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I can be a homebody sometimes, preferring to sit in my apartment rather than brave a raging dance-fest on a given Saturday. I try not to be a wet blanket, but sometimes the impulse overcomes me. That said, I have never, never considered myself homey, homely or into any or all home-related accoutrements. I enjoyed shopping for a couch for about 30 minutes, took five minutes at a paint store to decide what color to paint my room and planned more time organizing my closet than experimenting with the furniture placement in my room. I like having a nice home; I just don’t want a million sparkling picture frames or napkins. Thus, I generally recoil at the idea of visiting a “home accessories” shop, with the notable exception ABC, where I exist in a fantasy world of what my rooms could look like until I remember I live in a glorified matchbox (granted, a West Village matchbox) and rarely buy anything.
I gave Trunkt (a home, clothing and accessories store) a try mostly because it ranked itself as the Tribeca outpost of one of my favorite stores, EmergeNYC. Well, that, and it conjured so many visions of Lil’ John holding his pimp cup screaming, “We came to get it crunked!” that I couldn’t resist claiming I was heading to Tribeca to “get Trunkt.” Founded by home accessories designer Ayesha Ahmad as a rebellion against so-called “McFashion,” Trunkt takes its place next to indie designer outposts like Emerge and the designers’ market in Nolita, fighting the good fight. Ahmad definitely started on the right foot, setting up shop in the newly converted historic Fischer Mills building, now swimming with lofts in a ‘new SoHo’ fashion. Lo and behold, all of the knick knack home accents (kits, sacks, scarves and wives!) that usually make me feel claustrophobic were presented in such a cheerful manner that I couldn’t help but get sucked in, envisioning each item in my own home with cheerful abandon. I particularly liked the Brazilian Agate Coasters by Rablabs for $60, the playful jewelry and colorful clutches — I swooned over a red leather one from Tulina. Best of all? Trunkt actually sports a good selection of men’s accessories in the form of dapper leather briefcases and — the piece de resistance — utterly fabulous Happy Owl Glassworks cuff links, which look like sea glass with wood block prints of owls and porcupines.
If you still find yourself terrified, think of Trunkt this way: it’s one of the few places you can find a Mother’s Day gift, cuff links for your grandfather’s birthday, and earrings for your little sister. Tell that to your aching feet and worn MetroCard.
For questions and comments, the writer can be reached at lpinson@thelmagazine.com
I gave Trunkt (a home, clothing and accessories store) a try mostly because it ranked itself as the Tribeca outpost of one of my favorite stores, EmergeNYC. Well, that, and it conjured so many visions of Lil’ John holding his pimp cup screaming, “We came to get it crunked!” that I couldn’t resist claiming I was heading to Tribeca to “get Trunkt.” Founded by home accessories designer Ayesha Ahmad as a rebellion against so-called “McFashion,” Trunkt takes its place next to indie designer outposts like Emerge and the designers’ market in Nolita, fighting the good fight. Ahmad definitely started on the right foot, setting up shop in the newly converted historic Fischer Mills building, now swimming with lofts in a ‘new SoHo’ fashion. Lo and behold, all of the knick knack home accents (kits, sacks, scarves and wives!) that usually make me feel claustrophobic were presented in such a cheerful manner that I couldn’t help but get sucked in, envisioning each item in my own home with cheerful abandon. I particularly liked the Brazilian Agate Coasters by Rablabs for $60, the playful jewelry and colorful clutches — I swooned over a red leather one from Tulina. Best of all? Trunkt actually sports a good selection of men’s accessories in the form of dapper leather briefcases and — the piece de resistance — utterly fabulous Happy Owl Glassworks cuff links, which look like sea glass with wood block prints of owls and porcupines.
If you still find yourself terrified, think of Trunkt this way: it’s one of the few places you can find a Mother’s Day gift, cuff links for your grandfather’s birthday, and earrings for your little sister. Tell that to your aching feet and worn MetroCard.
For questions and comments, the writer can be reached at lpinson@thelmagazine.com
