“My life is fully integrated into my work,” Tariq Dixon explains at the TRNK Apartment, a New York showroom he just opened for his burgeoning contemporary design brand. Fully, indeed—a cavernous second-floor loft inside a historic SoHo cast-iron, the space doubles as his own residence. “I host friends and clients here,” he says, “and then clients become friends, and vice versa. I want to utilize this space for dinners, casual conversations, collaborations, and to bring more like-minded creative people into the world of TRNK.”
A Shoppable Apartment That Its Designer Actually Calls Home
Showcasing TRNK, his pared-down furniture and accessories brand, Tariq Dixon invites the public into his SoHo residence.
BY RYAN WADDOUPS January 10, 2020
A curated, convivial ethos prevails at the apartment, in which Dixon’s vintage belongings mingle with TRNK’s growing portfolio of contemporary furniture, lighting, and accessories. Rich contrasts and a distinct character ensue, which Dixon tempers with personal touches from his own collection. For example, his brand’s Maura Modular five-piece sectional fits snugly in a sunlit corner beneath a chandelier designed by close friend and collaborator John Sorensen-Jolink (of Coil + Drift). A grouping of antique African masks, which Dixon discovered while traveling in South Africa, presides nearby. Intended to create a curious new way to contextualize TRNK’s wares, the apartment “offers a unique, almost voyeuristic opportunity to experience the product in situ, where the design is both personal and active,” Dixon says. “Our goal is to always encourage people to sit in the pieces and make themselves very comfortable.”
TRNK’s new venture comes at a time of growth for the brand, which Dixon credits, with a laugh, to a business model that “changes basically every year.” He co-founded the brand in 2013 with Nick Nemechek (who has since departed for a role at like-minded Danish furniture purveyor Menu) as an editorial website. In the years since, however, TRNK has blossomed into a beloved cult brand that is perhaps best experienced in person and in good company, hence Dixon’s penchant for entertaining. “My door is always open and I want different people circling through,” he says. “The idea is to make design feel approachable.”
(Photos courtesy of TRNK)