Name: Michael Moeller Design
Location: West Village, New York City
Size: 1,241 square feet
Years lived in: 1.5 years
Michael Moeller first caught our attention as an incredibly talented finalist on Season 5 of HGTV's Design Star. He later co-hosted his own show on the Style Network with fellow design star Nina Ferrer. Michael currently continues to design extraordinary bachelor pads and other spaces all over New York. Today, we're sharing one of his most recent bachelor pad projects at the Archives Building in New York City's West Village.
After stepping out of the elevators onto the Penthouse level of the Archives, it's evident these spaces are unique. You leave the vestibule and walk outside to a maze of exterior corridors. Each apartment having an entrance off these wandering outdoor halls leaves you with the impression that this is a "condo complex" residing high above the streets of New York. Its industrial materials make it feel as if it could be composed of shipping containers.
When entering the apartment, the ceilings are low, but your perspective is drawn deep into the apartment with a peek into the double height living space. Every space is compartmentalized, filling its appropriate box, stacking on top of one another, to complete a cube of habitable space. The blocky minimal architectural details left a pretty malleable backdrop to work with.
The client, being a young, successful gentleman, was eager to settle into his space. This was truly his first "grown up" apartment, so he wanted to really make it his home. Michael guided him through the design process, encouraging him to invest appropriately in furnishings he would take with him for years to come. His client's love for photography and his Texas roots inspired Michael to hunt out the perfect spots for his photography to hang, find vintage cameras to adorn bookshelves, and scatter about hides and taxidermy. The client's taste for vintage industrial elements, stately character, and contextual throwbacks to New York was easy for Michael to work with. The biggest challenges were the odd layout of the space and vast ceiling heights, especially considering the place is a rental.
To this end, Michael used bookcases, a full height mirror, robust light fixtures, and large scale artwork lined up along a common elevation line to give the room a sense of scale. Michael also used bar height furniture in the dining area to account for the odd proportion. The large scale framed upholstered panels with exploded patterns make a big impression, as they can be viewed from almost every room in the apartment. The panels not only act as art to distract the eye from the tall, narrow elevations, but also contribute greatly to the acoustic issues, as they absorb a large amount of sound.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Client's Style: A comfortable bachelor pad that would grow with him for years to come
Inspiration: My client's southern roots (his friends call him Tex for goodness' sake!) and his great photography.
Favorite Element: The antique marble top coffee table with lion paw feet — such a find, and also the biggest indulgence.
Biggest Challenge: Vast ceilings and odd layout
What Friends Say: Ooo la la.
Biggest Embarrassment: When I got a text from him the day after the shoot that one of the upholstered panels "exploded" off the wall...
Proudest DIY: Framed upholstered panels (though I did get a little help from Dan Faires...)
Dream Sources: Milan Furniture Fair, Paris Flea
Resources of Note:
PAINT & COLORS
LR Ben Moore Shaker Beige HC-45
Kitchen Ben Moore Ashley Gray HC-87
Bedroom Ben Moore Valley Forge Tan AC-35
ENTRY
Desk: Mitchell Gold Bob Williams
Desk Chair: Restoration Hardware
LIVING ROOM
Bookcases: Theodore Alexandar
Rug: Safavieh
Sofa: Restoration Hardware
DINING ROOM
Bar: Custom by Dan Faires's Capsule Furniture
Industrial Table and chairs: Lillian August
BEDROOM
Bed: Blu Dot
Bedside tables: Redthreads
Bedside lamps: White on White
KITCHEN
Kitchen Lighting: Vintage from Hiden Galleries
OTHER
Accessories: West Elm and Vintage
Thanks, Michael!
(Images: Beth Bates )
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Michael is cute as a button; I remember him on design star. His SPACE is beautiful including the outdoor area but the color scheme is a bit too brown for me but that is a personal perference. Adore that view.
WOW.
He should have won.
Wonderful building, breathtaking view, really terrific design. It has the look of a place where everything was carefully chosen out of love. But for what these units are renting for, it would be nice if the landlord would spring for a bathroom renovation - that's pure 70's builder grade in there.
Agree with Phred on the bathroom (I bought a house in the mid 1990s with those Hollywood lights in every bathroom, and they were the first thing I threw away).
The exterior of those units is a little disturbing to me. It's like walking among the storage units at a public storage lockup. I can see the appeal of living atop this grand old building, but what a strange project.
Emily wouldn't work here!This is a sophisticated masculine home.I would imagine the client is thrilled!
...and he is cute as a button!
Very strange house tour ... Seems to be highlighting the building (used to be a Crunch gym on the ground floor I used to go to, don't know if its still there) I didn't get any "design " from this... just looks like some furniture in a strange low ceilinged space set up like storage units on the roof and called "penthouses".
Those exterior corridors in the winter must be miserable. It's 1,200/sq. ft in the West Village, but you can do better for north of $6K a month. Heinous kitchen and bathroom as well.
The dėcor isn't unattractive, but if I hired a decorator I'd have a fit if they sourced Restoration Hardware.
Unusual environment, especially from the outside. To be honest, the living room furnishings don't seem to work with the scale of the room...despite what is said in the comments. It seems chopped in half vertically, with heaps of upperhalf wallspace left unutilised. Some tall drapes or a large scale artwork/wall of art may have stopped the space from looking so squat. There may have been constraints on the brief though, it being a rental.
There's some harshness floating around here that seems unnecessary IMHO. I imagine that the way this space has been decorated feels very cozy and not uninteresting when you're inside it. Every successful nice space isn't Fabulous.
The bathroom, though, is utterly the pits, and I don't see where anything's been done to improve the situation. And the skinned wildcat with its legs hanging over the shelf is revolting. Those two things excepted, nice job!
Does the owner of this awesome bachelor pad need a wife? I'm a good cook.
"The dėcor isn't unattractive, but if I hired a decorator I'd have a fit if they sourced Restoration Hardware."
OK just had to comment on this one...I love a lot (not all) of the looks Resto has introduced us to and the quality of their merchandise is much better than a lot of big stores. Had he sourced IKEA it would have been rah rah... When we returned to the US a couple of years ago we lost all our furniture along the way. I went to IKEA and on the way out passed their scratch and dent area. Made me decide to never buy there, seeing how poorly items were made, so I went to RH, spent money on a couch and two lamp shades that I put on Target lamps. Everything else was garage sale & consignment shop items I could fix up. I couldn't be happier with the outcome & am almost glad to have had to start all over.
WOW! Nice apartment. Can anybody tell me what dresser is that in the bedroom photo?
Thanks
Now THIS is a bachelor pad :)
Being a Texan myself, I am definitely getting the Southern vibe in this design. Nice job!
I am stunned by the talent of this designer! This is anything BUT a 'meh'. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I love the way the furniture is placed, the way the light flows through the place. The way the positive and negative spaces play off each other. And I especially like the roof deck, how you walk through the 'corridors' and come out to a view of the river. I mean, can it GET better than this in a city? I'd say no.
I can't seem to come up with any words to describe this other than, meh, blah, blech.
yeah didn't work for me. seemed cluttered overall. funny thing is i vaguely remember looking at an apartment in this building 20-something years ago. It was too expensive for me back then. I can only imagine how crazy expensive it is now. great neighborhood though.
Anyone know where his dining chairs came from? Love that look.
I think the furniture and pieces are spot on, its just missing an accent wall of color.
Love the arrangement of the living room and the dining area set near that huge mirror. That big off white chair in the corner is gorgeous! What is the source?
Wow, Money.
As a woman, entering the front "door" would scare the hell out of me. That long corridor at night? {shiver}
So, he has quite a chunk of change to spend on his first apartment. I believe I had an "Early American Poverty" theme but, then again, I was 18 and not a late-leaver like so many today!
I just....don't like it. It seem to have odd stuff just for the sake of being odd. Where are those long-term investment pieces? And please don't say slipper chairs! I DESPISE chairs without arms - soooo not comfy.
He is a young Texan, moving to the Big City, living in a penthouse. The end result doesn't reflect any of that. It looks like he gave the ID a go-ahead and let the professional chips fall where they may.
The big mirror is the business! Love it.
Two comments that spring from my mind:
Love the gorgeous bookcases.
The bobcat is asking for controversy.
Brilliant. Nicely done. A NYC gem.
This is a feeling I have for the Design Stars and HGTV in general, too much focus on craft but not on a coherent style. I'm surprised that this could be called a professional job. It's great that you know how to add DIY artwork or frame a piece of fabric, but not every fabric looks good framed. I love watching Design Star where contestants work hard for their dreams, but can't help but notice that many of them and even established HGTV hosts have questionable taste. Too much focus on the crafty show-and-tell and impact, and less on style, creativity, and letting the space speak for itself. Many bloggers and the House Proud homeowners on the Nate Berkus show seem to be much better designers at carrying through a coherent style that tells a personal story.
Love the bookcase, but is that a dead cat on top of it? Gross.
I would love to know where the pillow on the bed came from!
Can anyone tell me where the pillows in this room come from???? or what the fabric is?