A Tiny Tour #008: The National Arts Club

Today’s edition is the latest in our Tiny Tour series; read/see more of our design visits here:

Good morning everyone. If you are on the East Coast, I hope you did okay with the devastating downpours yesterday. I was driving back upstate from Brooklyn with a friend and the roads were apocalyptic.

I was crushed to hear of Glen Hansard’s sudden passing on Wednesday. I was sitting outside at the picnic table with Raffi when Kevin came out and told me. We hugged and cried. Once was one of the first relationship-defining films in our life together, and I watch this scene to this day ↓ every few months, particularly during times when I need to physically plug back into life. The way the producer wakes up from his stupid newspaper when he realizes what is actually happening in his studio in that moment…I will never get over it. It really is one of the most awesome cinematic clips of our time, my own life, and anyone else who’s ever yearned so much to do something that felt impossible. Sending all the love to Ireland and his family…Glen, you were such a gift in this world, and we will cherish every bit of what you gave us. ❤️

A few more quick bits before we jump into today’s (hallowed:) tour…

1. A room w/a vanishing view.

I was in Brooklyn earlier this week writing/working on some projects while I’ve been (forlornly) watching as our tiny view of the East River vanishes behind a new brick building going up around the corner. Our little view was one of the reasons I fell in love w/our apartment at first sight…just seeing the ferries chug by always gave me a tiny hit of glee.

Above, the view from our Brooklyn dining table…I assure you, I took 100,000 little videos like this of all the boats that went by in the days leading up to the new building concealing them.

That said, a little to the left of what we’re losing we do still have a clear shot of our Fair Lady between the trees. I’ve been meditating on + writing about this transition…something changing outside that’s inevitably changing how I feel inside. Somehow, it’s made me love/treasure our little home and what’s left of our view even more (will share more when what I’ve written is ready for you:).

2. How about this mini British beach cottage?

Erin sent me a link to this marvelous jewel of a cabane belonging to Amy Bannerman of eBay (and founder of slow fashion brand Francine), originally published in Domino. So many ideas, inspiration, and JOY tucked into this beach “hut,” particularly all the patterns/stripes, which were a collaboration between Bannerman and Colours of Arley. More shots below (photography by Louisa Tratalos), as well as a few things I fell in love with over at the Colours of Arley site (thinking we must buy that shower curtain for the upcoming Dr.’s Inn reno?).

From top left: Amy Bannerman’s UK beach cottage and her view; shower curtain and striped bolster, both by Colours of Arley.

3. My new Alex Mill work tote is a total Everything Bag.

Not too big/not too small, somehow exactly right for laptop/train commuting/Barbie + art supply hauling. This one does it all. I got mine monogrammed in honor of Yoko Ono and the only tattoo I have (so far). (Affiliate, yes ❤️:).

4. Making music + magic sans watchful eyes in 1979.

Kevin and I started rewatching The Americans. We were totally hooked the first time we watched it, and for some reason, he really wanted to go back to it again. I had absolutely no recollection of the pilot episode (to be fair, this is not surprising for me 😐), but this second time around left me breathless start to finish. The part that really got me, though (ie: jumping up off the couch and whooping at the end 🤯), was the final absolutely sublime closing scene featuring the 1979 song “Tusk” by Fleetwood Mac (the track opens up the episode, too).

Briefly: I was 10 when this song came out, and although it was pre-MTV days, the band put out a home movie-style video for the song, filmed in an empty Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, famously accompanied by 112 members of the renowned USC Trojan Marching Band (Mick Fleetwood had contacted their musical director to layer a mighty percussion section into the song and he remains a GENIUS). From Wikipedia…

The idea of employing the services of a marching band on “Tusk” came to Fleetwood after he was awakened by a local brass band playing outside during a vacation in Barfleur.

“I saw the entire village dancing in the streets. They were following the band...I grabbed the remainder of my bottle of Beaujolais from the night before and went down to join in...That joyous, irresistible cacophony is what I heard when I listened to that loop of the riff.”

The whole video is wild: Christine McVie cruising around with a glass of white wine in hand, Stevie Nicks twirling a baton, Fleetwood carrying around a cardboard cut-out of John McVie who couldn’t make the recording. When I say I have watched this video about 12 times since rewatching the pilot of The Americans, I am not exaggerating. IDK why, but it’s just so energizing being reminded of all the freedom, looseness, and LIVING sans any slick/polished production/effects, etc., simply capturing this moment in time exactly as it was, not as anyone planned it to be. PS: VOLUME ⬆️. PPS: Here’s that closing scene in The Americans, dear Lord, Matthew Rhys 🔫🔥😭.

And now—on w/today’s feature…xxCb

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I began writing this story during the winter when I visited my friend Gwen Whiting, founder of The Fill Club, at her tiny storybook office at the National Arts Club. She didn’t know it then, but this particular address on Gramercy Park was one of my first true fantasies of NYC. When I was in my 20s, I would often take the subway to parts of the city I really didn’t know well, and Irving Place + Gramercy Park were always a favorite. And (many) years later, when Carrie Bradshaw decamped from her Upper East Side apartment to live and write in one of my other favorite buildings on the park ⬇️, I still fantasized about writing one day a few doors down at the NAC.

Founded in 1898, the National Arts Club was one of the first clubs of its kind to foster awareness and education in the arts while also admitting women for memberships (unheard of at the time). Yeats used to sleep, read, and speak here. Cecilia Beaux and Will Barnet made art here. The Club’s longtime president O. Aldon James “hoarded” antiques (and birds!) here. The cast of Marty Supreme had their after-party here, too.

Most importantly, working artists still make art and live here.

And now, my dear friend Gwen has a wonderful slip of an office here, too. As someone who literally spends entire subway rides dreaming of my own little writing studio at the NAC someday, there’s nothing quite like dropping in to see Gwen, having lunch w/her in the members’ dining room, and soaking up all the lush rosy carpeting, stained glass, carved mahogany details, portraits, and mythical old-world beauty.

When I asked Gwen if I could document/share more of my visits with you, she was delighted to invite us into her little slice of New York history. Let’s get into it…

ATA: Hi Gwen…I am not going to lie, I do fantasize about sharing your office w/you! Tell us a little about you and how you ended up here.
Gwen: I studied Apparel Design and Fiber Science at Cornell and I started my career in fashion at Ralph Lauren, but really found my calling in RL’s Home Design. In 2004, I poured all my experience and knowledge w/clothing and home care into launching The Laundress, ultimately creating a new category that hadn’t existed before. I built it at a time when I first began investing in clothes and wanted/needed my pieces to last because basic Tide and dry cleaning wasn’t going to work. (As a result I have so many things I still love and wear from 25 years ago!) After 17 years of helping to shape this part of the industry, I sold the Laundress to Unilever in 2019.

To be honest, I initially had no plans to step back into the laundry room, yet when my brand was completely decimated and had no resemblance to what I built (and I was running out of my old detergent), I felt compelled to go back. Too many people relied on the care products I’d created—I mean, stains still happen every day!

Two years ago, I launched The Fill Club***, a wellness-centered cleaning brand powered by aromatherapy available only on our website to our TFC members community. This time around, I’m more focused on creating a beautiful, intimate space for cleaning, care, and connecting. Last fall I started our newsletter here, too, called The Laundry List.

***For only the next 48 hours, The Fill Club is offering ATA subscribers a complimentary annual membership ($40 value). Just visit the sign-up page, add the membership to your cart, and enter the code TINYAPT40 at checkout to redeem access and shop the catalog—and enjoy perks—immediately.

ATA: How long have you had an office at the National Arts Club?
Gwen: I’ve been a member since 2008—18 years, doing the math is crazy! It’s really been such a special part of my life…celebrations, events, learning, friends, and even my own wedding ten years ago.

I received a members’ email about two different offices that were available to rent in the summer of 2023 and inquired. Like most of us who are going through endings of really significant life chapters, I really struggled in my transition after exiting The Laundress, ie: not having a structure or place to go and work every day. I’ve always worked in a creative space, so it was an exciting opportunity when my little office became available. And shortly after moving in I decided to start The Fill Club.

One of the shared sitting areas in the National Arts Club, housed in what was originally the Samuel J. Tilden House, built in 1845 and given its Victorian Gothic facade/redesign by Calvert Vaux in 1874.

ATA: What do you know about the history of your office/who had it before you?
Gwen: It could have been an artist studio because the light is good, as opposed to the larger spaces down the hall. What is funny is that I had never been upstairs past the main gallery floor in all those years before! I knew my dear friend had taken sketching classes there for years, but that was it. My neighbors are the Pastel Society and Drawing New York. Every time I pass a class in session, I wonder why I’m not in it! Instead, I head to my computer or a Zoom…or my laundry list of tasks.

The Newswomen’s Club of New York is another neighbor, but I have only seen their door open once—just recently—and had major wood-paneling envy.

Gwen’s door knocker deity that mesmerizes me. (Also, door knockers are very under-rated.)

ATA: One of the reasons I wanted to do this story is that your office is tiny but still so expansive and bright. Were you ever worried it was too small, or do you think it’s perfect?
Gwen: Yes, it is perfect indeed. I am actually more used to smaller spaces. One of my long-term vendors from The Laundress literally reflected with me last week about the hours we spent together in the closet at our office. We had an open office for the majority of our business years, and our only private space was a storage closet, to which I added an IKEA bistro table and folding chairs inside for sensitive discussion times.

Details from Gwen’s office as well as the sign to the Newswomen’s Club of New York next door.

Initially I had my desk in the front window until it got moved for an interview, and I never moved it back. Now the good views of the Park outside are more visible, not hidden behind my double monitors. Sadly, my intended work table couldn’t fit through the doorframe, so this simpler one was my second choice.

ATA: How does the space make you feel?
Gwen: It’s funny, I deliberately didn’t want to make this another decorating project. I just moved my office stuff in from Bridgehampton—an old unused IKEA sisal rug, a lamp, my filing cabinet. I already had everything, except I bought a desk chair from IKEA that I still should probably replace with something more ergonomic.

I really just moved in and got right to work. I didn’t want to get distracted in the space; I just stayed focused. It wasn’t until you actually came to have lunch w/me here—at least a year later—that you stayed and added your stylist touch to it, which I am so grateful for and which makes me happy to this day. [You’re welcome, Gwen, I adore you!].

An “ordinary” conference room down the hall from Gwen’s office.

ATA: Any other details you love most about being in this historic building? What are your favorite things to see and do here every day?
Gwen: Aside from loving to have a place to go to focus, I love seeing and appreciating a different aspect of the club—how dedicated the team here is. The joy of the creative classes buzzing around me, the artwork, especially all the feminine energy surrounded by portraits of all the incredible ladies on the walls. Even though there are days I spend alone, it is also nice to feel part of a creative community.

It’s also handy to have lunch, tea, coffee, cocktails, and dinner just downstairs too! People love coming to the club, so it is always easy to lure people here for a meeting or to have a meal with someone. I was so grateful when you came to visit, too, as you made me explore more floors I still hadn’t seen before, and meet more interesting people here along the way.

**If you click on or buy anything throughout today’s newsletter, we may earn a tiny commission, at no cost to you. For more home and style inspiration/GOOD THINGS, head over to our Tiny Shop on ShopMy. ❤️

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