In the bustling world of New York City, where space is coveted and renovation projects are a blend of excitement and challenge, Sarah Leon stands out as a beacon of creativity and resourcefulness. Alongside her husband Teddy Wolff, she transforms their historic home into a personalized sanctuary by curating one-of-a-kind finds from online auctions, documenting their journey on social media, and blending past charm with contemporary flair. We recently had the pleasure of learning more about her passion for home decor and auctions.
Please tell us more about yourself and your passion for auctions and what inspired you to share decor tips on social media?
I have worked in the fashion industry for most of my career- first in magazines, then as a writer and editor, and more recently as a brand consultant. My work has always been very art and design adjacent.
This came in handy when my husband Teddy and I bought our house in 2021. We knew we wanted to stay in New York long-term and needed more space. Frankly, we never thought that we would be able to buy a home here. But we found something truly special, that needed a lot of work.
We were total beginners. We had previously struggled to hang shelves in our rental, but quickly got very handy and figured out the best way to source materials. It was very important to us to find things that were unique and affordable, so when a friend told me about LiveAuctioneers, I was hooked. We no longer had time to go to auctions, antique stores, or salvage yards and explore in person–we needed to source a lot of specific things very quickly.
What inspired you to share decor tips on social media?
In all honestly, renovating a home, especially the way we are doing it, is so all-consuming. I couldn’t imagine not sharing it on social media. We really wanted to document the renovation for ourselves and share it with our friends and family, which is why we started our instagram account @homeonwoodbine. It was an easy way to keep everyone updated on what we were doing.
From there, it grew. I’ve made IRL friends through our home’s social media presence and gotten a ton of valuable advice from other people doing the same thing. We found out about an amazing lumber yard from one of my favorite TikTok renovators, Brad and Sean from @back.to.the.studs; purchased a brand new, second-hand washer and dryer from clients of Barry and Jordan, aka @brownstoneboys; and even recently installed some tile that Aubrey and Will of @glamstudio_bk had removed from their kitchen.
Inspirations and Influences
Are there particular artists, movements, or experiences that have significantly influenced your artistic style or approach?
We really believe in embracing the character of a space, instead of putting something that doesn’t make sense onto it. Our old rental apartment was a former lingerie factory in Chinatown, which had been converted into apartments a long time ago. It had high ceilings, shiny orange wood cabinets and flooring, and big factory-style windows that let in a lot of light, and we decorated accordingly. A lot of post-modern white, lacquer, chrome and glass. When we moved into our new house, which is a free-standing wood home from the late 1800s, none of that furniture seemed quite right. Fortunately, it had become pretty popular, so we sold most of it for a profit, and started building a new collection of things that felt right for this house.
That didn’t mean going all antique. Our home was from the 1880s but had been renovated in the 1920s and 1970s. We wanted to reflect the original era of the home, respect the previous renovations, and not ignore that it was now the 2020s. It needed to reflect the current moment, too.
Shortly after we purchased our home, we saw the Paris apartment of Bastien Daguzan and Nicolas Gabrillargues in T Magazine, which has been designed by Fabrizio Casiraghi. In the article, Casiraghi summed up the idea to embrace the renovations of our home, perfectly: “Our idea is that perhaps the grandparents were there in the 1940s and some of their furniture is there, then the parents in the ’70s left some of those cool things and now that has all been transformed by the younger generation,” he said.
We also drew a lot of inspiration from what we know: my grandparents in England had a beautiful apartment, and we definitely brought some of their home into ours. Almost a year after we finished renovating our kitchen, I realised I’d pulled the color palette from my grandmother’s kitchen accidentally!
If you could use three words to describe your interior style, what would you use?
Past Meets Present. I love a mixture of antique and modern pieces, for an eclectic balance.
Are there specific artistic genres or periods that particularly resonate with you?
We love modernism and find ourselves looking at a lot of designs from the 1920s/30s as inspiration. It’s not just the look of modernism, it’s the philosophy: that you don’t have to do things the way they’ve always been done, if there’s a good reason to change them.
Do you actively seek diversity in your collection, or is there a specific thematic focus?
We look for what feels right, and what we love. It automatically leads to diversity in our collection!
Favorite Auction Find
Could you share a story about one of your favorite pieces acquired through LiveAuctioneers?
The antique mahogany doors that I put in our kitchen. They were my first LiveAuctioneers purchase, and the scariest. We had just started renovating our house, and knew we wanted to put some large, antique doors in our kitchen. When I saw this pair, with the arched transom window, I knew they were perfect. We pretty much designed the entire house around them!
What qualities or aspects drew you to these mahogany doors?
I loved that they were antique because our house was built in the late 1800s. Our home was first renovated in the 1920s, so there are a lot of finishes from that era. These doors are also from the 1920s, so they felt like a perfect fit. The mahogany wood felt warm and rich and popped against our flooring, which is mostly white oak and pine and is also over 100 years old. I didn’t want to put a new door into an old house and have it look out of place.
The size was also just right. We needed something tall, since we have 12-foot-tall ceilings, and something that was the right width, to let in light but also not take away any cabinet space.
We also have a lot of hard edges –almost everything else is square. But we know our original front door was arched at the top, and we loved bringing that arch into the back, as well.
Do you have any other finds in mind you’d love to tell us about?
Another very memorable purchase is the painted cabinet. It came from the estate of Jill and John Fairchild, in Hudson, NY. John Fairchild was the publisher and editor-in-chief of Women’s Wear Daily (WWD), where I did my first fashion magazine internship.
I was looking for a cabinet with the exact measurements, something shallow enough that it wouldn’t take up too much floor space, but tall enough so that it matched our high ceilings. When I saw that it was from the estate of Jill and John Fairchild, I felt like it was a sign. It was painted yellow and blue when we got it, but that wasn’t really our vibe, so we repainted it black and white.
Auction Experience
What aspects of participating in online auctions do you find most appealing?
I love that I can get access to things that I wouldn’t have time to get otherwise. I love to see the range of things that are available in the world. It’s such a source of inspiration.
Are there specific types of items or genres you actively seek during auctions?
We have been looking mostly for architectural items for the past few years, like the doors. But more recently we have started acquiring furniture and rugs. In our bedroom, we have two great pieces that sort of sum up what we’re looking for: a pair of early 1900s mahogany doors (that we installed on our shoe closet) and a 1970s Milo Baughman tortoise console with upholstered stools. They shouldn’t go together but they do!
What is it that draws you to online auctions over regular furniture shopping or in-person thrifting?
I love the experience of looking at things in real life. But when you’re searching for something specific, it can be frustrating. I’ve been to multiple salvage shops in different cities, looking for doors with specific measurements. It was much more efficient to find what I was looking for online.
Strategic Approaches to Bidding
How do you approach bidding strategically in auctions?
I decide how much I am willing to spend before bidding, and research/get quotes from movers so I can understand the full costs. I typically look at auctions that are within driving distance from where I live, so that we can either get the item ourselves or save money when hiring movers.
What level of research do you typically conduct before participating in an auction?
Measure! I always triple-check the measurements and materials of what I am buying before actually bidding. I am typically well informed on the makers and categories, already, so I know when I see something that’s a good deal.
Advice for Collectors
What advice do you have for newcomers to the world of auction treasure hunting?
Do your research first. Figure out what you like, so you know what to look for. There’s a lot out there, you must narrow it down somehow.
How do you balance personal preferences with investment potential when making a purchase?
I almost always buy things with the idea that I will one day resell them. I never buy something just because it’s a good investment, but I do take a lot of pride in always reselling my purchases for more than I paid for them. I think that if you trust your gut on what you love, vs. what’s currently trendy, you can stay ahead of the trends. Buy low, sell high!
Ultimately, you must live with a piece. So even if it’s a good deal or a good investment – if you don’t love it, let someone else have it.
