Rebecca Romijn Tells AD How She Furnished Her Historic NYC Townhouse With Secondhand Finds

When it came time for Rebecca Romijn to plan a launch event for her new jewelry line, Charlie Dolly, “my publicist asked me what conveys my style the most,” the model and actor tells Architectural Digest. “I was like, ‘Umm, my place! My house.’” So on Tuesday, Romijn welcomed guests to the eclectic New York City townhouse she shares with her husband, Jerry O’Connell, and their 11-year-old twins, Charlie and Dolly, to unveil her collection of dainty gold-and-diamond jewelry.

Presenting this new creative project at her artsy historic home, she says, gives it “context,” because before she began designing jewelry, she designed the entire dwelling

as a reflection of her unique style. Located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan (not far from Hudson Yards), the townhouse was built in 1899, and retains its original Victorian charm, a high priority for the star. “I’ve always lived in old houses and I’ve always felt very protective of old houses,” she says. “I really chased this listing, especially after they made the initial announcement about Hudson Yards. All this newness was going to be happening and I felt even more protective.”

After the restoration, Romijn filled the home with thrift shop and eBay finds, with some help from O’Connell to get things from point A to point B. “When Rebecca was doing this place I was able to freeze my gym membership because I carried most of the things here,” says O’Connell, who is currently starring in A Soldier’s Play on Broadway. “I carried the marble fireplace downstairs. I used every fiber of my body from the tip of my toenail to my last hair follicle to move it an inch at a time. I’m not kidding. I will never forget.”

Below, Romijn tells AD more about decorating her space.

Architectural Digest: What did this house look like before you renovated?

Rebecca Romijn: I bought this place around 10 years ago from an artist who had lived here for 38 years with her photographer husband. The garden level was a darkroom. They were spending whatever they could to keep it up, but when I found it, it was in pretty bad shape and needed a lot of love. I was the decorator. And then I worked with an architect who was awesome, but I had to fight to keep things, like the original wood floors. He was really trying to have us take out the old stairs, and I was like no, these are the things I love about this house! There were a lot of original Victorian details that I really had to fight for.

AD: Tell us about furnishing the home—you have so many unique pieces!

RR: Almost all of it from eBay, and the one big request Jerry had was that I furnish as much of it as possible from Housing Works [a New York City nonprofit that has numerous thrift shops]. He grew up right next door to the 17th Street location. His mother shops there and furnished their whole apartment from Housing Works. And, you know, I take requests and I thought it was a fair request, and in terms of sustainability it is the way to go.

AD: Where did your love of art and decorating begin?

RR: I come from a family of artists. And Jerry’s parents were both artists. I grew up with an artist/furniture maker for a father in Berkeley, California. I had a very Bohemian upbringing in the ’70s and ’80s, and I spent my summers in Holland with my Dutch grandmother who was an avid Belgian and Dutch antique collector. I have a love for antiques and art. And when I moved to Paris when I was 19, I saw how Parisians were decorating these old, beautiful old spaces with modern furniture, and that really helped shape my aesthetic.

AD: Do you have a favorite piece of furniture in the house?

RR: That’s like asking me to pick a favorite child, but I’m pretty crazy about this little Hazizia acrylic table. When the light is shining through it, that makes me kind of crazy in a good way. I also have this horseshoe art downstairs. It makes sense in California and I’ve got quite a bit of it out there. I also went through a real vintage needlepoint phase where I started reupholstering chairs in vintage needlepoint.

AD: Aside from shopping at Housing Works, did your husband and kids have any other requests for the house?

RR: Well, I got the house all ready, and both girls came to look at their rooms, and Charlie says, “Mine is creepy.” I was like, okay, too many antiques. She didn’t like the birds on this painting I bought from Housing Works for $15. [My] kids think antiques are creepy, so I was like, I hear you, I will open up a PB Teen catalog and you can pick out some things. But she loves it now—she added a blue disco ball.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest