The Penthouse That Ornaments Built
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

December is show time for Christopher Radko. At this time of year, the renowned designer of colorful hand-blown Christmas ornaments and retro home decorations tours the country to meet and greet the loyal fans that collect his creations. Such commotion notwithstanding, on a recent morning before an event at Henri Bendel, the debonair Mr. Radko, 44, was cool and calm in his Central Park West penthouse apartment, where he has lived for 12 years. And while the enormous terrace, which is said to hold the only private outdoor lawn on the Upper West Side – plus the packed greenhouse and the park view – is indeed a sight to behold, the apartment’s decor is the real triumph.
“It’s an oasis in the sky,” said the Westchester native, who has been building his ornament empire, Starad Inc., into a national brand since 1986. This may be the penthouse that ornaments built, but it is entirely devoid of them. There’s not even a stray Santa awaiting his return to the studio, which is located in a separate apartment on the same floor.
In fact, nothing is stray or left to chance here. Mr. Radko’s immaculate home – decorated 10 years ago by Parrish-Hadley Associates – is entirely devoted to design, especially to design evoking Art Deco New York, the Jazz Age, and the pulsating energy of an era transfixed by modernity. “The idea was that all things modern will rid the world of ills,” said Mr. Radko. The same might be said of his Christmas baubles, which are made in Europe, and also hearken back to a different age; “The ornaments are a throwback to what my grandmother would have had,” he explained.
The origin of Mr. Radko’s company began with a mishap. In 1984, he changed the family Christmas tree’s stand, only to watch the tree later crash to the floor, breaking 2,000 glass ornaments. In his search to replace the ornaments, he had little luck. But on a trip to Poland, he met an artist who was eager to revive the blown-glass tradition. The idea quickly blossomed into a plan to create and market handmade ornaments. In 1986, Mr. Radko produced a collection of 65 ornaments, made by a single artist. Today, the company employs more than 3,000 people to create future heirlooms that are sold at major department stores, including Saks Fifth Avenue and Macy’s, as well as smaller shops such as Christmas Dove at South Street Seaport.
The ornaments are created at Mr. Radko’s factories in Poland, Germany, Italy, and the Czech Republic. Between his frequent visits to those workshops and his in-store appearances around the United States, Mr. Radko is only able to spend about five months of the year in the apartment. “I wish I could spend more time at home,” he confessed.
With a home like this, it’s a wonder he doesn’t make that happen. Upon walking in, one is greeted by a small foyer decorated in high style. Two narrow walls, trimmed in black, are covered in wallpaper made of silver mica chips. Before a giant mirror stands a Frederic Focht bronze of a figure soaring into space on a comet, and to the side is a silver crowd-barrier stand from the 1939 World’s Fair.
The strong black and silver colors carry over into the study, which is lined with books about design from the 1920s and 1930s. A large cabinet contains Mr. Radko’s collection of red-and-black tchotchkes and small toys that celebrate aircraft and skyscrapers. Notable among them are a set of standing cigarette lighters in the shape of the Chrysler Building, made in the year that it was the tallest building in the world.
The living room and bedroom, however, are awash in light browns and tans. A deep brown leather couch is set in a narrow, recessed area, and before it is a coffee table, upon which are four red glasses and a silver cocktail shaker. The streamlined design of the cocktail shaker, with its stepped cornice, is a motif that is echoed throughout the house in the dining chairs, a sideboard, and cabinets of the same period.
“It’s representative of a time when skyscrapers were all the rage,” said Mr. Radko, adding that objects with speed lines – a few stripes that suggest the idea of movement – are part of the era’s excitement about “quest for speed.”
Throughout the home are examples of Mr. Radko’s eye for symmetry. On either side of the fireplace are deep, gold chairs, and surrounding the dining table are sleek floor lamps. “I do try to find balance or symmetry,” he said of his approach to designing the room.
Balance was the rule he followed for the placement of two flowing figural bronze sculptures, also flanking the fireplace. But it was wit that led him to place a small replica of the Rockefeller Center Prometheus sculpture in front of a vintage photograph of the RCA building, all atop a low-slung cabinet.
This little shrine to Rockefeller Center has a raison d’etre: the plaza is one of his favorite places in New York. And in making his collection decisions, this man thinks straight from the heart. Though the room was decorated by a professional, the art and antiques were of his own choosing. “Your interior design is an expression of your own spirit. It’s a very personal expression,” he said. “We know what makes us feel good.”
And if that includes putting antique red-and-white pulls on only some of the kitchen cabinets, then so be it. Speaking of the kitchen, the narrow galley space is a modest set-up with period red-and-black knickknacks set just so on the black countertop.
Mr. Radko’s collection of furniture, antiques, and art – which has been acquired here and there – is a work in progress. And sometimes his travels lead to finds that influence his product design. “If my schedule allows, I love to run around to tag sales. Sometimes I’ll find old ornaments or an old light set,” he said, adding that the vintage designs are then a starting point for the creation of new designs.
“I love old things, things that have been forgotten,” he said.
And that’s true in his work, as well as his home.