Designed to Sell, New York
This apartment in Chelsea belonged to one of my dearest clients and she wanted to sell it. It had been sitting on the market for over a year and that’s when she called on me. It was new territory for me as I typically design spaces for living and not selling. Well challenge accepted. I decided to keep the colors neutral overall that complemented the apartment and picked on the gorgeous views. Each room had an accent element to give it personality. The best part of this story is that she had an accepted offer within a week of listing, the new buyers wanted to keep all furniture and all the strategic thought behind the updates Paid off. Photography by Daniel Wang.
Welcome home. As you enter the apartment you are welcomed by a gracious foyer and peak into the living room that draws you in. The travertine console in the entry foyer creates a landing spot and the pig side table in the background creates a curiosity to explore more. The playful tiger rug brings warmth and lightens the dark floors.
The living room is anchored by gorgeous raw silk ripple fold drapes. The apartment has floor to ceiling windows and gets a ton of sunlight, so we added drapes for function and luxury. The apartment has modern bones and so I chose to keep the furniture mostly modern. The tan sofa with a beautiful silhouette anchors the room sitting on a neutral rug. The glass coffee table allows for the abstract base to show and textures of the rug to shine. The minimal floor lamps keep set a very modern mood. The ottomans look sculptural and are comfortable sit covered in shearling. The side tables bring in the character here. The pig, who we fondly call Ms. Dottie occupies the space, and brings in contrast and adds a pop. She’s sculptural and unexpected and makes a bold statement. On the other end of the sofa is a vintage sewing table which was such a perfect find for this client. It warms the space instantly and makes it homey.
Presenting the living room with the drapes open so you can appreciate the view. I added a chair in the corner to make it conversational. The pig sits proud in all her glory and the accessories and the textural nuance of the fabrics is shown in this view of the room.
I updated the kitchen with new cabinet fronts and again kept the colors neutral to make the apartment feel bigger and open and airy. The thin shaker style on the cabinet looks updated and enhances the storage in here. The brass hardware keeps is delicate and warm. The pendant here are soft and to scale and just right. Never underestimate the power of a fresh coat of paint. On site painting of cabinets is not easy to pull off, but my team comes through.
The living room looks directly at the kitchen and the built in bar. I painted the underside of the kitchen black to continue the black accent. Design is in the details and when clients trust the designers, then it all shines. These uber modern and sexy chairs bring the space together. They are made beautifully and keep the sightlines uninterrupted, keeping the space open and airy.
This bedroom was uplifted completely. To anchor the bed in the niche at the back, I decided to do a custom headboard in a statement fabric. The tiger mountain fabric from Dedar was the perfect choice for the room. It makes a huge statement. I added simple white bedding with border and brought in black nightstands and mirrors. The mirrors accentuate the ceiling height in the apartment and the textured cowhide table lamps are organic with some movement.
A tight shot of the bedroom showing the styling and details. Please note the blackout drapes falling perfectly on the floor, simple and understated luxury.
The guest bedroom doubles as the home office and overlooks the patio. I added blackout drapes with a border at the bottom to unit the patio with the bedroom. I added raw silk wallpaper to the ceiling to accentuate the ceiling height and highlight the accent color in the bedding. The plug in sconces are functional for reading and the desk space is generous. I personally also love the back of the suede leather chair.
Its such a luxury to have an outdoor space here in the city and its harder to have a nice looking outdoor space. I added weather proof tiles on the floor, some nice chairs and a side table in this patio, a fresh coat of paint and new lighting to make this patio a place to be rather than avoid.