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Jul 11, 2023

Jenna Lyons, Newly Minted Real Housewife, on Her Beloved Cy Twombly and Bathroom Full of Photos

By Charlotte Collins All products featured on Architectural Digest are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate

By Charlotte Collins

All products featured on Architectural Digest are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

For Real Housewives devotees (those who worship the Bravo franchise, its over-the-top group of elites, and the notorious carnival of drama that follows them), fashion phenomenon Jenna Lyons was the surprise casting announcement of the show’s New York reboot (premiering July 16). Each of the women featured in the reality TV universe masterminded by Andy Cohen comes, naturally, with a certain amount of cultural cachet, but Lyons’s, as president of J.Crew from 2010 to 2017, had uniquely positioned her as the ultimate tastemaker for the masses—both among the refined sartorial superfans and everyday shoppers alike, with a handful of Met Gala appearances to her name and a dedicated following who studied her “Jenna’s Picks” in J.Crew catalogues like Bible passages.

A hallmark of elegant yet casual dressing throughout the 2010s, the designer and entrepreneur’s place in the soapy series (oft considered something of a guilty pleasure) was indeed a shocker, but a pleasant one. Six years after departing the role that made her a household name, the style superstar is back in the spotlight—and so is her Manhattan abode, which she notes will be featured on the show. So how do the aesthetic preferences of “the woman who dressed America” manifest in her own dwelling? The newest member of the Real Housewives of New York paints us a picture while posted up in the Soho loft one afternoon as she prepares for the RHONY 2.0’s debut.

The Real Housewives of New York City, from left to right: Brynn Whitfield, Erin Lichy, Sai De Silva, Jenna Lyons, Jessel Taank, Ubah Hassan.

AD: What city do you live in?

Jenna Lyons: New York, New York.

How would you describe the style of your home?

I would say eclectic. I think in the entire house there’s maybe two things that are new. Everything in my house is vintage, and it’s not from one era. It’s not like I have a midcentury-modern house or like I’m going for the ’70s. It’s all over the place. I enjoy when things push against each other, when they don’t look like they’re supposed to match. I think the same thing about clothing. I appreciate something that feels opposite: a tailored blazer with super slouchy jeans. That really continues into my home life.

What is one kitchen item that you use every single day?

I have a seltzer machine and I use that thing every single day. It’s a built in, not a push button thing. It looks like a bar tap. It has seltzer, sparkling water, and fresh water, chilled and filtered on tap. It was the first thing [I added] when I was getting moved in here while doing the design [of the apartment]. I used to have [a Sodastream], and, literally, if someone had to do the terrible honking schnoz sound one more time…I can’t.

What is your favorite home gadget or appliance?

I have a circular cheese grater—or just a grater for anything. And it’s beautiful. When I found it, I was like, “How? Where’s this been all my life?” I’m really into this thing, it comes in a big and a little baby one; I have the baby one at the beach and we have a big mama one at home. I give it as gifts because it’s such a nice thing to have. It’s from a company called Boska—from Holland, of course.

Table Grater Mini Oslo

Boska

Table Grater Oslo

Boska

What is your bedtime ritual?

I’m not super ritualistic. I wish I could say I was. Sometimes I just crawl into bed and don’t do anything and I’m asleep in two seconds. Sometimes I like to stay up and watch a show in bed or read. There’s no ritual. But I’m a big fan of a water pick. And I have a real sheet situation; I have pillows and sheet problems. I prefer them cool.

So what’s your ideal bedding setup?

I can’t sleep without the Sferra Giza sheets. They’re the only thing that matters in life. My pillows are from Cuddledown and they’re spectacular. They are by far the most luxurious, important things in my house. I discovered them years ago, I was very fortunate to have my house shot for a magazine, but I had just moved in when they came to shoot, so I hadn’t really figured out [the] bedding. I had a new baby and I was just overwhelmed. The team asked if I would need any props and I brought up bedding. They came with these spare sheets and I literally got in bed that night and I was like, “I mean, who needs sex when you have these sheets?”

Which is your favorite room in the house and why?

The bedroom. That’s where all the magic happens.

Sferra Giza 45 Sateen Flat Sheet

Sferra

800 Fill White Goose Down Sateen Pillow

Cuddledown

What object in your house has extra sentimental value?

My Cy Twombly. That thing brings me to tears. The very first time I went to the MoMA, I think I was 17, there was a Cy Twombly exhibit. I’d come from a small town; I’d only ever seen a Picasso, but I didn’t know about art outside of the really kind of classical perspective. I walked in this exhibit, and it was so moving to me. From that moment, I knew I’d like to have something of his in my possession, in my home.

Seven or eight years ago, I was working in Paris and there was this gallery I visited to see about borrowing some posters because we were setting up an apartment to bring in press and to show the line. An artist friend of mine just so happened to be working in the gallery when I walked in, and so the owner let me borrow real art, a Cy Twombly drawing. I sat underneath it for a whole week doing press. At the end I was like, “Listen…just tell me the price.” The owner was actually closing his gallery and he wanted the piece to go someplace where somebody would love it, and he could tell that I did. I had to call my broker and be like, “Can I do this?” And he said, “You can never buy anything again.” I said, “That’s okay!”

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Do you have a room or an area in your house that serves an unusual purpose?

I have a bathroom in the very back of the house and the toilet area is completely wall-to-wall covered in photographs, concert tickets, notes that people have written me, badges, my invitations from the White House, any special things. It’s this sort of cluttered historical catalog of memories. They’re just pinned up, it’s not fancy. Nothing is framed. I just hammered sh*t in there. Whatever I want. That’s the only bathroom that no one else uses, it’s mine. And I think I wanted it to feel personal. There are some things that I don’t want anybody else to see.