Name: Christina
Location: Upper East Side
Apartment Size: 800
Favorite: The archway between front hall and living room
Christina recently returned to New York after 12 years of LA living. There she had a 2000 sqft house. Here she has a spacious (but still under 800sqft.) one bedroom rolling distance from Central Park. She is undertaking a major decor overhaul because she seeks cleaner, simpler lines and to be more eclectic...
When referring to her LA home, Christina recalls, "I had a boring style before, English country," which doesn't work in the city." Her plan is to "bump up the stuff I [already] have to make it chicer and more sophisticated." She let me peek into her closet to see remnants of a past life--Laura Ashley patterned linens and more conservative interior design tastes. As a compromise, she is incorporating only the pieces of furniture that she still respects or that are innocuous enough to design around.
To update the pieces that were spared, Christina purchased signature modern pieces--a custom fabricated plexiglass table, Starcke plexiglass side chairs, and a Bertoia metal desk chair. As more of a compromise between these cooler, minimalist items and a more traditional approach, Christina intends to add softer elements--a unique venetian glass lamp, a coral chandelier, floor coverings, window treatments, and upholstered chairs.
Christina has spent the past five months searching for exactly what she wants with significant, but limited, success. Her new job leading AMC's scripted series department takes too much time away from a continued scouring of the earth's furniture sources, however, so she has turned to an interior designer for help. Very clear on her goals, Christina directed the designer to take on specific tasks--to find a dining room table, to find the right color and fabric for curtains, to find a chandelier for the entryway, and to reorganize and upgrade the contents of her wall unit/bookcase. During their consultation sessions, the designer suggested screening the lower half of the living room window and alternative ways to place artwork. He is working for a minimal fee--the difference between the retail and trade price of each item within Christina's total pre-determined limit of $5000.
The slide show reveals the beginning of this process. Imagining all the proposed additions yields visions of a sleek, coordinated space. Check back in a month or so for the finished product--a home that better reflects Christina's maturing tastes and welcomes her back to fine city living.
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
I just LOVE that wallpaper, and was actually thinking of that for my entryway (which is a much smaller hallway). Hmmm. Decisions, decisions.
I also have an irrational love for cowhide rugs. My husband finds this odd, since I don't eat beef. He does, and is NOT into them. I also really like your hallway table. Really nice job!
Beautiful! I love the little table settings wherever you look! Where o, where can a girl get her hands on that Osborne & Little wallpaper? I can't seem to find an online or local retailer for that particular color/silver combination!
I'm not a fan of wallpaper. But I could see this in a powder room or a guest room. But in the main living space, I find it too busy and would fear I'd tire of it quickly. It's a bit old ladyish.
Christina: Your apartment is very much like mine, uptown in Washington Heights, which I'm also still settling into... same deco arches, detailing around the edge of the parquet floor, entryway, bedroom and living room layouts. It's fun to see another person's style in a similar space! From my bed (placed the same as yours) I can look out the double windows and see barges make their way up the Hudson river (a sentence I never thought I'd ever write in my life!). For my living room, I'm planning on getting those "top down, bottom up" cellular shades, so that I can block the bottom part of the view (a low building roof) but still look at the sky. You might consider them.
I love the new additions to your apt. The plexi-look is certainly a nice modernization. And I have to agree with idea about the bottom up/top down blinds. I use them in a 1st floor apt. and they make the difference between dark and closed in and light with a sky view. They also are pretty crisp looking. I use the Smith and Noble, but others work just as well I assume. Good luck with your plans.
The living room symmetry is a little OCD. I'd be afraid to touch anything.
the coffe table is gorgeous ,can you tell me who made it for you?
thanks.
The coffe table was an original design I gave to Plexi Craft in New York. They will make anything out of lucite you want.
The wallpaper was ordered directly from the Osbourne and Little showroom in New York. It takes about four weeks to ship from England.
LOVE the coffee table. Would you mind telling me approx. how much Plexi Craft charged you?
The table is 30 by 40 inches and 18 inches High. It cost $1,300. They charge by the size not by the item.
I wanted to see the apartment, but the links go to michael and walker's last great deal......
It's just me, but I don't like the old pieces mixed with the more modern stuff. It kind of makes everything look like a hand me down in my eyes. I like the old stuff though - I'd capitalize on that and I'd also get rid of some of the stuff on top of stuff - go more minimal with the older pieces. Again, just me.
Love the apartment. Can you please tell me where you got the plexiglass/lucite tray and coffee table?
Thanks.
Erican
This house needs a lot of work! I could'nt see the rest of the place but good luck and keep the hardwood.
Great lamps!
Beautiful home. I could live in your lobby!.
I adore the plexicraft table--in fact I was thinking of having a similar one made...UNTIL I read what you paid for it. $1500 seems like a lotta $$ to me.
click on the link to see what you could've bought at a recent chicago auction for only $450 + buyer's premium
Uh, sorry to be inappropriate so early in the week but can we just acknowledge the elephant in the living room here...DAMN Christina the apartment is fine but you are far and away the hottest thing in it.
And where are the lamps from?
I second Jonathan's comments...well all but the lamp sentiment...
;)
The October issue of Domino has a spread on Claire Forlani's house. She has this wallpaper in her bedroom (shown on p. 175. It says that the "Asuka" paper is available from Gracious Home (800-338-7809) for $108/roll. Hope that helps.
Good Lord! Not only does this woman have class, and style...but damn if she's not gorgeous. Is she single? I can see it in the near future, 'ApartmentTherapySingles.com.'
I have to see this when it's finished to fairly comment.
But I don't understand the craze for those plastic Kartell chairs! They are uncomfortable, expensive, and plastic! Plastic! They have a best before date written all over them, and I predict their appeal won't last long.
PS: Scrub that tub!
i think one is going for edgy by combining the antiques with the modernes. it's not working, because the antiques aren't simple/good enough. i'd swap them out for shaker or fake shaker "antiques". the modernes are, well, cliches and further represent the sexist, mies van der rohe, masculinist bachelor pad torture seating. i'd swap it out for curvier, eero et al knockoffs. and don't do phillipe starck with that wall paper. which i like, btw.
p.s. the great genius of that mix was shauna, who WRONGFULLY DID NOT WIN the smallest cutest apartment contest. great femme/glam apartment, recommended for all who aspire to same.
The wallpaper should definitely go. It has a very old fashioned - traditional look to it unless that's what you're looking for. Also, its just too much, a bit overwhelming. I noticed in the very last pic that you live in art deco style building. Why not honor the building's character in your renovation? The apartment does not seem to have anything that unifies it. Let's take a look at the living room for instance. Your sofa seems somewhat traditional with the skirted seat, however you have a very modern cofee table and I'm really not sure how I would classify the rug. I think you should pick one design style and work with it, if you are going to mix pieces it should be accent pieces. The lamps are one of the nicer pieces in the room, but in its current location is does not get the credit it deserves. The tables that the lamps are on again with the dark wood looks traditional to me. It gives the room sort of a schizo feel. I could go on, but I think the major changes that would make the most difference at least in the livingroom is removing the wallpaper and using paint, changing either the sofa or the cofee table and also losing the rug. I would like to see the apartment when it is complete to get a more true feeling for what you are trying to accomplish. Best of luck!
I, too, would love to block out the lower part of my windows but I can't picture the screening of the lower half of the window curtain. Would like to see the the "after" photo when done. Can't wait to see it.
Wait. You gave up 2000 sq ft in los Angeles to move to 800 sq ft in NYC? That was dumb.
Wowsers, I really don't understand all the hate from previous commentors. Jealousy perhaps? I see a really awesome start here on decorating a gorgeous apartment. I'd love to see what it looks like now!
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Jonathan? ah, these posts are from 2005...
...so why not post the 'after' right away?
view mschatelaine's profile
Love the apt. Would be freaked out living next to what looks like a huge sattelite dish outside the window.
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ok:
drapery panels framing the main windows.
Mix up the contents of that 'Expedit' bookcase.
The odd sculptural piece?
enough pictures on this site of the insides of closets, vanities, fridges and bathtubs already.
:)
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