Decor Interview

When Bunny Williams Met the NEW YORK Fashion Girl

Originally printed in FALL IMPROVEMENTS, SEPTember 19, 2019.

After only a few weeks since its opening it’s already hard to imagine Falls Village without interior designer Bunny Williams’ home, decor and gardening co-op, 100 Main. Selling all New England and regionally made artisan goods, the airy space combines a contemporary, industrial structure with the luxury of Williams’ signature timeless taste and eye for decorative arts.

Adding her own distinct vision to 100 Main however, is Christina van Hengel, the cooperative’s brand director.

Moving from working in the fashion market at Harper’s Bazaar in New York City to becoming a full-time Massachusetts resident, van Hengel is decidedly young, forward-thinking, and describes her style as modern, elegant, “and not too serious — a little playful.”

Sitting on the front porch of 100 Main in August, van Hengel explained how she came to be involved with the launch of Bunny Williams’ first Connecticut store.

Alexander Wilburn: So how did you meet Bunny Williams?

Christina van Hengel: Bunny and I met through a mutual friend, Abigail Cusick, who runs The Little Guild, an animal rescue in Cornwall. Bunny was organizing the Great Country Mu Show as a fundraiser, she’s really involved with that organization. Bunny wanted to do an artisans cooperative, and needed somebody local. Abigail said, “You’ve got to meet Christina!”

AW: How did Abigail know you’d be the right person for the project?

CVH: She knew Bunny was looking for someone who was here year-round, with good taste and retail experience. Abigail and I knew each other in New York City and she knew my background in fashion. I worked most recently at Harper’s Bazaar. It just seemed like it would be a really good fit.

AW: What had you been doing up in the country at that point? CVH: I met Bunny last fall, and my husband and I had moved up from the city just that summer. AW: So it was pretty fast then.

CVH: Yeah! Bunny and I didn’t really pull the trigger on the project until the next spring, but we bounced lots of ideas back and forth and put some feelers out to some artisans who we knew. But that was before she and I really said, “Let’s do it.” Before that, I moved here and was home with my daughter, she was 1 1/2 years old at the time. We were in Somerville, Mass., while my husband was in graduate school. So I was in this transition from working to being a stay-at-home mom to going back and being a working mom. I was looking for work, but also had a second hand clothing organization that I was working with.

AW: What was it about 100 Main that made you feel like. “Oh, this is my next step”?

CVH: The opportunity to work with Bunny was just really exciting.

AW: Was she someone whose work was already familiar?

CVH: Yeah, we hadn’t met but I definitely knew of her, just from my design experience and admiring her. I really liked that this cooperative was going to be retail but also really one of a kind, because it features all locally made products. I had worked with artisans earlier in my career in fashion. I worked for a women’s wear company called Maiyet and they partnered with artisans in developing countries to create a luxury fashion product that I was a part of selling and marketing. I eventually helped open the store for that line in Soho in NYC. So getting to work with artisans in a place that I lived, especially in the U.S., where I hear people say they feel like nothing is made in this country anymore…

AW: Completely.

CVH: So I wanted to go out and find these incredibly talented people and really interesting products that are so covetable — I thought that idea was a great launching point and so unique to traditional retail. So deciding to join Bunny was like, “Easy! Done!”

AW: What was the search for artisans like? Or did they come flooding to you?

CVH: I did a lot of research initially to make sure that it would feel aesthetically coherent with what Bunny and I wanted to achieve with the cooperative. We didn’t want it to feel like a typical craft fair with felt Christmas ornaments. The products had to keep up with the vision we had in mind and what we wanted to create. So there was a lot of online research initially where I looked at the local arts organizations to find artists and makers and designers. We compiled a list and built a little inventory plan, and that’s when we started to say, “OK, these are things that I know I would want to buy, so we can do this…” We had put out feelers with a few people we already knew personally, and they were on board immediately, no questions asked. We felt pretty confident that others would have a similar reaction. For some that was true, and some only were interested in wholesale, not consignment. That was a challenge.

AW: Who were some of the original designers who were absolutely on board for the concept?

CVH: We started with friends and people who were in our immediate circles. Bunny connected me with the most talented jeweler, Adelaide Harris, there was John Funt, an artist, I reached out to Henry Klimowicz, an artist, and Paul Chaleff, a ceramicist, and Dan Bellow, another ceramicist. Dan was a neighbor at the time and I would always see him when we were walking our dogs. He was so ready to be on board.

AW: So it really is like a neighborhood collective then. Of course, Bunny has a really specific aesthetic when it comes to the visuals of her brand. Do you feel like you’re carrying her vision with 100 Main or is it more of a mix of both your tastes?

CVH: I’d say we have very similar tastes actually, so there really weren’t too many collisions. It’s really a blend of both of us.

AW: What was your first meeting like? She must have wanted to know about your own taste, right?

CVH: She invited me over to her house, and it was lovely, we had coffee and talked. She’s such a warm and welcoming person that it felt really natural and easy for me. I was nervous at first going to meet her and then she was so nice. She gave me a big hug when I left.

AW: How would you describe your own taste?

CVH: I tend to lean modern, with more global, eclectic interests when compared to Bunny. What we share of course is an interest in quality. But I’m 32, so my taste is more defined in terms of fashion, where as I’m very new to the practicalities of home and design. What I love about 100 Main though, is that we are working with pieces that are more modern. They’re newly designed and created.

AW: You’re not selling antiques.

CVH: We’re not selling antiques! People always associate antique with Bunny, because she’s known for this more traditional, antique-style design. But she has a studio that’s aesthetically very similar to 100 Main. She and I talked about design aspects like scale… I can remember looking through products with furniture designers, trying to find something that suited her traditional style. We ended up with such a wide range that I asked Bunny, “Do you think you’re going to be able to make this all cohesive?” I was initially nervous — stylistically everything looked so different to me. Bunny just laughed, “Oh, don’t worry about it.” She knows how to unite the look. That’s something I’m really learning from her and developing on my own.

AW: It’s almost like 100 Main is a house she’s designing. There are all these different pieces, furniture and lamps, but it’s united by the clean white walls and the grand reflective mirrors and the openness of the space.

CVH: Yeah, the space is so big that it definitely has that minimalist feel to it. I call it a concept store — it’s not just a home design store. We have clothing, we have children’s toys, we have art. It’s all these different things that we would want ourselves. We also try and have a range of price points for every shopper. AW: When people think Bunny Williams as a brand, with home and garden in mind, they might not necessarily expect that there is this fashion aspect to 100 Main. Was that something you brought in with your particular background?

CVH: Bunny was really open to having that range of products, so it was really exciting for me to find those things. When we were going over items from one of the fashion designers before the store opened, Bunny grabbed two dresses and had already purchased them for herself because she was so in love with them. There were also fashion elements that I wanted to incorporate for children.

AW: Of course, because you’re a new mother. Was there anything specific you really wanted to have for a children’s section?

CVH: What I really wanted was children’s toys. I wanted beautiful wooden toys that were usable and engaging for children. That was something I hadn’t been able to find up here myself, so they were something I made a priority to find and be able to off er to other people. Bunny, of course, was more interested in interiors, but I really wanted to get children’s toys in!

AW: But that shows naturally how your two lives and your interests came together and how you’re both reflected in the store.

CVH: Yes!

AW: And of course, Litchfield County is an older area. At 32, you’re probably one of the younger people in your position. Do you feel like you’re bringing a different approach and vibe?

CVH: Definitely, I think so! People are excited to see these hip pieces, whether it’s fashion or something that’s just fresh and interesting. I definitely feel like the store brings some flavor.

AW: And as the lone store on Main Street, you’re kind of your own retail hub in Falls Village. What’s the response been?

CVH: It’s been incredible, we’ve been really busy. I think seeing this building in such beautiful condition has generated excitement near and far.