View Gallery
As a designer, you never feel completely done with a project,” says Jenny Wolf. Make that doubly true if the project in question is the designer’s own home. “I’m always moving and changing things around,” Wolf says of the interior of her 1920s center-hall colonial in Fieldston, a leafy enclave in the Bronx whose stately houses and century-old trees make it feel more like a Connecticut hamlet than a New York City neighborhood.
The exterior of the 1920s center-hall colonial. “It’s a little slice of heaven,” Wolf says of her leafy neighborhood.
Francesco Lagnese
Jenny Wolf in the hat-and-horn-filled entrance to her home. Wall paint, Pearl by Benjamin Moore; trim, Studio Green by Farrow & Ball.
Francesco LagneseThe setting couldn’t be more apt for Wolf, whose own expert eye, trained in fashion retail development at Ralph Lauren before turning to interiors, is adept at blending old-world country charm with moody sophistication. She’s spent the past four years transforming the whitewashed brick house into the ultimate calling card for her brand, The Huntress, a trio of boutiques that carry a covetable mix of antiques, artisan goods, and its own line of indulgent bath and body products.
Wolf filled the house’s wood-paneled study—which she dubbed “the huntsman’s room”—with a mix of antiques and vintage-inspired furnishings, like a Regency-style desk from Hickory Chair and a Gustavian chair from Chelsea Textiles. The table lamp is from Penny Morrison with a Pooky shade. Sconce, Ro Sham Beaux.
Francesco LagneseWhat initially drew Wolf to the house, she says, was the abundance of original details, including delicate dentil moldings and a wood-paneled study. “It felt like stepping back in time,” she recalls. “The bones of the house were so incredible—I’ve never been in a space with such an amazing floor plan. Apart from the bathrooms, there wasn’t much to change other than paint and paper, which is rare for a house this old.”
Farrow & Ball’s smoky Vert de Terre paint drenches the kitchen, where a Schoolhouse light fixture and custom plate rack add old-fashioned charm. Windows are dressed in a Jean Monro fabric.
Francesco Lagnese
Wolf'’s grandmother’s floral chintz sofa was the starting point for the dining room—all the colors were drawn from it. The farmhouse table has followed Wolf from her first New York apartment. The vintage Sputnik chandelier contrasts with portraits from Newel Gallery and ticking stripe curtains mix with buffalo check on Guastavian chairs from KRB.
Francesco LagneseShe played up the historic nature with a palette of dusty hues that capture a sense of time-worn elegance. While the kitchen likely would have sparked a full gut reno in the hands of a less mindful decorator, Wolf chose to keep its original layout intact, removing the upper cabinets (an old-fashioned plate rack makes up for the loss of storage) before painting everything in Farrow and Ball’s Vert de Terre, a soft green. In a pint-size guest room with a sloped ceiling, an earthy orange blurs the angles to create a cozy cocoon.
The rooms are filled with a mix of old and new pieces, including a number that she inherited from her grandmother, now updated with new materials or placed in unexpected settings. “I like linking the past to the present,” Wolf explains. “My house feels old-fashioned, but so am I!”
“It’s my favorite color!” says Jenny Wolf of the soft pink—Farrow & Ball’s Templeton Pink— in her primary bedroom. The bedding is from Leontine Linens
Francesco Lagnese“I like linking the past to the present,” Wolf explains. “My house feels old-fashioned, but so am I!”
Farrow and Ball’s Red Earth wraps a guest room. Ceiling fixture, Barnlight Electric. Bedding, Serena & Lily. Pillow and throw, The Huntress. Bedside table, Chelsea Textiles.
Francesco Lagnese
In the charming attic aerie of her daugher’s French-inspired bedroom, Wolf wrapped the eaves in Waverly toile wallpaper. Roman shades in her favorite buffalo check from Charles Faudree. Chelsea Textiles bed and bedside table; vintage bench.
Francesco LagneseThrill of the Hunt
With its rosy walls and mix of rustic and romantic vintage goods, The Huntress’s newly opened West Village outpost feels like an extension of Wolf’s family home. The cabinet comes from a 1920s bar, which the designer found in Pennsylvania.
Francesco LagneseStepping into The Huntress is like diving into the pages of a 19th-century English novel where arcadian beauty and rustic refinement become the backdrop for sweeping drama. “There’s a romance to it,” says Wolf, who honed her storytelling bona fides while working for legendary world-builder Ralph Lauren. “I like objects that have a soul—you get the sense that they’ve traveled from somewhere far away.”
Jenny Wolf’s New York office is as collected and inviting as her home and stores.
Franceso Lagnese
The Huntress stores are known for their immersive, eclectic atmosphere that mixes everything from romantic chintzes to taxidermy to luxurious private-label toiletries.
Francesco LagneseSince opening the doors to its flagship in Pound Ridge more than five years ago, The Huntress has continued to expand, with an outpost at the Mayflower Inn in Connecticut and a newly opened location in the West Village. “As a designer, you’re always shopping for someone else,” adds Wolf, “but having The Huntress allows me to collect the things I love.”
THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN VOLUME 15 OF FREDERIC MAGAZINE. CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE!
