Barneys' edgy 32-year-old shop girl chats about Chelsea Passage, the retailer's hip home-and-gifts department.

What does Chelsea Passage mean?

NATALIE CAUDILL/DMN

The original Barneys New York was located in downtown Manhattan's Chelsea district. The space of the store devoted to home and gift items was named Chelsea Passage. The name has been carried over to the Beverly Hills, Chicago, San Francisco and Dallas stores.

What's new in CP right now?

There are some fabulous, environmentally conscious gifts in store right now, such as organic, fair trade-certified chocolate bar sets that feature cacao from Madagascar, the Ivory Coast and Venezuela.

Is there a CP best-seller?

R&Y Augousti is definitely our biggest seller. It's a husband-and-wife team out of Paris that cleverly uses stingray, ostrich and snakeskin on mirrors, tables, trays – you name it. For veggie lovers, like me, they are now creating pieces out of stone and shell as well. The price points are also incredible considering the craftsmanship of the product ($26 coasters and $90 snakeskin picture frames to $850-plus for furniture such as a lizard side table).

What sells like crazy year-round?

Michael Aram's metallic serving pieces and our design books, especially François Baudot's Styles: Compendium of Interior (Assouline, $69.95). It's a series of period portraits from the Middle Ages to the present that characterize some of the environments.

What would you take home from CP?

Besides anything by R&Y Augousti, I really love Jonathan Adler's Menagerie ceramic animal collection. It's fun and playful; I strongly believe in the humor aspect of Barneys' tagline "Taste, Luxury, Humor." I also love [Piero] Fornasetti's black and white plates that have a woman's face on them in the various shapes – a butterfly, light bulb, even with tattoos. They remind me of something that would decorate the homes of the characters in an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel.

What interior design style would you like to see go away?

Primary colors! Not that I'm against color in the home, but I think that it should be chosen carefully. Art glass, pillows and throws are a great way to add color. But in my opinion, large pieces should be more neutral.

Is your interior-design style as unique as your fashion sense?

For home décor, I prefer midcentury modern and '70s pieces; I don't like super modern, nor do I like anything too traditional.

For fashion, I like to combine '20s and '40s vintage pieces, or those that emulate those eras, with pieces that have punk-rock flair. It's fun to represent periods of rebellion, change, art and social consciousness.

Speaking of rebellion and art, how many tattoos and piercings do you have?

Ten tattoos and 31 piercings.

Does Barneys mind?

Barneys allows me to be myself. The artistic freedom I have at Barneys is definitely what I like most about working here. Barneys understands that one can look professional and creative at the same time.

What's your dress code for work?

No jeans, tennis shoes or halter-tube tops. Oh, and tummies cannot be exposed. Besides that, practically anything goes.

What does every shopper need in his or her home from CP?

Every shopper needs at least a few R&Y Augousti accessories in his or her living room or bedroom; they really make the dullest of rooms pop. The trays are a must; everyone deserves breakfast in bed every once in a while. In the kitchen and bathroom, every shopper needs an Adler piece. ... Who doesn't like to smile in the morning when preparing coffee or tea.

For those who have formal dining areas ... buy a Michael Aram serving platter. It's nice to make an impression without spending a lot of money!

What's been your most memorable/embarrassing/favorite moment on the job?

I'd have to say that the moments that have been most memorable for me involve situations when I've made customers happy. I love people; that is why I am in this industry. Thus, calling that customer when we received the red R&Y Augousti pieces that I knew would match his décor perfectly ... wrapping up that Fornasetti cookie jar that my client had been looking at for months ... selling the last, limited-edition Peter Beard book to my client for her husband's birthday ... These are the moments I'll never forget.

Brittany Edwards is a New York freelance writer.