A Jim Denny table laden with porcelain dishes by Jan Burtz in ABC Kitchen. A handblown Murano glass chandelier hangs above.

Most retailers will claim their goods are beautiful, but under the stewardship of Paulette Cole, the pursuit of beauty has a higher purpose. For Cole, the CEO and creative director of ABC Home, thoughtful acquisitions are a gateway to self-expression, increased well-being and an enhanced awareness of one’s values. “We never decided that we’re about home furnishings,” she says. “We’re about loving.”

Guided by this principle, Cole and her creative team have filled the iconic six-story Manhattan outlet with an exquisite mix of furniture, textiles, home wares, rugs and gifts, with an emphasis on artisanship, indigenous cultures and responsible sourcing. Across the road is the associated ABC Carpet, a New York institution established in its Broadway location by Cole’s father in 1961. Graham Head, vice chairman of ABC Carpet, agrees the business is built around passion. “We make a continuous effort to instill our values into our customers and encourage them to make a selection based on emotion and their genuine appreciation for the carpet,” he says. “‘Collect, don’t decorate,’ as we often say.”

“We’re very meticulous about getting around the world and bringing back the most extraordinary things,” says Cole. “We fall in love with them ourselves.” Vintage items are sold alongside work by local artisans and wares from the most remote corners of the globe, while ABC Kitchen sustains diners with locally sourced and organic farm-totable fare. So unique is the retail space, it is more often described as being like a museum or a sanctuary than a department store. “I feel like when you come to ABC, you’re inspired,” says Cole. “It’s recharging, it’s reconnecting.”

The ABCs of ABC Home
Parts of the store are sometimes commandeered by large-scale events. For “Gateway to India,” 10 containers of goods were shipped from South Asia, an entire wall was covered in marigolds and a month-long program of exhibitions, lectures and performances was staged. On another occasion, a giant red tent was erected on a furnishing floor and filled with afghan rugs, to provide a sacred space for women. While the exercise was something of a headache for Cole’s CFO, she insists on the importance of community building. “Women would be in the middle of our retail store, brushing each other’s hair and meditating, learning,” says Cole. “By the end of six weeks, we had 300 women belly dancing at ABC, while other women were shopping for couches.”