Who Pioneered the Modern Farmhouse look?

At age 22, when I arrived in New York City from Pittsburgh, I was a complete country bumpkin. My parents eschewed decorating for cooking. So while I was exposed to many venerable cooking tomes at home (my 86 year old mother still has most of her old Bon Appetits and I slyly rip out recipes when I visit), I had never seen a shelter magazine.

Pre -Pinterest, pre-Instagram, it didn’t occur to me to ask the question: “what’s my style?” I didn’t care. I was much too busy studying law, eating falafel on nearby MacDougal Street, and grabbing free tickets from the NYU Student Union to Broadway, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. My parents thought falafel sounded gross.

As I got to know the city, my eyes to the world of décor ever so slowly began to open. Five minutes from my dorm, just across Houston Street, lay the very tantalizing shops of SoHo. One in particular, Wolfman-Gold & Good Company continues to influence interiors today. Don’t judge by these small, blurry images. No one had cell phones back then.

The old Wolfman-Gold & Good Company storefront

Pre-cell phone image of Wolfman-Gold & Good Company

Wolfman-Gold & Good Comopany, owned by designer Peri Wolfman and photographer Charles Gold, dazzled the design scene by pioneering an “all white” aesthetic for tabletop set amongst a modern farmhouse vibe. My eyes popped out of my head the first day I walked into their shop. Located in an industrial loft on Greene Street, open shelves littered with shapely all-white vessels, pitchers, vases, bowls and dishes ringed the space.

White was done right by adding texture and patina. Aged farmhouse tables were set with more all-white wares in a variety of tones. Think ivory handled silverware and old ironstone. What wasn’t on tables, rested inside and on top of alluring antique cupboards. Sterling added a touch of sparkle. You could plop down on slipcovered furniture (white of course) to take it all in. Everything was illuminated by vintage industrial lighting.

I wanted it all and still do. Eventually I copied elements for my own home. I have never been without all white dishes and my family has always eaten on an aged farmhouse table. All of my kitchens have had that modern country vibe.

Peri Wolfman closed the store in the nineties when she affiliated with Williams-Sonoma. Now all-white tabletop, open shelves, industrial accents and rustic furniture are so well entrenched in the design lexicon, it’s hard to imagine how revolutionary the look of Wolfman-Gold & Good Company once was. Where would Joanna Gaines and the whole Magnolia empire be without Peri Wolfman? Heck, Wolfman-Gold & Good Company did that rustic/industrial all-white look even before Martha and Ralph. Guess I am showing my age.

While I can’t place you inside the store (I wish I could; you should have seen it decked out for Christmas), have a look at these images. They evoke the feel of the place. I have included quite a few from Peri’s own homes.

Vignette by Peri Wolfman. Very typical of the styling of Wolfman-Gold & Good Company.

Peri Wolfman’s old kitchen in the Hamptons. Note the open shelves and old apothecary cupboard.

Another old kitchen of Peri’s. Typical pine table, painted chair and open shelves.

A kitchen inspired by the look pioneered by Wolfman-Gold & Good Company.

Pinterest says this is another Peri Wolfman kitchen. It has the vibe.

Styled so Peri. This could have been sitting on an antique sideboard in the store.

Peri Wolfman and Charlie Gold’s extended the Modern Farmhouse look into their living room with their signature white upholstery.

Taking a cue from Wolfman-Good & Company.

As time marched on, Peri added some black to her kitchen. This is the last one I found published.

The open shelves in my current kitchen styled in all-white as an ode to Wolfman-Gold & Good Company

Charles Gold and Peri Wolfman in an old apartment of theirs. They started out as business partners and then got married years later.

Credits: First photo of my former home in Montauk NY by Ellen McDermott. Old Wolfman-Gold & Good Company photos sourced on Milk and Honey blog. String photo via the New York Times. Next two Peri Wolfman kitchens found via Tokyo Jinja blog. Kitchen inspired by Wolfman-Gold & Good Company by Lily Glass Photography. Suspected Peri Wolfman kitchen found on Pinterest. Wolfman and Gold living room and later kitchen via The New York Times. Corner of a living room via Pinterest. Ivory knives via Pinterest. My open shelves by Lynn Byrne. My Pelham kitchen by Ellen McDermott. Last photo from the Southampton Press.