After waiting three years for their dream venue, a three-story townhouse at 17 East 71st Street, to become available, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are finally hard at work using their curatorial talents to transform the raw space into The Row’s long awaited New York boutique. Vogue stopped by to watch the designers in action, evaluating such details as the perfect height at which a large Jean-Michel Basquiat canvas should be hung while photographer Francois Halard snapped photos certain to depict perfection in the making. The decisions weren’t all theirs, however, as the space was decorated in collaboration with Jacques Grange, whose credits also include a collaboration with Monsieur Saint Laurent.
“Having lived in New York now for 12 years, we wanted the store to very much feel like a home—that’s sort of the dream of here: a brownstone in New York,” Ashley told Vogue. “There’s a fantasy to that, and I think bringing that fantasy to reality in a way that everyone can enjoy is a really nice thing.” Mary-Kate elaborated, saying, “Shopping can be a little uninspiring now, so I think if we can bring a little bit of that experience wherever we are to stay, that’s great. That was our ultimate goal when we started—to bring an experience to life, and we’re making it happen. Everything looks the same now, and we wanted this to be special.”
See photos of the incredible new space here.
