In 'Love Story', Calvin Klein's HQ Captures the Moody-Industrial Minimalism That's So In Now — Here's How to Make Your Home Look As Functional, Characterful, and Timeless
Because JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette's "effortful effortless" elegance isn't the only thing to be back in vogue since the FX series took off
They say fashion and design are a mirror of society, a reflection of the aesthetic, social, and behavioral trends of a specific moment in time. And if there's one thing that the rise of minimalism in the 1990s made manifest yesterday as much as it does today, it's that, when it comes to style, simplicity often equals longevity. And what is the viral success of FX's biographical drama hit show Love Story, which retraces the whirlwind, passionate romance between JFK Jr. and his wife, Carolyn Bessette, one quietly luxurious outfit at a time, if not another proof of how frills-free sophistication outlives not only fleeting phenomena, but even life itself sometimes?
If paparazzi portraits of the prematurely departed couple, who passed away in a tragic plane crash in 1999, are proliferating across all social media platforms for the enduring charm of their "effortful effortless" clothing choices, for us, the Livingetc team, the interiors captured in Love Story, which is streaming weekly exclusively on Disney+ in the UK, are the protagonists worth taking lessons from — starting from the sleekly minimalist West 39th Street Calvin Klein HQ production designer Alex DiGerlando and set decorator Lydia Marks recreated so faithfully in Connor Hines' trendy FX series.
Why Calvin Klein's Moody Minimalism Strikes Again
Designer Calvin Klein, along with models Janice Dickinson, Iman, and Beverly Johnson, prepares for his Fall 1977 Ready to Wear Runway show at 205 West 39th Street in New York City.
Portrayed in Love Story as the office space of fashion publicist and Calvin Klein mentee Bessette, even in its fictional reassemblage, this quintessentially NYC address reminds us of how, now that linear chrome furniture and shelving are back in vogue more than ever before, and the dreamy, off-white Cloud Dancer was picked as Pantone Color of the Year for 2026, minimalism isn't just alive and well: it's a welcome break from the sensory overload of the everyday. "A moment to exhale and begin again," as Pantone's member and color trend forecaster Jane Boddy told us earlier in December.
Both personal and essential, inviting yet meticulously crafted down to the tiniest detail (read: white orchids only, thank you), the Calvin Klein HQ from Love Story is the ultimate creative cove: functional, characterful, and timeless, with less. So, what are some ways to bring some of its balanced charm to your own place?
1. Go Chrome, Tubular, and Bold or Go Home
The cool metallics renaissance has been going strong for the past couple of years. But following the release of "Love Story", tubular steel furniture isn't going anywhere.
Chrome decor was one of the biggest design trends of 2025, but thanks to Love Story, and, more precisely, to the downtown cool of JFK Jr.'s Tribeca loft, equipped with a brushed steel, industrial-style kitchen and standing lamps, and the sheeny surfaces dotting the Calvin Klein HQ in its entirety, we know this retro-fueled look isn't going anywhere this year.
"When you think about Calvin Klein, it's hard not to capture its sophistication: the show delivers this palatable aesthetic so well, perfectly evoking the discreet glamour of the time," wellness writer and self-professed Love Story stan Amiya Baratan tells me. American life and office furniture are, as we discovered in an interview with Ponies' production designer Sara K. White, pretty much inseparable. That's palpable in Love Story, where the Calvin Klein HQ beams off the light reflected by the many Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer Wassily tubular steel chairs dotting its plan, alongside steel bookcases, black granite mirrored tables, and other legendary design accents.
Whether placed in your home office, styled around a dining table, or in place of an armchair in your living room for a bolder effect, these mid-century modern chairs will make your home scream design insider. Want a set of four Canasta chairs by Arrben, similar to the ones featured in the Love Story's Calvin Klein HQ set? We have found some, and they're selling fast on Etsy.
2. Carefully Weave In Natural Touches, Wit, and a Little History
Minimalism should never feel too clinical. To infuse character into a modernist, pared-back space, consider integrating a few vintage finds, artworks, and natural touches, or let JFK Jr. (Paul Anthony Kelly)'s collectibles-rich apartment inspire you.
To this day, many equate minimalism with extreme simplicity. But the secret to the evergreen appeal of environments like the Calvin Klein HQ in Love Story lies in their ability to captivate with fewer, carefully selected details.
It isn't a coincidence that the fashion colossus's aesthetic was informed by key 1970s-80s modernist figures like New York designer Joe D'Urso and, later, by the calming, textural minimalism of British architectural designer John Pawson. Both are known for playing with high-end industrial materials, stripped-backed volumes, and plants to maximize comfort and functionality. And that's visible in Love Story's restaging of the Calvin Klein HQ.
Portrait of Calvin Klein, Susan Sokol, Martin Staff and Barry Schwartz on June 13, 1991 in New York.
Chrome, leather, and mirrored surfaces may be the definitive traits in this office space, but without more 'lived', sentimental touches like the vintage Anglo-Indian chairs, the white orchids placed into crafty pots throughout, and the numerous monochrome fashion shots à la Richard Avedon styled inside elegant black frames, this specific setting of Love Story wouldn't be resonating as much as it is today. And that's because, while looking rather essential in its layout, it's charged with storytelling — occasional antique finds, sculptural marbles, books, and photos, and records that make the HQ more layered and moodier.
3. Stick to Gray Tones, But Play With the Floors
Floors can often end up being an afterthought in a home, let alone in an office. But what if they could become a design accent of their own? In the picture: Alessandro Nivola as Calvin Klein.
In my hotel, bar, and restaurant design explorations, a new flooring trend is emerging: using unexpected floors — largely, colorful ones, but other times, textural ones that stand out to both touch and the eye — as the primary, singular statement piece of an otherwise linear interior scheme.
The Calvin Klein HQ in Love Story is a masterclass in that very stylistic trick: in different scenes from the series, you can spot its polished concrete floors painted a muted, dark hue of olive-oil gold. In others, they are covered up by a velvety-looking, cinereous taupe carpet.
Personally, I am more in favor of the first solution: just imagine how quirky a space decked up with evergreen modernist furniture like this would look in either of these Dibber, Etruscan Red, and Harissa paints by Farrow & Ball? It's the sort of daring touch that imbues even the simplest of environments with wit, playfulness, and energy.
4. Take (Designer) Lighting to the Forefront
Kim Delsing, president of Calvin Klein cosmetics, and Calvin Klein participate in a press event at the Calvin Klein Inc. corporate offices in New York City on April 19, 1994.
One of the impossible-not-to-notice design standouts from either the Calvin Klein HQ set from Love Story or the office itself (just take a closer look at the original pictures above to catch a sense of how close the FX show's production designer and set decorator got to the real thing) is the truly iconic, Mariano Fortuny Studio tripod floor lamp appearing in many of the shots. Originally imagined in 1907 by the pioneering Venetian artist and groundbreaking stage lighting technician, this was equipped with a diffuser capable of bringing the feel of sky-like, natural light to theater performances.
While I know that nothing looks as good as the original (which, by the way, you can try and get your hands on at a competitive price on second-hand platform Ebay, or purchase brand new via Pallucco and Fortuny itself), I love the look of these vaguely inspired, contemporary John Lewis buys.
5. Dare to Experiment With a Glass Brick Wall — Or Know That CK's Style Is in the Details
Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette in Love Story, posing against one of the series' uber-cool glass brick walls.
I wouldn't have been able to decode the contagious Calvin Klein aesthetic without a little help from our in-house design writer and Love Story binge-watcher, Maya Glantz. Describing CK as the undiscussed king of elevated minimalism, she explains there is something else Love Story has done: "showing how his design philosophy went far beyond the clothes he sent down the runway, but was, instead, the essence of the brand."
This couldn't be more evident than in the Calvin Klein HQ (real or reloaded), where "white walls, straight lines, and chrome details dominate the space, and an obsessive eye for details (flowers had to be white, paperclips exclusively black) offers us a glimpse into the dedication behind that 'effortlessly' chic look," she adds. That of Love Story is "90s style perfectly curated for our 2026 tastes, with features that are as representative of the current interior design trends as they are of the time in which it was set, like the glass brick wall, which features in both the CK offices and JFK Jr.'s Tribeca apartment."
Heard that? If you're not brave enough to invest in glass blocks, know that there are still ways for you to get in on Calvin Klein's understated elegance. The answer is in the details, just choose wisely.
"We've circled back to a time where loud, flashy logos feel tired, forced, and démodé, with tastemakers seeking comfort in the unassuming glamour of quiet luxury," Livingetc's Amiya Baratan says of the resonance of Love Story's minimal-chic look. And so, it only makes sense that we're "lapping the aesthetic up and asking for more," she adds — or shall we say less?
