While the photos of this light-filled living room are recent, I designed this project over 25 years ago.

Gracious and refined understatement was the standard by which everything in the room was selected.

Class Carr Sofas from Jonas Upholstery are covered in ‘Luxurious Cotton Velvet’ from  Gretchen Bellinger – a textile that is soft and luxurious with a wonderful lustre.

The Barcelona Table designed by Mies van der Rohe had been purchased by the clients decades before I met them, illustrating a long-held interest in modern design.

The pair of iron and oak Pierre Chareau stools were purchased from Ralph Pucci.

The floorcovering is a ribbed wool sisal installed wall-to-wall, with a beautifully washed- out antique Garden Tabriz area rug – both rich and subtle.

The now classic Saladino Lamp sits on the table behind one of the sofas.

The 1958 lithograph ‘Nocturne’ from Derrière le miroir by Joan Miro, was part of my clients existing art collection.

Modern Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa was the inspiration for the custom designed limestone fireplace surround.

The clean, elegant lines of the Klismos Chair designed by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings fits seamlessly into this highly edited room.

Arts & Crafts accessories are from David Rago Auctions (the ‘old-days’ of David Rago when auctions were held in the ballrooms of NYC hotels, and when David sported a long ponytail!)

One of my goals in furnishing Living Rooms is to create places that the owners are drawn to use, if even by themselves.

In this spacious Upper West Side Living Room I designed a daybed to sit near the fireplace – bathed in daylight from three windows, it makes an ideal place for reading. The design was intended to be both classic and modern, while being extremely comfortable – my ‘go-to’ upholsterer, Jonas, came through once again! The daybed is upholstered in “Tahira Ottoman” from Lee Jofa.

Chelsea antique dealer Kimcherova provided the Vienna Secession Side Table by Gustav Siegel produced by J & J Kohn c.1905.

Another distinctive Austrian item is the circa 1950’s modern floor lamp by J.T Kalmar which was found at the extraordinary lighting dealers at Retro-Modern in Greenwich Village

The curtain panels are made with ‘Window Pane’ from Lee Jofa; the unconstructed Roman shades are made with Gretchen Bellinger‘s ‘ Martinique – Nun’s Veiling’.

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Sometimes we really just want to have some fun!

Two siblings, a boy and a girl, use this interior bathroom in a New York City apartment. While the public spaces of the apartment are understated, my clients and I decided to go for some hot colors in this bathroom.

I assert that “storage is a key to mental health” especially in New York City apartment, and to avoid any interpretation of favoritism with kids – everything needs to be absolutely equal! The vanity and medicine cabinets were designed to give both children equal storage, and lots of it. Outlets inside of the medicine cabinets power up electric toothbrushes out of sight, and the center drawer holds a blow drier that is plugged into an outlet underneath the counter so the unsightly cords are hidden when not in use.

The white subway tiles, and white penny-tiles are from Nemo Tile Company. The penny tiles on the floor have a dark grout to emphasize the shape of the tiles and camouflage the dirt that gets into grout.

The custom polished nickel ‘Sonoma’ wall sconces with glass shades are from Urban Archaeology.

The rectangular sinks are from Kohler, and the ‘Etoile’ low-profile faucet set with cross-handles is from Waterworks. The rectangular undermount ‘Iron Plains’ sinks are from Kohler; the countertop is Thasos.

A ‘Beach Street’ storage bench from Restoration Hardware provides storage for additional towels and tub toys.

Lets not forget about the colorful elements of this room – ihe inset panel on the vanity is Benjamin Moore Habanero Pepper # 1306, the wall color is from the Donald Kaufman Color Collection – DKC-63. The custom shower curtain is made from ‘ Granville Stripe’ from Hinson Fabrics.

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Now for the fish ‘swimming’ on the wall; they are vintage ice fishing decoys – used in an off-beat sport in the mid-west.  The owners had a handful (that were supplemented by purchases on eBay), custom mounts were made to install them on the wall.

Framed drawings of fish and flower is by the children – one each – so everything is even-Steven!

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