Tour Carmelo Anthony’s “Modern Vintage” Mansion in Westchester, New York
Carmelo Anthony is a house guy. At least that’s what the 10-time NBA All-Star and 3-time Olympic gold medalist reported on a recent call. This past May, Anthony’s sterling two-decade-long professional basketball career officially came to a close. He spent seven of those years as a member of the New York Knicks, commuting to Madison Square Garden from a 4,500-square-foot condo in Chelsea. And as much as the New York native enjoyed his downtown digs, he realized he needed more space to stretch out his considerably long legs. “I love land, I love space. Once you start getting out [of the city] and traveling and going to these other places, you realize that [a 25 to 30 minute drive] is not that far from the city,” he says.
That’s why last summer, Anthony (known affectionately by fans as Melo) packed up his furniture and his trove of blue-chip art and moved out to the ’burbs. There, with the help of Cassandre Bonhomme, who has been working with the Anthony family as an event planner and designer for about a decade, the basketball star turned his 13,000-square-foot Westchester County abode into a home that matches his unique and eclectic taste.
“The idea for the house [and the vision for] this space was to create my own personal [rotating] art gallery,” he says. “What would that look like?” was the proverbial question being asked. It turns out that the answer is a notably dynamic set of interiors. Throughout the home, a mix of decor and a range of artworks span a variety of styles, time periods, and continents. For Bonhomme and Anthony, the imperative was to mix codes and break the rules. “I like to try different things,” Bonhomme says. “I don’t want to be bland or boring.”
Bonhomme likes to call the decor style she and Anthony landed on “modern vintage.” Achieving that aesthetic however took work, and in a sense is still in process—perhaps evolving more as time goes on. The original owner, who built the home in 2006, had taken a classic approach to the design and furnishings of the space. “It was very Victorian, very ornate…. [There were] a lot of candelabras and crystals and damask,” Bonhomme recalls. To take things in a new direction, she utilized Anthony’s already robust collection of furniture, artwork, and figurines. “All the different places he goes, he collects things. We wanted to use them as the backdrop of the home,” she adds. Anthony trusted Bonhomme to make it happen. “Because [Cassandre] was already familiar with working with me, she already kind of knew where I was headed. So I allowed her to do her thing,” Anthony says.
If the house is a gallery, the foyer is meant to be its unique, eye-catching opening statement. As such, Anthony wanted to greet visitors with some of the most visually arresting artwork in his collection. Situated above the double arched staircase is one of Anthony’s custom commissioned pieces—a large mural of Muhammad Ali done in polished wood by the artist Cryptik. And flanking the room on the right wall is probably one of the house’s most intriguing moments: a trio of large marlins, caught by Anthony years ago and painted red, black, and white by Bonhomme. She says the sea creatures were not exactly in her vision of the NBA star’s home, but she found a way to incorporate them. “He caught [the fish] while he was still in Denver and never really had a space or a place to put them because they’re pretty big and they weren’t overly beautiful,” she admits. “And so I stopped and I said to him, ‘Do you want to throw these away?’ He’s like, ‘No, I want to keep them. I just want you to figure out how to make them work in the house.’ So I painted them. He walked in and he was like, ‘This is it.’”
Anthony’s taste has evolved in the years since he was selected with the third pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets. He spent seven and a half seasons in the Mile High City, and, in the process, lived in various nearby homes. His first condo in Denver is enshrined in a 2004 episode of MTV’s Cribs, which includes a now infamous clip of the then 19-year-old showing off a custom commissioned painting that depicts himself and Jesus standing side-by-side. These days, you can find the 39-year-old’s walls lined with work of contemporary art stars like Nathaniel Mary Quinn, Kehinde Wiley, and Delphine Diallo
His Westchester home’s ground level parlor, for example, which is referred to by guests as the Green Room and by Anthony as the Music Room, is where he likes to entertain. “I sit there. I throw my record player on. I can chill. I can see outside…. You get to listen to music. You get to vibe to the art, you get to read the books…. It’s just a vibe.” The light-filled room features a pink baby grand piano, a characteristic melange of art, a large fireplace, and a metallic chandelier that contributes to that so-called modern vintage feel.
As Bonhomme puts it: “Melo’s very cool and unique and modern and edgy…. When people walk into his home, they really say: It feels like Melo.”
1/15Carmelo Anthony pictured in the entry of his Westchester home.
Art: © Kehinde Wiley. Ron English. CRYPTIK. Swoon / Caledonia Curry, Edline, Installation Box: Block print, paper cut outs, acrylic paint, coffee stain, found object, in custom built wooden and plexiglass box, 2015 © 2023 Swoon / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.2/15Anthony treated the foyer like the entrance to his own personal art gallery. In addition to the aforementioned Ali piece, the entryway also features a work by the street artist Swoon, and Kehinde Wiley’s 2014 portrait of Anthony. CB2 table; Burke Decor sconces; vintage side chair.
Art: Arno Elias3/15Some smaller tokens from Anthony’s travels can be seen in the living room, including figurines from journeys to various parts of the African continent as well as a rare Ernie Barnes sketch. RH cloud sofa.
Art: Nelson Makamo4/15The dining room features a custom dining table, which was originally taken from Anthony’s old office in Red Hook, Brooklyn. It’s paired with sleek new chairs from DKNY.
5/15Red is one of Anthony’s favorite colors, Bonhomme says. In the bar, his preferred shade takes center stage with the red velvet seat coverings and a sumptuous red leather loveseat.
Art: FlavorPaper/AndyWarhol. Ricky Powell.6/15Muhammad Ali, an inspirational figure for Anthony, is a recurring touchstone throughout the house. In this first floor bathroom, the Flavor Paper wallpaper includes licensed replicas of Andy Warhol’s depiction of the famed athlete.
Art: Hebru Brantley7/15The kitchen has retained many of its original elements. However, it was given the Melo treatment with the large Hebru Brantley painting of N.W.A.
Art: © Nathaniel Mary Quinn/ Richard Beavers Gallery. Courtney Collins.8/15The classic dark woods and brown leathers of Anthony’s office space counterbalance modern elements like the geometric lighting fixture and the stunning Nathaniel Mary Quinn painting that adorns the wall. Custom chairs, designed by Anthony, and desk.
Art: Swoon / Caledonia Curry, Thalassa © 2023 Swoon / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Jonathan Mannion. Ron English.9/15The Music Room is a personal favorite of Anthony and perfectly encapsulates the house’s “modern vintage” aesthetic. Ralph Lauren black sofa; RH leather club chairs; Symbol Audio record cabinet.
10/15“Cassandre knows that I read, I meditate, I breathe. I told her that this would be my Mindfulness Room. This is where I get myself together,” Anthony says of the property’s most peaceful space, which features a sound bowl corner and a cascading water fixture.
11/15The primary bedroom is one of the most sacred spaces in any home. A custom bed was commissioned to accommodate Anthony’s 6'7" frame. Cousins Painting NJ handled all the painting in the home, while Dream Home Creators dealt with necessary repairs.
12/15Anthony and Bonhomme both say that maintaining and organizing Anthony’s vast shoe collection has been one of the bigger challenges with the home. They converted a bedroom into a massive shoe closet to house the athlete’s many kicks.
13/15Anthony poses with his impressive shoe collection.
Art: Dan Ericson (The Signtologist)/ Richard Beavers Gallery14/15Anthony’s son Kiyan is a 16-year-old basketball star in the making. His room is filled with vintage furniture finds.
15/15Despite his roots in bustling New York and later Baltimore, Anthony is an avowed “home guy.” During the summer he relishes the extra outdoor space, which includes a pool and a basketball court. Executive Property Management Group LLC handled the landscaping.
