Following the 1980’s advertising slogan “Never let them see you sweat”, interior designers work to make their projects look effortless; however, much effort goes on behind the scenes in advance of the ‘big reveal’. (We keep band-aids on hand in case of blood, there is always sweat, and sometimes even tears!)
Located in New York’s historic Greenwich Village, this graciously scaled duplex maisonette in a 1906 building, featured in the September 2017 issue of LUXE Magazine, was designed by my firm for a young family with 2 children. Our charge was simple: Establish a historic connection to the neighborhood, while crafting custom details, and by choosing thoughtful furnishings, to create a happy and livable residence in which to raise a family.
The first-floor landing is encased in cerused-oak paneling. A 1940’s French trestle table from California takes center stage, illuminated by a pair of bronze table lamps found at an auction in Lambertville, Pennsylvania. The Moroccan style area rug is from Marc Phillips.
In the living room, a variety of furniture styles were layered to create a welcoming tableau. A custom area rug, as opposed to a Persian, anchors the space and telegraphs “This is not your mother’s pre-war apartment!” The canvas above the sofa, titled ‘Tough Girls’ is by Amy Sillman.
A set of 6 limited edition prints by American Audubon artist Walton Ford set the color scheme for the 1st-floor television room. The straight lines of the sofa in the style of Jean Michel Frank and the Parsons coffee table stand in contrast to the pair of curved-arm club chairs.
Perhaps the most striking feature of this home is the sweeping curved staircase that leads to the private quarters on the second floor. The custom runner, meticulously measured and manufactured to the contours of the stairs by Martin Patrick Evan, compliments the cerused-oak paneling we designed. The chandelier is by Lindsey Adelman.
To compensate for the lack of windows in the dining room, we commissioned artist Kevin Paulsen to paint murals depicting fantasy landscape elements based on New York history. The images, on distressed synthetic plaster over muslin, were painted off-site.
Deep blue Shaker-style cabinets and a coffered ceiling establish a historical context in the kitchen, while the banquette with ample seating and the counter with barstools create spaces for conversation while cooking, eating, and the occasional afternoon of coloring books and crayons.
Photographed for LUXE by Peter Murdock.
Respecting the architecture of the grand-scaled room, we applied a subtle Farrow & Ball strie wallpaper on the walls and a wallpaper with gold bee silhouettes on the ceiling. A perfectly scaled antique Khorassan carpet from Nazmiyal anchors the floor and reinforces the history of the home. We added a complex but understated mix of mostly vintage and antique furnishings and accessories from exemplary New York dealers, and a selection of bold 1950-60’s works of art from Berry Campbell Gallery – all sourced from 1st Dibs.
32 Livingston Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
SEPTEMBER 29 – NOVEMBER 5
11am-5pm Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays)
Admission $40, includes a journal
BHA Member $35
(You can preview the house by following the link to NYC&G’s online article here.)
Nest Magazine was an outlier in the magazine world with a brief but impactful life from 1997-2003.
Joseph Holtzman, founder, and editor-in-chief created an outrageously unique and provocative experience for readers, exploring and revealing every kind of dwelling, from the professionally designed and grand to the humble yet beautiful.
In the video below, shot at the NYSID lecture I organized “Nest – A Wild Adventure”, Lisa Zeiger, former decorative arts editor at Nest, presents a lecture that explores Nest as a magnificently unified work of art reflecting the taste of its founder, and offers a rare glimpse into the magazine’s photography, graphic design, and eclectic array of authors and interiors.
The lecture was followed by a discussion with Mitchell Owens, decorative arts editor at Architectural Digest, and myself in my capacity as president of ASID New York Metro, on the magazine’s creators, exuberant content and its influence on design thinking and writing today.
Enjoy!
A word of thanks to Sophie Donaldson and House Beautiful for including me in the February issue’s ‘Room For Improvement’ article.
I was asked to choose a favorite paint for the story, which highlights colors that have a big impact in transforming rooms without requiring a major renovation.
I chose Farrow & Ball’s ‘Railings 31’, with this commentary;
“Paint is your best friend if renovations aren’t possible, but you can’t be shy! Skip bland and go straight to daring, like this strong gray. I use it on the mullions of colonial-style windows, and the transformation is stunning. They instantly look modern, as if they were steel casement. At night, the mullions seem to disappear into the darkness, and all you see is the view outside. Magical!”