Talk Shop: Anthony Barzilay Freund // 1stDibs
ABOUT ANTHONY
When we first sat down with 1stDibs’ Editorial Director Anthony Barzilay Freund a few months ago, we knew we had to have him on Fenimore Lane for a Talk Shop interview. With a razor sharp eye, a keen sense of the design industry, and years of experience in the art and design worlds under his belt, Tony is an astute editor with an intuitive sense for what makes a great (and beautiful) story.
As Editorial Director, Freund oversees all digital and print content, including 1stDibs’ weekly Introspective magazine, The Study blog and The 1stDibs 50, an annual celebration of interior design’s most compelling talents. He also serves as 1stDibs’ Director of Fine Art.
Prior to joining 1stDibs in 2010, Tony was Editor in Chief of Art+Auction magazine and, before that, the longtime Arts and Culture Editor at Town & Country. We were so thrilled to sit down with Tony and chat all things art and design – read it all below!
Describe your style in three words or less:
Old. New. Found.
What have been the biggest influences on your aesthetic in your life:
My grandparents, both sets of whom I often visited as a child, lived in two very different homes: one, a rambling, white-shingled house built in stages (from the Colonial period to Victorian), with a wraparound porch covered in wisteria, screened-in sleeping porches and a magical attic filled with games, a banged-up pool table and countless old books and magazines (I like the smell of mildew to this day)! The other, just a dozen miles away, was a low-slung mid-century modern designed by an acolyte of Frank Lloyd Wright. It was set in the deep woods with an open plan, high ceilings, walls of glass and a collection of colorful large-scale abstract art. I loved each equally.
What is your favorite thing about what you do:
Having worked on thousands of stories just during my decade at 1stDibs, I can say with all honesty that I learn something new every day about subjects I find endlessly interesting.
Do you have a mentor in your career, and if so, how have they helped to shape your trajectory:
I’ve worked for/with some amazing editors and creative directors over the years but the two biggest influences have been Terry McDonell, editor in chief of Esquire, who is passionate about language, ideas and original storytelling; and Pamela Fiori, editor in chief of Town & Country, who leads with quiet, steady strength and always says “put the reader first.” Both taught me by example and were extraordinarily kind and generous to me in my early career.
What does your home say about you:
We’ve been renovating/furnishing a 1930s stone house for the last five years. (We’re halfway through a ten-year plan – I hope!) The process is a window into my brain: deliberate, thoughtful, patient, open to chance discoveries, and (only very occasionally!) indecisive.
Where do you find inspiration:
Corny though it may sound, working at 1stDibs is a constant source of inspiration for me. Whether it’s a story we’re publishing (about an interior designer, a dealer specializing in a particular period or genre, a museum or gallery exhibition celebrating an iconic or under appreciated creative talent…) or simply one of the million-plus items for sale on the site, there’s something that feeds my eye and mind at every click.
Who are your style icons:
People who view their life/home as a gesamtkunstwerk, a brave fully immersive laboratory for creative expression – or for reinvention.
What are your key ingredients for entertaining:
In the summer, it’s all about: Outdoors. Cool breezes. The Grill. Decent wine. Scentless citronella candles. Old friends (mixed in with some new and found, to echo the answer to your first question).
Do you collect anything:
A little bit of everything, as need and budget allow — which really disqualifies me as a true collector, because they cannot be deterred by such trivial concerns.
Favorite Instagram accounts to follow for inspiration:
@1stdibs, @1stdibsjewels, @floorplans_of_the_past, @designwithincopy, @oldlongisland, @architecturaltourist, @dennisfreedmannyc10, @dhwendygoodman, @gilbertkann, @juliantreger and countless accounts of interior designers and architects who share their own work and that of others with such astute curatorial instincts.
What design “rule” do you always follow and which is made to be broken:
Almost any object, piece of furniture or artwork can look good in a room as long as you’re open to following your heart (or the advice of a talented interior designer) — which means break any design rule that hurts your heart.
What are you working on right now:
Next week’s stories (and the stories running the week after that….); special content around 1stDibs’ 21st anniversary (to debut in September); and we’re just starting to gear up for the latest iteration of the 1stDibs50, our annual compendium of the 50 most intriguing interior designers working today (which we’ll announce early in the new year).
Wardrobe staples:
Slowear collared shirts and slim-fit slacks, Lanvin blazers and suits, Rhone shorts and tees for working out.
Best interior advice you ever received:
“No color clashes with another color.” Miles Redd
“If you truly love that Stickley Morris Chair, you can make it work in the living room.” Thomas Jayne
Best career advice you ever received:
“Trust your instincts and play your cards close to your chest.”
Favorite places to shop for home:
1stDibs.com — c’mon, did you even have to ask!
Most prized possession and why:
My tiny landscape painting by Antiguan Frank Walter, who also fashioned and painted its frame, bought at Art Basel many moons ago. A window into a beautiful world.
Take Ten: My Favorite…
Food: Morning ritual: Fage yogurt, with roasted almonds, raisins, chia seeds, honey, and a sprinkling of granola, from LMNOP, in Katonah, NY.
Drink: San Pellegrino
Film: Prizzi’s Honor, John Huston’s last film, with a trio of indelible performances by Jack Nicholson, Kathleen Turner and, best of all, Angelica Huston. I haven’t seen it in years (can’t find it on Netflix or any other service) so I can’t confirm that it holds up.
Hotel: Before the pandemic struck and I was traveling to London frequently, I was loving the Beaumont (where I once even stayed in artist Antony Gormley’s ROOM installation); the Wauwinet, in Nantucket; the Carlyle, in New York, where I spent my honeymoon and from which I now live around the corner, so I can admire the Deco detailing and lobby through its revolving doors every day as I pass by.
City: New York (born, bred and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else, ever)!
Runners-up: London, Rome, Paris and San Francisco in that descending order.
Bedding: Matouk
Tea or Coffee (and how do you take it): Coffee: dark roasted (but not burnt), very hot (but not burning), with just a splash of half and half and in a mug from Grace Farms (in New Canaan, CT), which has the perfect shape, weight, color, handle and logo font.
Playlist: Bruce Springsteen (whom I’ve only discovered recently, inconceivable though that may sound), Eric Church, Helene Grimaud, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
Weekend Activity: Hiking in the woods, weeding in the garden, playing tennis, doing the Times crossword puzzle on my iPhone, cooking/eating meals with my family, giving this week’s Introspective stories (which are promoted in a Sunday email) a final read.
Design Book: One of the best perks of my job is all the amazing books that cross my desk. Currently at the top of a very tall, pile of recent titles: Nicole Hollis: Curated Interiors (Rizzoli), Gio Ponti (Taschen), By Design (Phaidon)
