From walking the runways of Milan and Paris to creating opulent interiors, Stephen Bastone has always had a strong presence in New York’s fast-paced design scene. Bastone came to know interior design through Vincent Fourcade, with whom he completed a ten-year apprenticeship. With his knowledge of 19th-century design gained from this experience, he went on to serve as a high-end curator sourcing antiques for Alberto Pinto’s Paris atelier for twenty years. Stephen Bastone continues to create elegant bespoke interiors for select clientele now through his own firm.
What makes Bizarre silk, smoked rock crystal lamps, a Paolo Buffa bar cabinet, and a Miriam Rogers specimen table work together? The answer… Stephen Bastone. Bastone has become an expert at mixing pieces from different periods and places to create a cohesive whole by striking a balance between old-world glamour and the livability of modern design.
From this lush, opulent interior and more, Newel Auctions is pleased to present items from a Bastone bespoke interior in its upcoming auction, The Art of New York Interiors: A Celebration of Collected Living.
Date & Time: September 9, 2026 at 10am EST
The muted brown and green color palette of the rug is also present in the rosewood-veneered Italian modern club chairs with matching ottomans which Bastone had custom-upholstered in a Bizarre silk reproduction manufactured by Prelle in Lyon, France – the capital of European silk weaving. Bizarre silk is a popularized term for seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Western European woven silks. Silks of this time featured large, asymmetrical, and overlapping patterns often inspired by motifs from different Asian cultures and then stylized to the point of near abstraction. This particular fabric features an elaborate pattern of florals and architectural motifs in pink, green, brown, and black, with woven metallic silver and gold threads. Stephen Bastone says, “I love the juxtaposition of applying this silk to a 1940s chair to create a very interesting and chic result.”
These luxurious club chairs pair beautifully with the vibrant colors of the semi-precious stones that top this mid-century Italian walnut pedestal table. This table is the work of American artist and sculptor Miriam Rogers, who set round slices of jasper, labradorite, malachite, and agate in cement grout. While stones such as these are indeed rare materials that help define the Empire-style that Bastone utilizes in this interior, the asymmetry and random placement of the stones battle against it, — proof that Bastone isn’t afraid to break the rules.
The designer departs from tradition again with these Art Deco-style smoked rock crystal lamps, which he redesigned himself. The lamp base and stem feature faceted octagonal shaped pieces of Brazilian smoky quartz alternating with walnut spacers. Art Deco geometric stacked lamps typically combine glass or stone with gilt or metallic spacers, but in keeping with the specimen table Bastone preferred the adjacency of the smoky quartz and the wood and swapped the original spacers for a standout look. The custom shades, by Blanche Field, consist of laminate silk with a braided trim on top of a thick silk grosgrain ribbon. To top it all off, Bastone found the star-shaped finials on a pair of other Art Deco lamps and added them to this pair.
By combining timeless elegance with modern sophistication into his interiors that means there is something for everyone. Don’t miss the chance to bid on these Stephen Bastone lots and more in Newel’s auction The Art of New York Interiors: A Celebration of Collected Living. Register now!
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