Name: Paul
Location: West Village, Manhattan
Size: 1,700 square feet, 1-bedroom rental
Years lived in: 4 years
While it may seem hard to believe, Paul gut renovated his spacious rental apartment. Clearly, it was in his interest as well as that of his landlord. And neither will regret it. Paul and his partner have an amazing home that fits their needs and aesthetic, while the landlord gets a valuable and eminently more rentable property.
Because the renovation is more of an aesthetic and quality of life investment rather than financial, Paul used low cost materials for fixtures and tilework. The emphasis was more on time than money. Paul is an architect and interior designer who owns a millworking company as well, so sourcing materials took very little time. Because Paul makes his living doing interiors, he could use more of his time, expertise, and connections than his money to achieve an incredible living space. When he does acquire new things, Paul looks for investment pieces that he can take with him when he moves. The art, and other pieces that accessorize the space, therefore, are the real investment.
Paul categorizes himself as an 'asiaphile' and believes his apartment works best at night. He likes to host parties, so the home is ready for visitors at any moment. (Paul's kitchen cabinets contain over a hundred wine glasses!) The floor to ceiling windows make the daytime a great time to enjoy the apartment as well, however.
The transformation of the apartment occurred over a period of six months. Paul stained the existing wood floor, extended the windows, built an enclosed bedroom and added a step up to the bathroom and kitchen to camouflage an existing significant up-slope. Paul's focus when choosing objects for his home are those that add a feeling of serenity and peacefulness. He said that he and his partner lived with 'greige' for 4 years prior to moving in, and they liked it so much that they've kept the beiges going for another four years in this apartment as well.
The apartment feels curated in a way that makes a visitor feel safe and well cared for, not to mention visually stimulated for hours on end.
Apartment Therapy Survey
Style: Personal. . . the particular design for my New York apartment is a deep toned, clean take on classic design. I have attempted to infuse the home with striking examples from many cultures, while being heavily influenced by Asian antiques. I guess you can say that I'm a bit of an asiaphile.
Inspiration: Mind, body and soul. To create an environment that transports oneself to a sanctuary within the City of all cities. It’s the only viable way to recharge myself after spending the day giving my best moments of creativity to clients.
Favorite Element: Texture. Not only tactile, but the layering of cultures and eras, lighting and shadows, colors and forms. It's all about infusing a depth of character and substance into my surroundings.
Biggest Challenge: Convincing my partner that what was perceived as an unsalvageable rotting shell of a space (almost literally) could be transformed into an environment of extreme warmth and comfort.
What Friends Say: "Wow, even the cats (Hugo and Vassa, six year old British Shorthairs) match the color palette."
Biggest Embarrassment: That fact that we've allowed Hugo and Vassa to claim the dining chairs as their personal scratching posts — hopefully not visible in the pictures.
Proudest DIY: The fact that I directed the renovation and design myself entirely. Being my first true personal renovation, I was able to fully empathize with my clients.
Biggest Indulgence: Owning a custom architectural millwork studio in Brooklyn allows me to be able to fabricate any custom millwork that I envision. Whether it's the tailored simplicity of the kitchen cabinetry or the modern take of an antique chest for the dining room.
Best Advice: Design for yourself. I always tell friends and clients that my home design would absolutely be no different whether it was for me alone or to share with endless people — I might not have as many wine glasses if it were just for me though.
Resources
Beyul Asian Antiques —
Living room: Double Beijing cabinet, Immortal statues, Feng Shui disks. (212) 989-2533
DiPippa Design, Inc. Architecture, Design, Millwork
Kitchen: Cabinets, doors, window trim
Living room/ dining room: Dining buffet, Console table near sofa
Bedroom: Headboard
(212) 206-9383
John Boone Tailored upholstered elements and intricately detailed woodworking designs.
Study: Settee
(212) 758-0012
Ercole Collection of mosaic art furniture and accessories. Custom Work available
Living room/ dining room: Mosaic bar cabinet
(718) 797-4270
Aviva Stanoff. Custom Work available
Decorative velvet and silk pillows, Duvet Covers, Throws, Table Runners
Bedroom: Fabric on headboard
281 North 7th street, loft 5, Brooklyn
(718) 422-1262
Images: Jill Slater
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Comments (60)
Wow this is sooo nice. I still can't get over the shock that he renovated a rental using his own money? Or did the landlord help? Hmmm ...
Very elegant without looking like it's for display only. Love to see a space that looks refined but lived-in. The Asian details are so tasteful and well chosen.
I agree--beautiful space. Although personally I would have chosen a slightly warmer wall color to play off of what looks like some really fantastic green trees outside of the windows...
gorgeous space. I wish it had more images ( 5 ) to see the bathroom and bedroom more.
There are more images...some of the page arrows aren't showing so you have to view them via thumbnails.
What a gorgeous space..love the raised kitchen and large windows throughout. Great job!!
Wow! Just.....wow. This is better than a lot of homes published in shelter magazines. Beautiful details. I hope it's rent stabilized--that's the only way I'd go to all this trouble.
I loooooooove that zebra rug! I want that so bad, so jealous!
Beautiful place. Just gorgeous. Nice work.
Grammar police-- let's hope it's not 'imminently' more rentable, or he'll be moving out and leaving this gorgeous space behind at any moment... :)
Holy cow! This is stunning. The shelter magazines (those that are left) should be ringing the phone off the hook any minute.
Grammar public defender -- "imminently" could be correct if Jill means that the apartment was instantly more rentable once the repairs were done.
Oh, my god... when can i move in....?
This is a great space. Great vision. AT, we need more pictures! Bad news; I can see the cat scratches. Good news; Any of us who have the pleasure of sharing space with loveable felines totally understand and take it as a badge of honor that they add their little layer of texture to a space. I just drove 30 miles to get some great retro dining chairs I found on Craigslist and I have already heard my two bad kitties digging into them! When I walk into the room they just look so innocent though.
I love the mirror at the end of the hallway. What would you call that shape/design? I'd love to search for one like it.
Absolutely spectacular. I would agree with some folks above. This is a rental!?!?! I'm torn between jealousy of the space and fear at the cost of rent. ;)
Sadylady, I believe the mirror would be referred to as having Key corners. It was made popular in the 16th century by the Italians.
great house! what kind of plant is on the floor by the zebra rug?
Lisa, you took the words right out of my mouth--(guessing the poster meant "eminently?") I love this blog but one of the things I'm going to miss about newspapers and newspaper writers is the proper handling of the language.
Kudos to Paul for this beautifully renovated and designed space. I would not use as much black in my own environment, but I love everything you've done, especially the Asian antiques. You should submit photos to a shelter mag.
Great space. I actually did see the fabric coming off one chair and was wondering why is such a tailored space I found such evidence of tatter.
Either way this is probably the best House Tour to date. I clip alomst every picture.
Sophisticated and warm. Wonderful space.
I lOVE your home and wish I had a hallway like that.
Simply delicious.
Beautiful, this designer should have his own TV show, he's incredible..to take a gutted out room and create such an incredible environment, now that is talent. I love it...would very much like to meet with you. You have great vision.
I concur with CSI. Someday, Paul, I'd like you to design a room for me. I love your skills! You put some very famous designer's work to shame.
LOVE
Stunning, tasteful and elegant.
great house! what kind of plant is on the floor by the zebra rug?
Sansevieria trifasciata, or Mother In Law's Tongue. Virtually unkillable, drought-tolerant, thrives in low light conditions, sculptural... basically the perfect indoor plant.
I just wanted to echo what everyone's already said--stunning, well-executed, great taste. Perfect!
Congratulations Paul, very well done and a great source of inspiration for the rest of us!
I recognize two mirrors from the dear departed Bombay Company... man , did they make a great, wellpriced mirror.
Great catbox idea! Could you share how it works (does the top of the sideboard come off for cleaning?) and if the cats took to it easily? Thanks!
Also, you're making me feel better about my shredded dining room chairs.
great space. gave me some ideas for my long narrow entryway.
unfortunately, a place like this is not kid-friendly. we would bust that statue in one day.
Paul has a gorgeous apartment. The color palete gives you the sense of warm, and confort, I also love the light and asian details. Just wouldn't choose the zebra carpet
How do you spell envy?
Great space, interesting design idea to lean doors against hallway walls. I myself would add a red wall somewhere but that is simply my personal preference. It is an elegant, tasteful and beautifully decorated apartment. And, I think it is very considerate of you to let Hugo and Vassa do their clawing thing on the dining room chairs - shows that you value not only stunning objects but your kitties as well. After all, our city apartments are not their natural stomping grounds so I figure let them scratch the chairs. Now if they were antiques....
What a beautiful, no make that gorgeous, apartment! I'm doing a simple repainting but was afraid to use a darker version of a neutral beige. This gives me the courage to step out of my safe comfort zone. Darker can be cozier, more intimate.
BTW, after you mentioned it, I took a closer look and did notice the torn fabric. I have cats, but I've protected my fabric furniture with barely visible, double-sided tape made especially to humanely repel cats. Their paws just don't like it. They forget about that furniture after awhile and you can then remove the tape. Pet stores carry it. I highly recommend it.
Stunning!! Truly, I love this space. Gorgeous and livable!
Yes, the rooms are beautiful and elegant, but... the zebra rug? What a disgrace! It ruins the calm, tranquil, Asian-inspired aesthetic and rather makes the space feel staged and overdone, even colonialist.
wow! elegant, warm and comfortable indeed!
Oh, I forgot to mention that I do recognize cats need to scratch. I have a beautiful sisal runner that they can go to work on. I also throw a little catnip on it from time to time. They love it and after 4 years of serious clawing and scratching this durable rug shows no damage whatsoever.
this is the most sophisticated post i have seen yet on a.t., and the write-up is equally high quality. man is a true pro, even at home! but, where is the rest of it, the other 1000 sf?
ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!! And I lurv your british short hair.. fits well with the colour scheme.. :) The 'greige' absolutely works! Have to ask this, where did you get the sunburst mirror? Have been looking for one like that for ages!!
Absolutely stunning. I would love to know how you get the litter box into the cabinet. I have an enclosed plastic box and have it in an inconspicuous spot but would love to get a cabinet to put it in. I also would have loved to see more pictures, and some of the cats. Don't worry about the claws on the chairs, it gives them character. You have done a wonderful job.
gee am i the only one for whom the photos just won't load?
This is amazing...coming from someone who is NOT an asiaphile...guess I've never seen it done so elegantly. And the kitty litter idea - Brilliant!!
For some reason I'm always reluctant to post when my comment isn't in line with everyone else's, but someone has to be the first : ) Paul, great job on turning this place around in such a relatively short time, I'm sure it was a lot of work. My impression is that, first of all - this does indeed look like a professional did it, not for themselves, but rather for a client or a magazine. A by-product of that short timeline is that it does have a rather 'commercial' feel to it, which everyone else seems to like but me. I'm not sensing a lot of your individual or unique personality (which I'm sure you are ; ). It's not bland in the traditional sense of that word but I'm not getting a lot of soul that I see from many of the postings I enjoy here on AT. Thanks for sharing.
My favorite house tour to date: it inspired me to actually register and post after a year of lurking.
I love how the glossy black accents perfectly tie everything together without venturing into overkill.
Wow. Just wow. Love it.
I wish there were additional photos. I'd love to see the whole place and a little more of the kitchen.
Paul is a professional. I'm sure as an architect and owner of a millwork firm, there are train-loads of information that he has gained through training and experience. AT feeds off people who are essentially talented amateurs -- this man is in a different league. It's not fair to compare his efforts with the efforts of most of the contributors.
Having said that, I thought his apartment was absolutely stunning. Like everyone else, I would have enjoyed more photos. Caveat: nix on the zebra rug, unless it's a classy fake. When you consider the spine hairs, you realize it's creepy. 100 wine glasses? Congrats on the conviviality.
Unbelieveable. So, so gorgeous. And, AustinSarah, excellent point -- I have to keep telling myself that I can't compare myself to this professional, or I'll get depressed and paralyzed. Smile.
Gorgeous. Only, it makes me gag a little to think that cats crap inside that splendid piece of furniture.
BRAVO! BRAVO! BRAVO!
I love it and will use some of these amazing ideas for myself!
Can't believe someone would put that much time, money and effort into a rental. Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful, and I absolutely understand the need to make home feel like ones own no matter how temporary. I just can't wrap my head around investing like that only to benefit someone else. Why not put it towards a down payment on a perma-residence?
I absolutely love this place - it's like a dream...
"Why not put it towards a down payment on a perma-residence?"
Probably because a comparable place to own in Manhattan would run close to a Million dollars, plus annual property taxes. In some markets, it's wiser to take a long-term lease on a lesser space and spend your own money to fixing up the place rather than buy or pay market rents on a comparable, and often more generic, space.
In Manhattan, you light live in a rental for 30 years. If it's in a rent-controlled building, your great-grandchildren might grow up there. Some of the wealthiest, most sophisticated people in Manhattan live in rentals. Rental in Manhattan means a completely different thing that it does in Peoria. Location is everything. Very few units come up for sale in the best locations. Most were bought as investments by people who, frankly, don't need the money and have no interest in selling. One might rent in a particular building, just to get to live in that building, although they could easily buy a few blocks away. I totally understand.
Oh, and gorgeous space. Thanks for sharing a peek with us. I see a few imminently steal-able ideas...
Now that's what I'm talking about. Very nice!
I was sooo disappointed in the color contest. I can't think of one house I could get ideas from in that bunch.
I am going gaga over your stained floor... in love!
Still can't beliiieeve that he did this with a rental though! Why not just pay a mortgage and forget the risk of this guy kicking you on the street and quadrupling the rent?
LOVE everything except the dead zebra rug, that is a bit too much for me.
Very beautiful space. Could you kindly post the source of the two tall lamps with the black shades on the console/table as well as the source of the black mirrors?
The dark stain makes a statement. Paul, could you share the materials or company you used for this part of the renovation?
OMG, I love this post...my condo is only 730 square feet. Need advice on how to have the feel of this space in my 14X29 Living/Dinning Room. One entire 29 feet of wall is all Windows. Mostly I need to know where to find stools and maybe China cabinet display items that would fit this decor style.
Absolutely fantastic!! It is incredibly rare that I come across an interior that so moves me to inspiration. Paul Dipippa has created a truly sublime environment and I wish there were more designers with his extrodinary talent to draw from. Cheers!