i love this! probably my favorite house tour! so girly and sensual! i love that velvet pink chair.

There are lots of things that I like about this tour and some things that I don't, but what I am astounded by (besides the view and the chandelier) is the fact that someone would build a 1200 sq ft 1 bedroom apartment. Also the telephone "table", just no.

This is gorgeous. It's very decadent and "rich" feeling, and I'll never ever live like this, but it's absolutely beautiful. Those stripes are fantastic.

Thanks, Ischor,

I treated myself like my own client. I always start off with "how do you/I want to feel or be represented".
I wanted a color that reflected me - Feminine, Sensual & Powerful - Coral was the color that came to mind. Btw, there is nothing sexier than sitting in a lush velvet coral chair :-)

Dear LowBrowLawnParty,

You'd be surprised to see what's possible by only using color! You could have a "rich" feeling space too.

Isn't white all colours, whereas black is no colour at all? I'm a mere biochemist slash med student, so maybe I have got it all wrong?

Maybe my energy is different than theirs, too, but I haven't noticed that my white walls would suck my energy out. I do know, however, that a pink wall would do so. Funny, but the only place where my eyes were able to rest was the sleeping area.

In light, white is all colors combined.

In pigment, black is all colors combined.

But to see pigment, you need light, and then the whole thing just gets too Catch-22-y. :)

Dear Ninakk,

Thanks for your comments. In theory both Black & White are made up of all colors, just different percentages. However the major paint companies have found short cuts that do not involve all colors.

White walls do not necessarily suck out our energy, (however, Gray does), it just does not offer us the support as a mid toned wall would.

As far as color preferences, did you know that introverts and extroverts require very different amount of pigments?

Regarding using strong colors, I always mix calm with active, just as you say, so your eyes have a place to rest. It's almost like a sorbet to cleanse your visual palette before moving on.

speechless making? sounds like yoda

in any case, i'll be painting those stripes on my walls this weekend

Hi Sunan,

Here's a painting tip. Paint the whole wall with 1 of the 2 colors. Then very carefully, use the blue paint tape (has the orange insides), in the sizes use wish. Use a level. Good Luck.

I adore that velvety pink chair! You chose a lovely coral color for the walls, not too girly or bubblegum' like, its much more sophisticated. Also jealous of all the windows and light.

I personally don't feel that white or gray walls 'suck out energy'. To me white feels fresh and a light gray is clean and warm. The coral/pink on the walls however would drive me nuts. To each her own.

Gillian, this is wonderful. You've captured the exact adjectives you intended to here - it COMPLETELY reads feminine, sensual, and powerful. Very fabulous, rich feeling, and sexy!

Hi Hrhprincessfiona, Yes, she did. And Johnann Wolfgang von Goethe said it before me in the early 19th century, "Theory of Colors". As the article says, I came out of the Post Modern teaching from Parsons School of Design, everything was White! Studying Color Psychology & Color Physiology has changed my life and now the lives of my clients.

Missarahjessica, Thank you. I can do this for anyone. But it was really fun doing for myself. As an interior designer we are usually like the "cobbler's son".

Now, patrick, that was a perfectly good explanation :) I knew I didn't sleep during physics a long time ago, but colour theory out of an artist's point of view is still fairly new to me, as we haven't really dug into it for real yet at my art history lectures. Anyway, humble thanks to thee I send. Don't be afraid of going even more in the catch-22y direction next time though, please, because I like being educated in this area (interior decoration has been a passion on hobby level for years already). Over and out.

this is by far my favorite statement ever made on apartmenttherapy, "I'm a mere biochemist slash med student, so maybe I have got it all wrong?".

really, who cares?!?!?!

lussuoso, i love the use of coral. haven't braved it in my home. i don't know if my husband would enjoy it =(
thanks for sharing your gorgeous and feminine apartment with us. this was definitely my eye candy of the day.

i like that table with the books used as a base. are the books really holding the table top up, or is it a ledge attached to wall with books stacked beneath?
thanks!

Wow! Thanks, Ischor,

Yes, the books are totally holding up the marble slab. The marble was a sample for the Exterior of The Cleveland Museum of Art, I was working on with Raphael Vinoly. The books need to be hard covered and flat. As long as the books don't wobble by them selves, the stone won't either. Good luck.

Gillian, can you point me in some direction of litterature on colour theory, please? Since you seem very passionate about it, is there something you particularly like and would recommend for a newbie? I'm really interested (maybe integrate it somehow with practicing medicine in the future) and would like to read up on something like this during the Summer months. Thanks in advance!

Hi Ninakk,
Medicine sure needs humane color. It would be great if you could incorporate color. The book I would recommend is "Color, Environment, & Human Response", by Frank H. Manke (my mentor). Take care

I love this so much! I will have to look again

That coral with the orange cabinet is a great combo it really offset if from being too much grey and pink.

I am in love with the desk, I've always wanted a Portuguese style desk. The lamp on the desk is such a jewel.

Beautiful, thank you for sharing.

Thanks, sounds great! I'm having this dream of an "alternative" clinic and we'll see what I can do about it one day. Even if I myself appreciate very.much.white, I know many don't (especially after having seen such a huge range of very colourful homes here on AT) and especially in appointment /treatment settings it would be interesting to see what we'd be able to do to make the situation more beneficial for the patient. Again, thanks a million!

I had the same bed placement long time ago when I was living on the 6th floor with the view of the river. What a joy to wake up to such a beautiful sight.

This place really speaks to me with its rich colours and interesting pieces of furniture/accessories. If I could describe it in one word, I’d say – Splendid! So far the most fulfilling house tour, aesthetically and emotionally. Bravo.

Thank you for sharing the sources. Purrs to the cat.

I detest pink, but the coral is actually kind of nice. I wouldn't have a place for it, but it works here, and I think that's because of the huge windows, white ceiling, and neutral most everything else. The coral chair brings the color across the room nicely (is it custom, or did you start with it, I wonder?) and the pops of vivid blues and greens are lush! Just the right amount!

As a librarian/bibliophile, though, I hate that table. Sorry. Don't like the look and don't like the use of (precious) books as a replacement for actual structure. But that's me...

It's interesting to see a different type of style on AT, but this is just straight-up tacky, in my opinion. I would feel suffocated in this space. Way too much going on.

You totally inspired me. I've been trying to incorporate color - least on one wall (turquoise color) but fear what others might think. My apartment is too blah. I just want to add one wall with some color to give my space a lil interest and just because I love the color. Or it can be not others but me. Maybe I'm scared?
Great house tour - love, love the coral color and the plush velvet chair! Thanks for sharing your lovely home!

Well, they must use a fairly small pallet of colour in the Upper East Side because for what I'm seeing, most of these walls are pure white, or white-ish, and the furniture is more or less monochromatic. The pops of colour are nice, though. It's just not as profuse as the comments would lead one to believe.

White is the absence of color; black, the absence of light.

Too many randomly placed knick-knacks in a Pepto-Bismal pink apartment: the absence of style.

Brilliant!
Not all the choices are ones I would have made, but the vast majority are spectacular.

I especially enjoy how the color of the wall was pulled from the velvet armchair (or vice versa) and the opulence of many of the decorative items and furnishings.

this place is so NOT tacky! I love the lushness of color everywhere. The bedroom is a glorious rest for the eyes, but even that room has color.

I'm seriously tired of white walls and minimalism, so this place gladdens my heart.

Maybe it's that shade of pink ... Maybe it's the paint-spattered George Foreman Grill in the kitchen ... This place is giving off a kind of '80s vibe. As I flipped through the slide show, I anticipated a wall of glass brick or a neon sign around every corner ... It's crying out for vintage Memphis! How funny.

Love love love this. I've seen a 1,400 sq ft one bedroom that is just out of this world. I have a 700 sq ft one bedroom, with five closets, one walk in, and I think I have a generous amount of space. 1,200 is decadent. The pink is fabulous. I painted all my walls 'pink' or rose or mauve. My wall paint is called Monticello Rose from Benjamin Moore. It's such a warm, soothing color.

My knee-jerk reaction is, like LMNOP, is that this space is pretty tacky. My opinion may have been different if there were about 70% fewer haphazard knick-knacks. The shot of the coffee table kind of sums it up for me.

"Work out your design concept before you buy anything" she says. Huh.

I do really like the figural lamps but wonder why they've been placed side by side on the heater rather than incorporated into the seating area...maybe flanking the couch? I imagine a lamp would be a more suitable reading light than a candelabra.

Hey, I'm not a professional. I probably don't know what I'm talking about, right?

I don't know color theory (or believe in it, for that matter), but I know what I like. In the photos here, I see red clashing with coral, and a lot of brown in the living room. But, I'm all for using the colors that make you happy.

tmoore, you are not alone in your assessment. To each their own aesthetic, but this looks like a huge mess to me.

This ranks as one of my least favorite house tours. The coral! The green astroturf rug! It all looks a bit tacky.
Though if her job as an interior designer affords her all this, then I suppose I should bite my tongue...

GASP! I do believe this is my absolute favorite house tour ever. The pink velvety sofa, the shaggy divan, the freakin' lush green circle rug ! This is the room I dream about at night. I love the telephone table. In fact, I'm going to go make one myself tomorrow after work. And I love that she is a reformed minimalist. I understand simple, or graceful, or peaceful, or making the architecture the focal point, but I'll never understand how anyone could resist an overstuffed pink velvet chair.

At first I thought I was alone in my distaste for this. I thought perhaps there was something wrong with my "taste"buds. Ha. Ha.

Glad to see I'm not alone.

good design provokes a lively debate. i would assume the naysayers don't even realize they are being influenced and will probably be trying to achieve something similar in 5 yrs! job well done, gillian!

i do love the coffee table vignette - the intensity of colors is brilliant!

by the way, what is the name of the coral?

What, no Nagel poster?

Says amyanne, "i would assume the naysayers don't even realize they are being influenced and will probably be trying to achieve something similar in 5 yrs!"

In my case, you'd certainly be wrong and I've no doubt that the others who have voiced a distaste for this decor would also argue your assumption. Not liking it now does not mean that I just haven't reached some stage of enlightenment wherein I will finally "get it". This isn't cutting-edge design, it's a mishmash of superfluous accessories and a hot pink (sorry, coral) wall. It looks like something my eight year old daughter would put together if I let her loose in the clearance section at Marshall's.

Ha - that second sentence should have read "...would also argue WITH your assumption." Whew! So, AT, when are we going to see an edit function?

Not my cup of tea.

I like that Gillian has a method to her madness.

Dear Amyanne 5072,

Thank you for your kind words and insight. This space reflects how I want to live & work. Isn't that everyones goal? To be happy in their own space. The Coral wall is actually a custom glaze using 3 of The Fine Paints of Europe's colors. The predominant one is #S 0560 in flat latex.

Enjoy your day.........

The quality of furnishings is certainly luxe, and I love the Fort St. Studio rug in the living room. I just find the use of color unsettling. For me a little color goes a long way, and the intensity needs to be toned down for large wall spaces or furniture pieces. Neutrals really do provide a place for the eye and soul to rest, which allows you to appreciate intense pops of color in artwork and accessories. I have been trained and working in the art field for years, and it is interesting how color theory is used to make institutional decisions. For instance pink is said to be calming, so it is used in police station booking areas and prisons. I had to get fingerprinted at the police station to renew my teaching license and the room was pepto bismol pink. Definitely not calming for a person who had never been inside a police station before. I tend to think that softer shades of color in public spaces will be comfortable for the largest number of people. In your own home, go for whatever makes you happy, which you seem to have done.

Thanks, Creative License, do follow the principles of humane design including color. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but I do have 50' of floor to ceiling windows surrounding the coral wall. I would never use such a bold color in a closed in room with 4 walls.

Dear Jacasi,

You are so right, color is totally personal. Using my knowledge of color psychology, our physical responses, and pigment; I have developed a Questionnaire listing 12 emotions and their opposites to help people define how they want to feel in their own space.

i also agree with you about these so called "Standard rules for Color". It depends on so many variables; lighting, size of space, function of space and personality. It makes me crazy when I hear that "pink is calming". Color is as individual as we are.

"In the photos here, I see red clashing with coral..."

Colors don't clash - Patterns do.

(Red flowers grow next to Pink flowers every day - Do you segregate them because they "Clash"?)

There's flirting with poor taste, then there's giving it a lap dance. I don't get this. I'll take the pink chair though.

i don't dig the girly decorating.....and i am female....but i am loving the big pink chair!

Dear Bepsf, Thank you.....I often refer to flowers for color inspiration. All colors in nature are "balanced", you can't go wrong. What's interesting about the Red Lacquer cabinet is that, in my last apartment the walls were Taupe and the cabinet stood out in contrast, Now it is subtle! Ain't Color Grand!

Sorry if you've already answered this.... where is the wonderful, serene nautilus print in the bedroom from, please?

Dear Citipearl, Yes, it is wonderful, it is a photograph. It is by Robert Le Beau. Sold by Yale Burge @ 315 East 62nd Street. Tell them I sent you.

I'm curious where this use of "figural" has come from when describing a piece of art; seems to be everywhere, lately. As an artist, I create "figurative sculptures", and "figurative" or "representational" artworks. Not "figural".

I think figural applies more to other topics, and perhaps to an artwork containging a group of figures.

Sorry, it's nothing personal to the person who used it here. It's just an example of a quickly developing trend which puts my teeth on edge every time I read it.

My favorite room in the house is the bedroom. Because it feels calm and serene. I don't feel comfortable in the other rooms.

Would love to know more about the pigment preferences of introverted and extoverted personalities as mentioned above.

If I tried this, it'd be a wreck. Kudos.

"View is speechless making"?? Speechless making? Do you guys write in bars or cafes and then just upload, with no editoral review?

Dear Betty14, I am actually originally from Toronto. I'd be more than happy come "home" and help you out. If you are interested I can be reached through my website.

Thanks for the kind words.

fantastic! i really enjoy the color, the many different lamps, and i like the cushy grassy rug. it looks like it would be delightful on bare feet, and it would be so refreshing in the middle of cold, cloudy winter days...

Dear Centrd, Glad you experienced the bedroom as calm & serene, that was certainly my intention. It is a study in balance & harmony. The 3 warm cafe au lait walls with a cool periwinkle accent wall creates the balance. I always try to mix warm and cool together.

Introverts & extroverts require different amount of pigments.
Intuitively, the extroverts require bolder stronger pigments to feel comfortable, while the introverts require the softer paler pigments to feel at ease. Typically this is the #1 reason couples have a hard time settling on a color palette that they both can embrace.

I spent a lot of time looking at this, and I couldn't make much sense of it. Some of it I really liked a lot (the bedroom!) and *some* of the quirky touches like the chintz English tea set on top of a decidedly modern piece of furniture.

Other stuff unnerved me; I don't want your cat to get crunched by that marble "table" but to each their own! And, I'm sorry, but though I have much love for a pink velvet chair in any form, yours needs a good wash.

But again, none of this matters as its your space. And I do think you managed to make it your own moreso than most!

Dear Erinst, Thank you, I love pools of light, and interesting lamps. The grassy rug is divine on your bare feet, as are all the rugs. They always need to pass the bare foot test. & My cat loves them too. His hardest decision each day is what soft surface he should nap on next.

I also disagree with amyanne. I don't foresee getting the urge to paint my living room coral and overfill it with brown furniture and knickknacks in my lifetime, based on what I saw here today. The colors I loathe today are the same colors as the Crayolas that were never touched when I was a kid. But, good for the homeowner if it makes her happy.

My favorite housetours tend to show off the creativity and originality of the modest occupants. I love unexpected elements and colors when they are not visually punishing and they fit with the overall home.

wow--this space really pushes the envelope and uses color in a truly evocative & inspirational way. i love neutrals, esp. the various shades of white and beige, which to my mind energize and refresh me. the corals, pinks, reds, & browns (not to mention green) used here would in the end be way too much for me to live with on a daily basis but i really enjoy seeing how they are used here to create a very sensual space. textures & shapes of the various objects are interesting too. along with the light & spectacular view, this space must really be impressive in person.

I've already made my opinion of this apartment known above, but I felt the urge to chime in regarding all this color theory balderdash. I am decidedly introverted and my color palate of preference tends toward the maniacally bold. The staunch standards that have dictated who colors are for and how they should make one feel are outdated and dysfunctional at best. If you like it, if it makes you happy... it's your color. If you don't care what other people think, go ahead and toss it on the wall... if you do care what other people think, figure out how that color can be translated on trend. Last year I was in love with bright yellow on black, this year I'm dreaming in pink and grey. (My local Benjamin Moore knows me by name). Color preference is subjective, personal and inherently capricious. As for the comment that colors in nature are 'balanced' and should therefore be applied to an indoor space... what? Color in nature is not supposed to be balanced, the colors of flowers are meant to compete with the colors of other flowers to compete for attention, some colors are meant to jar and warn, others are meant to completely disappear. Sorry for the tirade, just thought I would throw my 7 cents in.

I love the boldness of the living room and the serene feminine bed room with the wonderful clock and shell photograph. This apartment is meant to represent the way the owner wants to live and surround herself with meaningful objects. I love the way the bar looks against the coral wall. Gillian you have done a great job creating an apartment that represents who you are as a designer and a person. Thank you for sharing

The bedroom is relatively neutral. It's all about balance.

The place has lots of character.

Well said, Mr. La Londe.

oh thank goodness! I thought I knew exactly what the majority of the comments were going to say... until I started reading things like, "my favorite house tour ever"?!? wth! I'm sorry, maybe these photos aren't flattering, but I'm in the minority that don't care for this aesthetic. My first thought was (also) that it reminds me of a room from a bad 80's movie. It does go uphill as you go through the tour (I love the calm tone-on-tone striping), but that first one is not exactly what I'd expect to see on AT. I mean no effense, b/c someone (actually, as it seems, lots of people) seem to really like it. Not me though...

For me, this space is not yet fully resolved, and little wonder when Gillian has only been there four months. It's nevertheless great to see, and is arguably a much better generator of discussion and thought than a highly resolved interior. Love it or hate it, I see the bold use of colour and brave combinations as a strength. It's like the interiors version of fashion's colour blocking. It reminds me of, yes, north African ways with colour, and with the colours used in India and the Caribbean, and by designers like Luis Barragan. I agree with Gillian's contention that using complementaries enhances strong colours. One sees this again and again in the work of major artists (van Gogh and Monet spring immediately to mind). I do think we tend to be very colour-phobic in the West, and this makes a brilliant antidote.

This apartment is controversial, and good thing because it gets repetitive seeing airy, minimal spaces.

Your pink wall and green carpet read as large objects in your space for two reasons - they are both bold geometric shapes, and they are bold, med/dark colors.

I personally think they overwhelm the space, and would change the pink wall. Keep it the same color but make it a lighter shade.

In general, I like your luxe-whimsy style.

Clearly this is Gillian's thing, and she's certainly passionate about her beliefs. As I said above, she did have a method to it all, so that's good news. I can appreciate that she loves her home. However, there's not a lot you can take from this house tour, as Gillian's tastes seems to be extraordinarily unique. Although, a lot of people do seem to love it. So, go figure.

The space is grand to see. It is not what I would do but Gillian is not me. Very detailed and considered without being trite or expected. I love the green lawn/rug.
My main comment is to thank whomever for the expanded comments with the title to each photo. I really enjoy having some insight to each picture. Also, I love to see the feedback so generous in the comments from the "author of the space". Knowing what is the thinking about the space is as interesting as seeing it.
One of the things I most appreciate about this blog are some of the regulars who comment here. Fun stuff whether I agree or not.

Dear Sqftfarm, Thanks for your appreciation. Our homes like our wardrobes are pure self expression. I always enjoy both seeing how people see themselves in their spaces or help them to see the spaces they dream of.

I also appreciate peoples interest and responses to seeing how I wish to live.

I consider myself extremely fortunate being able to live my dream.

What a lovely apartment. The only thing is...now I totally want to go paint one of my walls that color pink!

Thanks, Kuroneko,

If you are going to paint such a strong color, I recommend doing it as a Glaze. This color would be too strong as a solid color.

I love the pink velvet chair.

I adore this apartment, and if I didn't live in NC, I would have Gillian at my apartment in a minute to help me choose colors!

And if I didn't already love the tour, I love that it has drawn such strong reactions from everyone--reading all of the comments, it seems to be very love it or hate it, but no one just thought it was blah. My personal dislike is having a space that people are indifferent to--and you definitely don't have that here :-)

Gillian's bold use of colour is very refreshing, and the result is beautiful. What a cute kitty, too - looks great against the coral!

Dear Littykatz, you never know, NC is not the dark side of the moon. If you're interested we should talk.

I also love the fact that people do not feel neutral towards this space. That is the COLOR. It evokes emotions continuously...Color is not neutral, it is as individual as we are. I love learning how we respond to color. Nothing makes us happier than being surrounded by colors that makes us feel the way we wish to, especially in our own spaces.

I think this apartment is great! It defines home for a person who loves color and this comes through. It also looks like a "real" New York apartment that has not been over styled to serve as an editorial "piece" for the shelter magazine business.
I love an edited room just as much as any other designer but the reality of working in a business where your palette comes from the constant dissection and defining of what is "good" taste or design in every item and material you build with, makes our homes/offices our laboratories. I love the challenge that Gillian has put her home into. I hope she continues to use it as her laboratory for the color tailored work she seems passionate about. Her approach to color seems to be based in understanding her clients color... so if your a mere biochemist slash med student maybe a laboratory color scheme is your comfort zone.

I adore the glass? bracket in your bathroom. I googled "IRREPLACABLE, ARTIFACTS" but got nothing. Is it a brick/mortar store or a web site?

Dear Nyrkr, It was a brick & mortar store on 2nd ave, & Houston. Now I believe it is on 125 street. As these glass brackets go, I've never seen them before or since. I grabbed them right away in-spite of the high price tag. The store is a great resource, I believe they also have an on line presence.
I think they were originally used to hold up a glass shelf. Best of luck.

Oh golly, where to begin? First of all, I have to concur with the flirting vs. lap dance comment by jacksonlalonde. That was classic and made me laugh out loud. The coral/pink room would work for me only if I wanted to be face down in the bar every day in my bell bottoms listening to Sly and the Family Stone drinking a beverage the same color as the walls. Don't get me wrong, it's nice work if you can get it....but I can't.

Color choices aside, no one has commented on furniture placement. I can't get past the famous "pink velvet chair" shoved up against the arm of the purple/brown sofa. And, as someone else mentioned, the lamps side by side in front of the window. I really don't get that. It's like they are waiting to be placed somewhere useful. And then all the furniture lined up side by side on the coral wall lacks any balance or orginality to me. It's like they are pushed out of the way at a warehouse sale. And what's with the lamp on top of the red cabinet? What purpose does that serve? Way too high for a table lamp, and it's approximately the same height as the other things on the top of the cabinet. It's like they are all just sitting there waiting to be placed somewhere interesting.

And back to color ....the sofa does not work for me at all in the space. To me, it literally looks like the big brown elephant in the room. And I totally disagree with whomever said colors don't clash. I am seeing clashing colors in this space. Well, I was until I went blind. I'm sorry. Rude. I just really cannot relate to this space. At least not in this decade/century. Back in the 60's I probably would have thought it was very hip! But then so was Love American Style ;)

And back to color, the purple/brown sofa looks to me, quite literally

Wow, what a place, what colors, what a view. The strength of the colors feels very grounding to me, which seems important in a space as high-up as this one. I actually like the two "people lamps" in the window as they feel like sentries guarding the (possibly scary) floor-to-ceiling windows.

I also like how she's divided up the space -- the reds & browns in the living room area, the greens in the desk area, and the glow of the storage units whose surfaces open up the space while hiding away what I'm sure is a ton of stuff.

And the bedroom is gorgeous. How very cool & soothing, especially in contrast to the warmth of the other rooms.

Wow! Gorgeous! Amazing how Gillian deftly coordinates so many colors, textures and objects.

All these elements could easily look chaotic. This inspires me to go bolder in my own home.

Great to see how she divides the living room space into so many different functions - so important in NYC where rooms have to do double- and triple-duty.

Love the creative use of books as a console table - fabulous way to display and use the books you're keeping because you love them but don't read often.

Looking around my space I can see how "injections" of the right colors could make a huge difference.

Gorgeous and I have to say that I also LOVE the book table. Colors are soothing. One of these days I hope to color my world, Gillian! Love all these comments too.

I was wondering what kind of plant is in the glass jar in the living room? It's a beautiful plant

I don't care for white walls either. I love the lush feeling of the living room. This is a pink that is not little girl, but all woman.

I tried to google that Glass Shelve with the Chanel bottle, and I can't find it :( can anyone provide me with a link of where I can purchase it?