You had me at "1,760 sq. ft. in Union Square". That the apartment itself is beautifully furnished and decorated is icing on the cake....

"Maria refers to herself as a lifestylist. I see her as a renaissance helper with boundless optimism and an indefatigable seeking gene. Maria is a fierce advocate of dream achievement and won't take no for an answer."

Really? Really?

The artworks are stunning.

Came across a little too pretentious for my liking. I don't know if it was the gigantic wine cellar, the excessive amount of clothing, or some of the book titles.... I'm just not really a fan, sorry.

She looks great and so does the apartment - both appear simultaneously stylish and friendly

The last housetour link takes you to the wrong house...

Lifestylist turns out to be trademarked.
http://www.citylifestylist.com/about

God knows why.

What a fun apartment full of life and personality - I wish I had a closet to turn into a Wine Cellar!

doesn't do it for me. too staged, not enough whimsy. The kids must have to stay in their room or out of the house so as not to mess with all the knic knacs.

Was initially excited about this tour after seeing the teaser picture but then that dining room...ugh.

Oh and listing your 21 month old's finger prints as your biggest embarrassment - are you kidding me?

I liked the wine cellar. If only I had space or a walk in closet. I'm impressed that she made both. I cannot imagine owning that many clothes though. Her stuff barely fits!! Other than that it was an interesting combination of things. However there are one too many contemporary knick knacks for my taste.

This whole tour seems a bit pretentious to me. I mean, embarrassed over your baby's fingerprints? Seriously. Just put him in a silver plated cage that will blend in with the decor and all the other shiny bits. I usually slam people who are overly negative, but this whole place is just waaaay too staged.

I agree with creativeneurosis... almost 1800 square feet in UNION SQUARE... are you kidding me?? A virtual mansion by downtown NYC standards. And that office nook is perfection... I feel like I would use that space for just about EVERYTHING. And that wine cellar...! All I can say is that you must seriously be into wine to take up that valuable storage space (and entire closet!?!) to use as a cellar... I can guarantee that when you go to sell the place, that could be a bit of a problem... oh well, the home is beautiful - congrats (on the home and baby!)

www.mydesigndreams.com

Per the usual, the nasty ones are out in force. This time filled with all of the petty jealousy and smallness that they can muster. I am surprised that no one complained that she had too many books. With some of the screen names that are here, it is a bit rich to call any one else pretentious.

Okay, I'll bite. I liked this apartment too; it is more upscale than many city apartments presented on AT, but I found the use of space very careful and appealing, and I love the colors. The house reminds me of a very recent feature in Elle Decor on the home of an Argentinian artist and her polo player husband: it too used very large photographic art to good effect. I like the mix of furniture styles and the use of a large array of thrift shops (good suggestions for sources) and inexpensive retailers like West Elm etc. As for being styled and arranged, yes, it obviously is, but the owner likely did that for the tour, out of respect for the viewers. The writeup suggests the family are not native to the U.S.... consider that many cultures are less casual and more private than that of the U.S. young adult mainstream; a little more polished in the display and not so likely, perhaps, to let it all hang out in the interview.

So not all my style, but I think it is a lovely home. What the heck, people cant have lots of clothes and wine? So she doesn't like finger prints all over the place and furniture banged up..? So what??? So many haters.

agreed with botany and jamesg. i <3 AT, but my god, is it a breeding ground for the sad. go make your own babies and have them mark up your walls! then smile about it and send us photos.

I think it's lovely, but I find it a little cold, somehow. I don't know why.

The idea of paying someone to help you buy a pair of shoes is just like fingernails down a blackboard to me.

However, there's no denying that the woman knows how to decorate. The collections are spot on, the art is amazing, and the furniture is beautiful and flawlessly arranged. Bravo!

Yes, this home is pretentious. It looks staged..too trendy.too new York for my laid back southern California taste. But, it does look very exspensive and it does look very new York chic...if your into that kind of look.

I read the comments before taking the tour and I was especially looking forward to seeing the dining room after it was singled out for derision above. And then the picture came up and it was...a table and chairs, a tray, some flowers, and a piece of art. Okay. Maybe the art isn't to your taste, but jeez, it's a perfectly ordinary dining space!

I just don't get the negativity on this one. I think the apartment is lovely, if a bit over-staged. I particularly admired the coffee table, and the vignette of those whimsical chairs under the Frida Kahlo artwork.

I like it - obviously staged, but it is a house tour, after all. Everyone who puts their house up for a house tour stages their home, with more or less success.

I am not crazy about the silver bowl of silver fruit in the kitchen, though - something doesn't seem right about that.

This is a beautiful apartment, and appears to be spotlessly clean and well organized. Very nice.

With regard to the ongoing debate over what type of homes are supposed to be shown on this site, would AT PLEASE make a mission statement as to what a newcomer should expect? This is an apartment, designed by the owners, and it is gorgeously opulent despite wholehearted admissions to thriftiness and enjoyment of that fact. So why all the mean comments? Should AT stick firmly with the low budget rentals and the creative use of color?

[Perhaps it would be best for Maria to avoid AT website until her hormones have settled back into 'work mode'. It is unkind to attack a heavily pregnant woman (who is surely in uber nesting mode) with such nasty comments.]

Finally, I wish Maria a very peaceful and joyful birth.

Stunning artwork! Love it ~~

I don't think it's necessarily fair to call people who dislike this tour 'haters' - I personally think this tour in particular stands out as not really fitting in with the AT ethic...It seems like it should be in a glossy interiors mag rather than this website.

What I love about Apartment Therapy is that it shows real peoples' homes, with solutions they've come up with themselves to storage problems/how to hang art/furtniture finds/their own unique taste.

This tour doesn't seem quite right because it looks like everything was purchased brand new, with seemingly a limitless budget, and with labels and names in mind - so maybe not really in the spirit of AT. It would do fine in another format, maybe Elle Interiors or something, but maybe just not here.

she spoke about dirty walls being a problem, and not her toddler's fingerprints. seriously- who likes grubby walls?
and now are we supposed to seriously have an Agenda for what AT can show? it's not a political manifesto or a constitution! why can't AT show homes like this once in a while?
for what it's worth, this flat isn't my style at all.

as for professional shopping as a career- there are (apparently) lots of people in the world with money to burn and the desire to buy something special, or a job where they have to wear interesting/edgy/opulent things all the time. i don't - but i can't slam her for that!

I think it's rude to call people haters because they can specifically point out what they don't like. This site is for inspiration and bouncing around ideas. If you don't want to see a single negative comment EVER, than maybe comments should be disabled....

'What I love about Apartment Therapy is that it shows real peoples' homes, with solutions they've come up with themselves to storage problems/how to hang art/furtniture finds/their own unique taste. This tour doesn't seem quite right because it looks like everything was purchased brand new, with seemingly a limitless budget' - commenter "ifiwereyou"

? If you actually read the item, the writeup for this House Tour emphasizes the owner's use of thrift shops and for many of the furnishings and gives specific sources; other elements are reupholstered or grouped in unusual ways or picked up over years of world travel. Although the design is sophisticated, it appears to be hands-on by the owner. Whether one likes the result or not (I do like it) I am puzzled about the attacks on the designer/homemaker of this international style, book-filled apartment. I thought the very point of the blog was to present a variety of novel and personal approaches to apartment storage and decor and to learn from them.

It's beautiful and exactly what I would hope someone who can afford 1800 sf in Union Square to do. But, I prefer when AT shows us people in small spaces on a budget, more thrifty creative tours where people who don't have unlimited funds can still create wonderful beautiful spaces just like the one above. Call me a hater, I don't care, I've been called worse.

I think this apartment is beautiful and sophisticated. It has plenty of life and personality -- just not the "Pez collection" kind. It's adult and international.

I live in a small house with few closets and I think it's genius to turn the hall closet into wine storage.

The large-scale artwork is fabulous.

This place is no more staged than other places shown on AT, it's just staged with different things than we're used to seeing.

The last link for the house tour takes you to the wrong house.

This does not really feel like a "home"; the personality is missing. I usually spend quite some time looking at other people's homes, enjoying their quirks and creativeness. I found nothing to stop and stare at here.

I see personality, It's eccentric.

I'm disappointed they didn't source the kitchen though

where do they keep the child?

This home is loaded with Maria's personality and Maria's sense of self and style.

There are many definitions of the word Home. The one I like best is "where one flourishes".

This home is lovely. There were so many things to enjoy. My favorites are her art, especially the "Frida", and many of her chair choices. I really appreciate that Maria cared enough to put her best foot forward and showed us a clean and well organized space.

Best wishes to Maria for a healthy birth and for a family that continues to flourish.

To AT - I enjoy seeing all types of spaces, big and small. The house tours have never failed to inspire me or to affirm the road, by design, not taken.

This is a well laid out home and it is obvious that it is carefully curated. I love the first and second picture in the house tour- the mirror is lovely and that chair adds warmth and character. Those chairs in the 12th picture add a little whimsy to the space. The closet would help me be so organized! I love 37 and 38 as well- more casual.

While the overall home is not my style, there were vignettes that were definitely lovely and casual, which is more my taste. Pictures 1 and 2 are the best at appealing to my personal aesthetic.

Am kind of hot and cold about this one. There are things I do like (like that painting of Frieda Kahlo), but it just doesn't feel very inviting. As a guest, I'd be nervous about spilling something or displacing a throw pillow.

I'm with R_Claw and some of the other commenters. I think AT is at its best when it focuses on smaller spaces and tighter budgets. I really enjoyed some of the recent cure posts that showed Maxwell hauling a heavy roll of felt up the stairs and cleaning his bathroom floor. And I liked Faith's post today on the Kitchn about her Ikea pot-lid racks. Hit a little closer to home.

I suspect most AT readers (myself included) need to be nudged more in the clean-the-bathroom-floor direction than in the build-a-giant-closet-and-fill-it-with-clothes direction.

Just sayin'.

I think house tours like this one can provide great inspiration.

And, not all AT readers are the same, klt108. For example, we just had dual closets built in our master bedroom, so I am interested in how people organize their closets.

Personally, I'm more inspired by the gorgeous artwork in this home than I am by a felt headboard. To each their own.

This is a gorgeous apartment. I'm in love with the Dalle Ore piece. And as an AT reader with a tiny studio and a limited budget, I find inspiration in whatever I find visually appealing (such as this house tour). Please continue showing beautiful homes. Also, pictures of well-organized closets are always appreciated.

Leeler - she 'keeps the child' in the nursery (also beautiful) that's shown on Ohdeedoh. There's a clearly labeled link at the end of the resources section.

Love it!! Especially the art. Is the picador by Botero?

It's funny how only the "upscale" aesthetic brings out the "AT should keep its focus on people in small spaces on a budget" complaints. Notably that recent LA canyon house tour featuring a 2000 sq. foot home brimming with art, Ligne roset furniture, and a bunch of MCM stuff didn't draw a single, similar criticism.

As many ideas, and versions of most decorating styles, can be executed at any price point, I love being inspired by a range of spaces and ways of living. The glamor of this apartment could serve as a model for any budget, especially with elements collected over time. Maria's space shows verve, a deft hand with a mix of periods and cultures, and great color. It has a more cosmopolitan feel than quite a few of the apartments shown on AT, which tend to showcase American retailers and regional memorabilia. As for expectations for the children, I'd hazard a guess that they may be taught to behave differently from many Americans' kids... who are often allowed to take over the whole house or even any public space they find themselves in. European and Latin American children are often taught to differentiate between outdoor or play space, and space where adults gather and objects must be left alone. My own kids are American, and it is they who have remarked on this difference, with approval.

this apartment reminds me of a consignment shop.....beautiful, fun things put together without any particular sense of design or focus...

I love the fabric on those 2 chairs in the living room.

The painting in the first picture of the horses is inaccurate. The only time a Horses hooves all leave the ground is in the outstretched form while running. Not bunched in. The artist should have done a bit of research. I'm disgusted. not only for the incorrect trajectory of physics, but also the content of horses. Did you know they're body content is 85% poop.

i think the tone of the posts may have affected people a bit- "maria is a renaissance woman", "maria believes..", "maria seeks perfection in all things" - stuff in that vein probably unconsciously sets people's backs up.
i realised this when i checked out the nursery link as well-it was the same there.

First some things here, one I grew up in a 2200SqFt 4 bedroom split entry home from the 60's but with a family of 6 and that was 2200SqFt split between 2 floors and only had 2 baths, no master bath of any kind and when you have 3 older siblings ranging from 6th grade to 9th grade and me having just turned 5 when we first moved in, in 1970, it was almost too small then, but then add friends, pets and it WAS on the crowded side but we managed so 1700 Sq Ft isn't so bad in my book.

That and all of the posters who got their panties in a bind need to step back, relax, take a deep breath and unbind your panties and read the post(s) more closely before you start commenting negatively. We all have limited budgets, some of us barely any at all to those who have quite a bit more but even there, it's limited and she even says that she buys from antique stores, thrift stores and the like and rarely pays, if ever full retail for anything and while I can't afford a $1500 piece of furniture but if it's half of it's retail price, then I say, go for it, at least she's using her smarts rather than acting like they have more money know what to do with.

That said, having looked at the house tour, I get the gut feeling it's TOO perfect, even if not staged for a photo shoot on a day to day basis and has more of that hotel blandness to it with its variation of gold, tans, browns and little other color other than what's in the artwork.

It is very lovely I agree but not totally my style, now if it were me, I'd take out some of the pieces and replace with more colorful mod/modern pieces to spice things up a bit but it is nice and all.

The lamp that's between the sofa and the whimsical chairs needs a larger shade I think, it looks skimpy compared to the base IMO. By going eclectic like she did, she was able to keep the place from looking super bland, but the color palette is I think the weakest link here.

Overall a nice house tour but does not inspire me as some others I've seen.

I think your assessment is right on, Pooh. When I posted my comment above I was reacting to Ms. Slater's hyperbolic description of Maria's talents, as well as the silliness of claiming "lifestylist" as a profession. The apartment is lovely-- too formal for my taste, but I can see why many commenters have found much to admire here. I, for one, could do without the breathless characterizations. I'd prefer it if AT would let the apartments speak for themselves.

@ ricksnotserious : LOL way to bring back the humour!

I for one like this place! The kitchen cabinets are amazing. There are some things that are not my style, but that doesn't take away from the fact that this a beautiful home.

Can we PLEASE have a moratorium on the word "haters." It is just so stupid.

I read the comments before looking at the pictures here, and I guess I don't understand the strong feelings one way or another. I think the apartment has some nice features, and some that don't quite work. Some of the art I find fabulous, while other pieces seem really weak (i.e., the horses--and not because of the impossible gait). It does look like the home of someone who knows what she likes and has thought about how best to present it. But overall, it's just so-so to me.

I like the horses.

There is nothing wrong with using the word "hater" for a few of the people on here. They are constant sources of nasty and negative comments about anything that does not conform to their somewhat capricious rules of how one should live or decorate one's home.

As to Maria's profession, I will admit that there are days when I could use a professional shopper. I work an insane amount and just need someone to go out to do a bit of leg work for me. Living in Europe is a lot of fun. But abundant shopping hours is not one of the sources of said fun.

@ricknotserious, you are hilarious! Thanks for the levity.

sally 305,

You are such a 'hater' hater
; )

I clicked on the bottom House Tour link and I got someone else's dining room (the slightly over the top Jon and Jason's three-parter...) perhaps why there's some confusion, and perhaps the reason for jettsam's reaction...

Thorndale--

If you think this looks like Pottery Barn or West Elm, you are not paying close enough attention.

the art work ... the wine storage ... I'm drooling

love a lot of the artwork and the office nook was great (fan of shelving wherever you can stick it)...i'm a bit hatin' on the enormousness of it all, only bc i find the necessity of space-saving solutions to be my favorite thing (as it applies to me)--with that said--the only thing i didn't really like was the lined-up pics on the buffet./console (everything was pretty much squarish and at the same height). everything else in this home looks pretty, warm and inviting--especially the coffee table. i suspect some things will get changed around when the baby gets to be into everything, but with all that space, who cares:O and the thing that got my jealous goat was--those. awesome. plastic. storage. box thingies. for. that. awesome. collection. of. shoes.

It's not my style, but it's pleasant and comfortable. I am certainly envious of the space and location--the combo is sort of mind-boggling. Pardon me for being a little catty, but the writing in the profile reads a lot like it's written by someone with a middle-school girl crush, and I think that might be what is getting people's backs up a little.

I love the wine pantry here. Great idea and execution.

This tour kind of reminds me of the feeling of some of the great vintage rent controlled apartments that are still out there in NYC. The types of places where the owner has lived there for 60 years and has accumulated a lifetime of treasures inside. There are some absolutely beautiful gems like that. I feel like the furnishings in this apartment really mirror that feel. There is a little bit of a disconnect for me where the modern kitchen and the flooring come in. If this apartment had some reclaimed or distressed wood floors it would look absolutely perfect and everything would blend together seamlessly. Still, I have to say, I think this is a very nice space and I like the emphasis on comfort and eclectic elements. You have a beautiful home Maria!

Oh and one other comment about the whole "this apartment is too upscale" "apartment therapy should stick to low cost quirky spaces" discussion.

Personally, I find a mix of different types of spaces to be refreshing and interesting. I appreciate the various styles more when I have a broader perspective to compare to. There is nothing wrong with having a variety of sizes, shapes, styles, and price points represented in the hour tours. If you don't think you will like a particular style - no one is forcing you read the tour. We are not saving the world here people - it's ok to take a day off sometimes.

It is a bit self indulgent as a reader on this site to expect that your particular style and opinion should be the only one represented or valued here. Honestly, can't we all try to be a bit more open minded rather than bickering about what should or should not be included on this website? It isn't even our decision!

Sounds like Maria inherited her negotiating skills from ancestors who had a knack for ruthlessly oppressing the peasantry. (Or a knack for the drug trade.)

"Every pair of shoes is enviable"???? Are you serious? *That* is the photo you choose to comment on? Maxwell, buy this poor girl some shoes and acclimate her to some upper-middle class closets before she writes about them again. She just seems so sad.

@Leebler and "where do they keep the child?" Brilliant.

I do *love* the TV room. ("Media room"??? Whoever wrote that must be one of those people on Craig's List trying to sell a mid-century "media stand".) That room is gorgeous and done in timeless NYC style.

Maria also seems to have a good eye for contemporary art and placing it into a home, which is no small thing. I would be interested in knowing if the more ornate silver frames in the entryway are from one place in particular; they're lovely.

Gee, starting off by hurling a geographic/ethnic slur at the homeowner, then insulting the writer and calling her "sad" seems a funny way to to get more facts about those ornate silver frames.

Good luck with that.

i am tired of close up photos of a lamp, or a silver knick knack, or a purse hanging on a door knob..etc....or in this case...a close up of stainless steel toaster and coffee maker! WHY do people take these kinds of photos?

I get it if you have a unique chair or one of a kind peice of art...but that never seems to be the case.

Coletta--

In defense of the vignette, I think why some people end up with clutter versus nicely arranged things is just that... the arrangement. And it can be a learned skill.

As long as the rest of the space is defined by the main photos, I like a good close-up. Especially in a room that's somewhat defined by things of a more personal scale, or textures or whatever else might not translate in a room-wide panorama.

But I'll give you the toaster/coffee maker. :)

This is so gorgeous. Yes the crafty small spaces are important, but THIS is where I find inspiration too. And I need goals.

I love it. How many of you with children aren't embarassed at some point by the tracks your little one leaves throughout your house?

Thank you so much for showing your home!

It started out so lovely, but then got more and more pretentious---the books, the closet, the British theme. Oh no.

I do NOT get the big deal here at all. Seriously!!! It is definitely not my style but I don't get the pretentious out of stacking books everywhere, having an overwhelmed closet and not liking little kid's fingerprints and messes. I sure as hell hate the ones my kids leave behind! My family of 4 lives in 975ft and we have a wine fridge. That must make me pretentious since it's taking up a whole corner of my dining room!

I LOVE this place! I did not find it pretentious. Yes, it was a little staged, but if AT was coming over, wouldn't YOU stage a 'little'?! (you would stage a LOT).
I loved all the contemporary art pieces and yet also found it very warm and livable. ha - I have a similar print of a large room that is in her tv room (granted, I scanned a post card and printed it large scale at work). I loved the little bits of wit in her pieces. The simple/richness of the table topped with an Hermes tray - brilliant! and yet the toaster oven/toaster/espresso machine are out side by side on the counter. very real.
I want to get to know this woman and hang out in this apartment!
And seriously, while her shoe collection trumps mine, my closet trumps hers in size and quantity (I turned a weird middle room in my Brooklyn Railroad into a huge walk through closet). Sorry, mass quantity of pretty things sometimes comes with working in the clothing/textile industry. Deal with it.
I'm not even going to get on the haters for calling her profession ridiculous or pretentious. I just roll my eyes at them...

The art - wow! The fruit still life and the horses are AMAZING! Living room coffee table - love it. Would love to see how you decorated your nursery!

I love the use of the word haters LOL LOL LOL.

I adore the place - it looks so comfortable and inviting.
I absolutely envy Maria on the space and would love to 'water the flowers' while she is out of town :)

Those horses are jumping. That is how horses jump. It is not an impossible gait. The artwork just doesn't show what they are jumping over.

Lots of rich people house tours lately. I don't really find those interesting.

The curve of the horses in the painting echoes that of the legs of the coffee table.

I can't help but think of Joan Didion: "It occurred to me that we had finally evolved a society in which knowledge of a pastry marble, like a taste for stairs and closed doors, could be construed as "elitist," and...I felt very like the heroine of Mary McCarthy's Birds of America, the one who located America's moral decline in the disapeparance of the first course."

This home is beautiful. And, patrick(the other one), I think you are very wise. =)

Did anyone else think it was funny that there were two bathroom scales in there? heh.

the responses cause us to go into the housetour. can look at much of it two ways: way too many vignette pics, but we can deal w/ a growing library this way, many appliances does not mean clutter, important things deserve more space & wine is important here (the cellar is removable, anyway). do not understand the passion in the posts; it is a large unit but innocuous, like in a woody allen movie (they sell off his props, so could be the same pieces). very nice list of resources for the furniture. the diy works well. would change the original description; this writer got a bit left coast on us. the unit itself is ok.

Generally a failed attempt at creating a classic feel to the house mostly it is rather bland no charachter. However, loved the picture of the horses in the living room, loved the transparent shoe storage absolutly great. I wonder where you got it. The bedroom redeems this home , since in my opinion you managed to create a soft calm atmosphere in it as well as in the bathroom which is subtle and very nice .

I think this house tour had the most critical comments I have seen. I think ever house tour has positives and negatives. I like to see both types of comments because seeing only positive comments seems inaccurate. I like allot of things in this house, but seeing a close up of counter appliances seems a waste.

Since I live in a small condo I do like seeing small spaces creatively pulled together. Sadly some shelter magazines and books consider anything less than 3000 square feet as small spaces. Sorry I don't agree. AT seems to more real, most of the time.

This is a wonderful space. No it is not for everyone and -of course- it is staged. Doesn't everybody do that when company comes over???

I love AT and I'm very glad a space like this, smallish (although not by NY standards) but with an eclectic mix of high and low was highlighted.

I should be so lucky to have even one room of mine look like Maria's...

I like people with loads of clothes and I´d be happy with a nice wine collection!

But to me this place misses personality. It doesn´t look like a home filled with stuff that people collected over the years out of love. It comes across as a helpless attempt present loads of stuff to make the place look interesting.

I had a look at the nursery. Unlike the rest of the apartment it isn´t filled with pieces that are meant to look like "creative collector´s items". Much worse, it looks like a sterile showroom. No personality, nothing unique to be seen at all. What a pity!

Whoever called people "haters" for stating their opinions in the comments, should seriously think twice about using street slang on the AT website. In my opinion, it sounds really freakin stupid!

As for the home tour:

The TV room looks like something from the set of Paris Hilton's British Best Friend, or one of her rooms at home. It IS a partial play-room, so it works. I like the Union Jack chair and the sofa.

I like the simplicity of the living room, and the airiness that is created by the large, open windows. I'd love to see that room at night, with some soft mood lighting, and the windows lit up across the street.

It would have been nice to see more pictures of the bathroom. I have a thing for tubs and showers.

Thanks for sharing your home!