Quick Takes With: Carly Krieger and Therés Loren

Pop into this NYC atelier IRL and you’d find not one brand but two: two creatives, two visions. So it’s only fitting that today we’re dishing up a Quick Takes twofer.

The duo? Carly Krieger, founder of Past Lives Studio, an interior design firm and vintage dealer specializing in “Viennese Secessionist, French Art Deco, Swedish Grace, and Italian Modernism,” and Therés Lorén, a native Swede turned New Yorker with a fashion background who started Studio Nordic to bring “beautiful and practical interior objects from 20th century Scandinavian design,” including textiles and vintage rugs, to NYC.

The two have joined forces in their new showroom (at 143 West 29th Street), and today, they tackle our questionnaire together, writing in from Park Slope and Fort Greene to share  

You’re invited to dinner. What’s your go-to gift?

C: I almost always bring a dessert of some sort – usually a cake or a box of chocolate chip cookies from a buzzy bakery. But honestly I am utterly addicted to sugar so this gift might just be a way to satisfy my sweet tooth.

T: Sal de Menorca, it’s from the last active salt-making flat on the Balearic Island of Menorca. We go to the island every summer.

What’s on your bedside table?

C: I got one of those Loftie alarm clocks as a way to keep my phone away from my nightstand. The intention was for the phone to stay in the kitchen, but alas the phone still sleeps beside me each night.

T: Alarm clock (old school style), a hand lotion, and my reading lamp. I try to stay away from screens when I am in bed.

What’s your desert island design/art/architecture-related book?

T: Photobook Passage: A Work Record by Irving Penn. Gorgeous photo book with so much style.

What podcast or playlist do you put on when you need inspiration?

C: I recently listened to the Clever Confidential podcast episode on Eileen Grey and E-1027. It’s worth a listen; I won’t go into all the details here because these are supposed to be quick takes and it’s quite a saga. I’m also a big listener of the Business of Home podcast. Dennis Scully has a super soothing voice, and somehow even when he’s talking about tariffs I feel comforted.

What’s a film or TV show whose aesthetic has stuck with you?

C: American Gigolo directed by Paul Shrader, set in LA in the 80s. Every element feels effortlessly cool. Richard Gere’s character’s apartment is outfitted with a Le Corbusier chair, Torchiere floor lamp, and curved sofa. I like that the set design reflects the decade while still feeling refined and not overly postmodern. Also love the Georgio Armani suiting throughout the whole movie. All the garments feel casual and flowy but still tailored and refined.

Also, Casino. Every suit Robert DeNiro wears. Every sequin and fur Sharon Stone wears.The full baby blue Courrèges outfit with the white GoGo boots as her airport/plane outfit? Iconic.

Which Instagram account do you go to for design inspiration?

C: Fabrizio Casiraghi, Paradowski Studio, Hauvette & Madani, and Charlap Hyman & Herrero are four of my go-to interior design firms I look for for inspiration.

T: The World of Interiors for a glimpse into expected and unexpected places around the world.

What has been your best house upgrade?

C: A 1970s green marble coffee table by designer Nicos Zographos. It has a modernist chrome base, similar to a parsons style table. It’s got enough surface area for those dinners where we sit on cushions on the floor and eat dinner gathered around the coffee table.

T: Buying my white USM Haller chest. The chrome looks great with vintage and it can hold so many things. Timeless design and worth every penny.

A simple or budget-friendly design move you wish you’d known sooner?

T: Decorating with textiles, rugs and tapestries; it adds layers to an interior and is easy to move around and store when you want to switch. It can be a beautiful piece of textile you found in a flea market or a scarf that you love. Pin it up on a piece of cardboard and put a nail in the wall, et voilà you have given the room a whole new look!

My favorite paint color for the bedroom is…

C: Benjamin Moore Muslin OC-12.

My unpopular design opinion is…

T: I don’t like the Papa bear chair by Hans Wegner (very weird for a vintage dealer).

My go-to kitchen utensil is…

T: A Le Creuset Dutch Oven. We use it pretty much every day (for everything!) and it never goes in a drawer. It looks so good just standing on the stove.

C: I purchased a ceramic Japanese garlic grater from The Primary Essentials a year or so ago and it’s changed up my garlic game.

Three words that describe my design style:

C: Eclectic, warm, layered.

T: Something old, new and blue.

First design love?

C: The Delano hotel in Miami designed by Philippe Starck. I visited when I was younger and learned that manipulating the scale of items evokes a sense of playfulness—the enlarged chess board by the pool comes to mind, or the high-back sofa that was once nestled in the lime green alcove in the lobby.

What item from your closet do you have on repeat?

C: A pair of vintage Levi 501’s I got from Sorbaras in Williamsburg that have the right amount of wear and the perfect denim wash. I wear these most days with loafers.

Favorite design shop to visit (online or in person)?

C: I love visiting John Derian and bopping from store to store along E 2nd street. They have every size taper candle you could ever imagine, which really comes in handy with vintage candle holders and candelabras.

What is the last thing you purchased for your house?

C: A set of La Verre glasses by Sophie Lou Jacobsen. I had visited Quarters a few months ago, and they were serving drinks in these glasses at their wine bar/restaurant. I was instantly taken by how delicate and beautiful the glasses were. I went home, visited Sophie’s website, and got myself a set! Now, every time I pour myself a glass of water I get a bit giddy because the glasses are just so pretty. That’s the power of surrounding yourself with beautiful objects. They can transform a mundane every day action into something that excites and sparks joy.

Something you’re coveting?

T: The Liljevalchs sofa from Svenskt Tenn in the Baranquilla fabric by Josef Frank, for when the kids move out.

I don’t leave the house without…

T: In the summer, a large straw hat that shelters against the sun.