As a child I spent much of my time with my grandfathers at ‘the coop’… an old farm and chicken coop in the suburbs of Philadelphia that had been turned into a warehouse of used furniture and appliances that my grandfather resold. I really grew up in what felt like a real life treasure hunt every weekend. In 2012, I moved to New York and unexpectedly met an antique dealer (145 Antiques) who was giving away houseplants, which I needed to fill a very empty window alcove in my apartment. Shortly after, I started digitizing and photographing the 145 Antiques inventory and translating a brick and mortar store to the digital world. I then began traveling to France to source new and exciting pieces throughout Europe, and it was during my first trip that I realized I had found my calling and I was destined for a life-long career in antiques and fine arts.
This past year I have grown into my new role here at Newel. It’s an honor to work for a dealer that has over 80 years of history and has proven to be the best of the best in the antiques industry. I look forward to joining Kiel at the showroom on 61st Street, as well as the team at Newel Props in Long Island City. But what really excites me the most is the opportunity to find and share one-of-a-kind pieces with you. — Anthony Checetto
Q
What’s the one Instagram account you can’t live without?
A.
@notenoughhangers I LIVE for the house tours and it is feels almost like a continuing education course in architecture.
Q
What’s the best thing about shopping in person?
A.
Getting to see, touch and feel is so important. And even with posted dimensions and the clearest photographs, you may not get a true sense of scale for a piece online. ALSO, when shopping in person you may get lucky and be the first to see a dealer’s new inventory that may not even be visible online yet. Finding a fresh piece and scooping up before it hits 1stdibs or another online marketplace is my favorite of moments.
Q
What do you consider to be your career highlight?
A.
My first buying trip in Paris that continued to Avignon and the south of France. There is a 3 day antiques fair where hundreds of European dealers convene with their rented box trucks filled with contents of now empty estates. It’s like Black Friday for antiques and it is an experience like no other.
The real highlight is after the buying trip….When the pieces sell and seeing who is inspired by what inspires me. When Gucci opened their Wooster street store and set up shop for Dapper Dan, many of the pieces that I had sourced and fell in love with wound up furnishing these spaces. Seeing the pieces on a creative director’s wish list was a special moment for me. I knew I was on the right path, doing what I loved; hunting for one of kind pieces that spoke to me and bringing them back to live in New York.
Q
What is the one thing no one knows about you?
A.
I have an unusual habit of rearranging all of the furniture in a room. Well as a child, it was just a room but now as an adult, it’s an entire apartment. It will start with a simple thought like, ‘hmm I wonder what that mirror would like like on that wall’ and an hour later, I have emptied the room to a blank canvas and put everything back in a new and very specific way. It’s also a great way for me to give away a piece or move on. There are only a handful of pieces that I’m so attached to I will never give away. I’m always making room and space for new things to come into my life.
Q
Favorite place to recharge?
A.
Camp Nelson! Camp Nelson is a very special place outside of Westport, Ontario where my great-grandfather’s father built a rustic lakehouse at the end of the 19th century. The house sits isolated on Wolfe Lake surrounded by 15 acres of forest and only a few modern conveniences like indoor plumbing and electricity have been added. The shower is still outside in the bathhouse overlooking the lake! There is nothing like Camp Nelson and after a few days, I’m ready for life back in New York.
