designer profile
SET
in style
BY CLAIRE PLUSH
There’s no mistaking the sophisticated style
of New York set decorator Christina Tonkin.
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NATE ARCHIBALD’S ROOM GOSSIP GIRL
Warm tones balanced with a deep teal
give this golden boy’s room a regal finish.
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designer profile
THE WALDORF RESIDENCE
DINING ROOM - GOSSIP GIRL
Elegant wallpaper combined with
luxurious furniture creates a space that
reflects this power family’s wealthy status.
CHARLOTTE’S APARTMENT SEX AND THE CITY
Charlotte’s apartment showcases her
sophisticated style with classic pieces and
a subdued colour palette.
S
eamlessly blending
classic and
contemporary, the
interiors she creates for
the hit television show
Gossip Girl are coveted
weekly by millions of
adoring fans.
Her aesthetic inspires not
only viewers but also industry
professionals, with many looking to
the show for inspiration and trend
forecasts.
Launching her career on the set
of a feature film in 1991, Christina
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discovered her passion for interiors
while watching the 1970s sitcom The
Mary Tyler Moore Show.
to do that’.”
process to each interior she designs.
The defining moment led Christina
It was during one episode, where
Rhoda revamped Mr Grant’s
apartment, that Christina realised
she wanted to pursue a career in
interior design.
enviable position as assistant set
“Conceptualise, gather, edit,
balance, detail,” she says. “I call it
tenacious design.”
“It was meant to be funny, but I
thought what the set decorator had
created was fantastic,” she says of
the modern white space that was
dressed with a shag rug, Saarinen
coffee table and arc lamp. “That
was the first time I said ‘Wow, I want
to work on numerous films, land the
decorator for the Sex and the City
series and most recently gain the
role of set decorator for Gossip Girl.
She also runs her own company,
Christina Tonkin Interiors, which
concentrates primarily on residential
and commercial design.
Whether she’s creating a new room
for Gossip Girl or a lived-in Paris flat,
Christina applies the same creative
This tough love tactic was put to the
test during Christina’s latest project –
the design of her own apartment.
Having down-sized from a threebedroom house in Long Island to a
two-bedroom railroad walk up and
now to a one-bedroom high-rise,
she was forced to heavily edit her
personal collection.
CHRISTINA’S FAVOURITE
PLACES TO SHOP IN NEW YORK
VINTAGE FURNITURE AND LIGHTING
Two Jakes, Every Thing Goes Thrift & Vintage and John Koch
Antiques.
FABRICS AND TEXTILES
Maharam, Pollock and Phillip Jeffries for high-end projects.
Joe’s Fabric Warehouse and Mood for the mid-range market.
TABLETOP
Mxyplyzyk in Manhattan and Global Table.
“I am much happier with less,”
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designer profile
Christina’s
top 5 tips
Christina Tonkin gives Adore
Home her tips to achieving a
luxurious look on a budget.
1
Blend textures and
materials. For example
hard stone, warm wood
and soft linen.
2
Keep it simple and
do things in groups of
three – three colours,
three objects or three
materials.
SERENA VAN DER WOODSEN’S
BEDROOM - GOSSIP GIRL
3
Place objects on
surfaces around the
room that catch the eye
or reflect the light.
Art is a major focal point in any interior.
Displayed in Serena’s room is a butterfly
artwork by Paul Villinski (above) and ‘The
lover she used to be’ by Emilio Kruithof
(right).
CHUCK BASS HOME GOSSIP GIRL
Agin art takes centre stage
with Chuck’s apartment
featuring a vibrant James
Nares artwork.
CHRISTINA’S
APARTMENT
Christina pictured in her
Upper East Side apartment.
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Christina says. “Every piece in the
new space has been carefully
chosen, custom-tailored, finished or
reupholstered.”
Some of the selected pieces include
furnishings from the Sex and The
City set: Charlotte’s bed, Carrie’s
bedside lamp, Samantha’s ottoman
and Miranda’s artwork have all
been given a second life inside the
apartment’s walls.
Residing in the Upper East Side
of Manhattan, coincidentally the
home of the Gossip Girl characters,
Christina describes her personal
style as a combination of modern
and vintage with a dose of texture,
creamy glossiness and striking
artworks.
Conceding, “New York is a melting
pot of talent,” Christina visits art
shows and walks the streets of
Manhattan to discover up and
coming artists for future projects.
add a few rungs to her career in
“Art can make or break an interior,”
she says. “It’s like the accessories on
a little black dress. Without them, you
are sporting a nice little black dress.
With them, you are fabulously stylish.”
From a Madison Avenue store
window to a painting at the
Met, the interior designer puts
no boundaries on her sources of
inspiration.
interior business to include an
Jane Yeoman’s pieces are a
favourite of Christina’s and she has
featured the work in Sex and The
City, Gossip Girl and her own homes.
If juggling an interior design
company and a full-time role on
the Gossip Girl set wasn’t already
enough, Christina is planning to
4
Frame your art alike. It
makes your space flow
and creates continuity.
2012.
5
Producing a design book,
launching a personal line of
furniture and expanding her
office and retail space in Hawaii,
If you love bright colour,
use it in objects like lamps
and small accents in the
room.
are all on next year’s agenda.
How does she do it all?
www.christinatonkininteriors.com
www.christinatonkininteriors.com/blog
“For most of the part I am always
working,” Christina says. “But, when
you do something you love for a
living it does not seem like work.”

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