public gets a look at their great minds thinking alike with the launch of Carolina Herrera x Cabana, a new tabletop line. It’s the first homeware collection from the eponymous New York design house.
Cabana x Carolina Herrera features glassware, plateware, table linens, and a tea set. Their sources of inspiration are many: Gordon and Mondadori Sartogo point to everything from his travels in Latin America to a textile she scoured in a Cairo flea market, to traditional Iznik designs and the history of Carolina Herrera itself. The result is a bold, colorful collection that’s eccentric yet elegant, adorned with handpainted and hand embroidered floral motifs, as well as gilded details. There’s even a tablecloth with tassels. (The question “What about tassels? initially gave pause to mother Mondadori Sartogo, who feared impracticality for those with children. But Gordon talked her into it.)
“We really thought to create something that could be Mr. and Mrs. Herrera’s home,” says Gordon. “In the home of someone who has traveled, someone who has collected, someone who has inherited some pieces from family.”
You may notice that Cabana x Carolina Herrera eschews “matchy-matchy.” The tablecloth print isn’t as same as the plates, and the glasses have very different patterns, both of which are wildly set apart from the color-blocked teacups. It all fits right in with Mondadori-Sartogo’s description of her own and Gordon’s decor vibe: “Mixing up a few pieces your grandmother gave you with items from a flea market.” Essentially: it’s a collection that you can dress up, dress down, and split up. Want to use the tea set for a lazy Sunday morning in bed? Fabulous. Want to break out the plates for takeout? Go for it. A tassel tablecloth for weekday breakfast? Why not! All of them together at once for a special occasion dinner or holiday? That works too. Perhaps Gordon says it best: “There’s no matching, there’s no rhyme or reason. If you mix pieces that you love, the combination always works.”
Below, get a glimpse at the new collection.
Photo: Courtesy of Carolina Herrera x Cabana1/11
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