Name: Mark Houston
Location: New York, New York
New York City apartments are notoriously daunting with their space restrictions, gritty atmospheres and indistinguishability - if you've seen one, you've seen them all. But after viewing numerous options, this gem of a space fell into my lap after losing a bidding war on another in the same building. As fate would have it, a unit became available on a lower floor with features to swoon for.
Massive west-facing windows, hardwood floors, high ceilings, recessed lighting, a subway tiled bathroom and an intricately carved wood fireplace (not pictured as it is currently undergoing an ambitious refinishing after years of accumulating paint layers ruined its facade) would lay the foundation for the perfect lab in which to experiment with my design sensibilities.
As an interior designer, I am called upon to transform spaces on a regular basis. However, given most projects have schedule constraints, designing for a client is much different than creating a space for oneself. Most people don't want to wait years for that perfect chair. However, my process has been much more organic and I have preferred to go without until I find the pieces that 'speak' to me. It took me two years to settle on a coffee table. Yet, I've scored some unique pieces which bring a bit of the past into my present - the 1970's Leucos table lamp, a set of Georges Briard highballs and old film reel containers are some of my favorite finds. The remaining items have been collected over time from flea markets, specialty stores and major retailers, though the work will likely be perpetually in progress.
One of the biggest challenges was the lack of counter space in the miniscule kitchen. I love to cook but placing items on the floor while preparing meals quickly grew old. I couldn't find an island with the right proportions or functionality so I had one built to my specifications by a commercial restaurant supply vendor. Now I have adequate additional storage and prep space in my kitchen. And it can conveniently roll away when the air mattress needs to come out for guests.
What has materialized is an apartment that is moody, motley and masculine where vintage/industrial pieces meld with modern touches amongst accents of bold color and pattern. To me, the space feels relaxed yet tailored, like a loungey lived-in cabin one would escape to from the city on the weekends. Luckily, I get to escape every night!
Thanks, Mark!
• Interested in sharing your home with Apartment Therapy? Contact the editors through our House Tour Submission Form.
• HOUSE TOUR ARCHIVE: Check out past house tours here
Before & After: Emily Henderson Transforms a Senior's Studio Space
Monica & Austin's Charming Bungalow
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Ercol Bar Stool
How To Cook Fluffy, Tasty Quinoa
True Greek Recipe: Paximadi Bread Salad with Tomatoes, Feta and Capers
I really wish AT would stop using gender stereotyping to describe design.
Your two years were worth the wait. LOVE the coffee table! It appears white in the photograph. Is it white or beige? Where did you find it?
Your entire space is great. Thanks for sharing it.
The sprinkles of red are a really nice touch. The signs in the bathroom are a hoot.
Very nice space.
I love it. It's moody and masculine. That couch is beautiful.
@Dardi I wouldn't really blame AT, it was the designer describing his own space. And there are decor elements that are distinctively feminine or masculine, why must we make everything so mind numbingly PC.
I really love the color palette in the living room. Not so different than my own, though mine is not nearly so well pulled together (yet). I like the industrial touches as well. Wish my boyfriend was more open to these kinds of elements. ;)
I LOVE the playboy sign.
@lynell
How do you know it was the designer describing his own space? I see masculine in the post title and body copy, but not attributed to a quote from the homeowner himself. I found the four Ms of alliteration almost unbearably cheesy as so many of these home tour titles seem to be for some reason.
Best. Frame Cluster. Ever. Such a great pop in the bathroom.
Very elegant.
@Indy On house calls you send in the info an name of your space and unless they changed it they do not edit what you send. I know because I have had one published before.
That said I loooooove this space! Wish it had a view of the other side of the living room.
@Indy On house calls you send in the info and name of your space and unless they changed it they do not edit what you send. I know because I have had one published before. All they add is your first name to the title.
That said I loooooove this space! Wish it had a view of the other side of the living room
I believe that's a Mueller-Moebel coffee table: http://www.mueller-moebel.com/en/products.html
the skier looks great on your wall. where is it from?
This living room should be in the Room for Color contest. It would totally win the "dark" category!
In what world is carefully selecting and arranging one's furnishings read as masculine? I mean, obviously and annoyingly, design elements are often gendered. But isn't the illusion kind of shattered by the preciousness of it all?
Well,it doesnt look feminine to me,so I dont see the title as gender stereotyping.Its beautiful.
If it's masculine, I must have been a man in my immediately previous life. To me, this is ideal.
What a wonderful space. I especially love the living room. Is that tile in the kitchen going up the whole wall or wallpaper. Nice pattern. Kitchen cabinets would look great a darker hue though.
I have no problem describing this space as masculine, it's just that associating masculinity with a gender is a stereotype that should be avoided. You can be masculine without being a man. Florals are usually associated with being feminine, and yet I see many men wearing florals and decorating with them. It doesn't make them women. It's time to separate biology with social terms.
On the topic of the home itself, I love this and I love the colors.
Gorgeous! I'd call it masculine, too, but being female, I'd feel quite at home there as well. (Except for the sports elements.Easily changed out!!)
Love your color sense.
People don't seem to mind "girly."
Anyway, I'd love the whole tour, maybe when the fireplace is done.
People don't seem to mind "girly."
Anyway, I'd love the whole tour, maybe when the fireplace is done.
I love it! But I wish, in a House Call, we weren't wasting one out of 5 shots on a close-up of a bedside table.
I love the balance between dark and warmth. You should really enter the Room for Color contest. Very nice!
Replace the skiing picture with a picture of a hockey fight (complete with teeth flying out) and it will be "masculine". Also, not enough beer.
"Florals are usually associated with being feminine, and yet I see many men wearing florals and decorating with them. "
They are surely gay and clearly they are not real men. Every one knows that real men use only leather, dark colours and squared forms. Real women obviously use lots of frills, flowers and bright colours, preferably pinks. No matter that until the 50ies pink was considered by many a colour for boys. They were surly subversive ante litteram PC-minded people!
Stereotypes are for boring people with a limited mind. Please AT, do not support stereotypes!