GLEN SENK AND KEITH JOHNSON/ANTHROPOLOGIE by Susanna Salk for 1stdibs

“You always want to get a gift from Keith Johnson,” explains Glen Senk of his personal partner of 34 years and business colleague at Anthropologie, where Senk is CEO of parent company Urban Outfitters, Inc. “You will always get the most unexpected, most perfect thing.” Senk’s ebullient praise is for a man who hits the ground running as soon as his plane lands, and hurries towards wherever the style compass is pointing. “Keith can come back from a two week shopping trip in Finland and wake up the next morning and head for the flea market,” says Senk, who prefers to spend his down time competing in equestrian competitions.  Johnson admits, "Yes, I love searching for new things and find myself falling in love on an hourly basis."

It’s a good thing that Johnson is Anthropolgie’s Antiques Buyer and Gallery Director. Its 115 nationwide stores regularly await the bounty of his international treasure hunts with the type of glee usually reserved for children on Christmas morning. “Anthropologie is about the touch of the hand” says Johnson. “Whether designed by us, or selected at a market in South Africa, each piece possesses the craftsmanship and unique details that make it seem so personable when you bring it into your own home.”

And when it comes to the three houses Senk and Johnson share in Manhattan, Florida, and Pennsylvania, Senk knows better than to come home and expect the rooms to resemble the arrangements they had at breakfast time. “There’s a new lamp or often Keith’s changed the furniture completely around,” smiles Senk, “but it’s always for the better.”

“I do get headaches from all the possibilities out there,” smiles Johnson. “But you can’t just sit back. You have to personalize it.  I don’t want anything in the store or in my home that doesn’t have soul and a sense of history.”

The good news for Anthropologie’s avid fan base is that Senk and Johnson are never ones to hoard their finds solely at their home base. Rather, if a one-of-a-kind piece is particularly inspiring, they will happily reinterpret and produce it for their customers. “Nothing narrates Anthropologie better than antique furniture; it’s our back bone,” says Johnson. Whether it’s reviving the unique look of vintage hardware or showcasing emerging designers in Anthropologie’s Rockefeller Center gallery, this duo is constantly connecting the infinite threads of the design community so that no neighborhood or artist is excluded.

And speaking of threads, Anthropologie will launch its first fabric-by-the-yard collections from both original and well-known designs this fall. “We have such a strong grounding in fashion so it makes total sense to us,” says Senk. “Besides, it was so hard finding fabrics we could get excited about. We had to do it.” Such conviction always brings stylish pay-offs for these two, both professionally and personally. A recent visit to Senk and Johnson’s glorious Manhattan apartment revealed stunning curtains cut from vintage fabric designed by the legendary artist Alexander Calder. Johnson happened to spot them the end of a long day at a flea market. “Everyone can’t believe I found them but there they just were – no one else wanted them. It just goes to show you how context rules the day.”

So while there are differences in tastes between them (Senk tends to veer more towards modernism) as well as in tasks, “I am much more goal-orientated while Keith has eyes everywhere,” says Senk, the context is always as positive as it is empowering. “In all our years we’ve never had a style disagreement,” says Johnson. “Because we both know there’s never a wrong answer.”

FASHION: For men’s casual clothes, we love RPM, LeClairer in Paris and the Jean Company.  All three get the details right, and there is always some subtle nuance to the fabrics or silhouettes that makes them irresistible.  For better men’s clothing we love Bergdorf Goodman (Brioni, Charvet, Cucinelli, Kiton, Michael Bastian) and Jay Koos — brands that epitomize quality and timelessness. We both love shoes — casual shoes and sneakers from everywhere and dress shoes from Edward Green (custom) in London. 
FABRICS: Just about every fabric we’ve used over the last twenty years is vintage or from Rogers & Goffigan. We also love Josef Frank for color and pattern. 
ENTERTAINING: Always casual.  Homemade pizza, roasts, salads, quirky heirloom vegetables and always homemade dessert.  Glen does the cooking regardless of the size of crowd and Keith does the bartending and storytelling. 
COLOR: We’re warm tone people — dirty whites, neutrals, browns, brownish-greens, inky blues, charcoal grays — for the basics but we love pops of color too — orange, red, yellow, grass. 
TRAVEL: Just about everywhere.  Keith spends six months on the road every year — there aren’t too many places he doesn’t hit in a year: India, China, Thailand, Vietnam, France, England, Belgium, Italy, South Africa, Tunisia, Morocco, etc.  We love the familiarity of old friends though when it comes to vacations though — Italy, England, Greece and our house in Florida. 
GARDENING or FLORAL: Of course we love Central Park.  We’re so lucky to have something so beautiful and right outside our front door.  How fantastic that it’s used by millions but kept to such an impeccable standard.  Our favorite garden in America is Chanticleer on the Mainline of Philadelphia — it’s brilliant with highs and lows, a grand country house garden with small take-aways that are easily incorporated into a home garden.  We also love the Morris Arboretum which is the horticultural arm of the University of Pennsylvania, for their staggeringly beautiful rose garden.  And we love Yves St. Laurent’s Morocco garden — a site-specific masterpiece.   
For flowers in NYC, we run to the 28th Street Flower Market where everything is available and at the peak of freshness.                      
ART or DESIGN: Art:  Lucien Freud, Lucio Fontana, David Hockney, Cy Twombley, Joan Mitchell, Deborah ButterfieldDesign:  Axel Vervoordt, Andrew Sheinman, Zaha Hadid, Herzog & DeMeuron 
BOOK: Anything by P.G Wodehouse….English Country Houses, Barmy Dukes….the master of high-low humor always lifts our mood.   
MUSEUM: We tend to love museums that were former homes of passionate collectors. The Guggenheim in Venice, the Isabella Stewart Gardner in Boston, and the soon to be closed Barnes museum outside of Philly.  
RESTAURANT: We tend to stay local — we love familiar faces and no scene. In New York we eat at Antonucci’s on the Upper East Side: small and on a side street – all locals.
HOTEL: For over the top grandeur nothing beats the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Johdpur, India.  It’s the world’s largest private home turned into a hotel.  
MUSIC CD: Leonard Cohen; Jay Z 
GIFT: For Keith:  Our Welsh corgi, Skibo. For Glen:  Our horse, Kirk 
SHOP: 10 Corso Como, Spazio Rossana Orlandi, Labour & Wait, Spence Swaffer, Douglas Fir, Satine, Mint (London), RPM, Moss, Archivia Books