THE NEW YORK TIMES, PULSE: BY ELLEN TIEN

Lair, Tiffany Dubin’s new home furnishings boutique, on the top floor of Henri Bendel, looks like a cinnamon Red Hot, a riot of scarlets amid the cool neutrals of department store chic. Chockablock with retro furniture and kitschy knickknacks, the shop is a paean to decor from the 50’s through the 80’s - minus snooty 90’s self-importance.

“Just as people seek out vintage clothing to express their personal style, vintage pieces can personalize a living space,” said Ms. Dubin.

And so she peddles Berloia chairs alongside glass lamps shaped like pineapples, serious art next to old Playboy magazines. A fixture on the uptown social circuit who once ran the fashion department at Sotheby’s (her stepfather, A, Alfred Taubman, is its former chairman), she now scours garage sales, flea markets and eBay for “items with personality, nostalgia, a story.”

Having found an eligible object, she said, “we add an edge; we tweak.” Which seems to involve adding fur trim to end tables, lampshades and cocktail trays. In addition, books are encased in plastic covers, upholstery is cleaned, lamps rewired. “We want to provide unique, one-of-a-kind items that don’t involve unique, one-of-a-kind repairs,” she said.

So strongly does Lair reflect Ms. Dubin’s aesthetic that its bright red-and-fuchsia main room mirrors her dressing room.

We opened on Sept. 10, 2001 the day before the world blew up, she said. “Overnight, everything changed. A lot of the stuff we sell was popular during another wartime — Bakelite dishes, hats with plastic cherries. It’s not about being cool anymore. It’s about giving people things that make them smile, that make them remember.”