Name: Sabrina Soto
Location: Upper West Side, New York
Size: 1200 square feet, 2 bedroom, 2 bath rental
Years Lived In: 7 months
Sabrina, an HGTV designer and personality, just moved to NYC from Washington DC for her new show. She downsized from a sizeable house to a brand new 2-bedroom luxury rental, basically starting over from scratch.
Sabrina's vision for her sun-drenched, penthouse apartment was to keep things neutral but to add a lot of color through accessories — both natural and man-made. As the Target Style Expert for Home, she has done a lot of work with Missoni for Target so you'll notice pieces from that line around the apartment. Sabrina also included antiques and vintage pieces throughout to ensure a unique look.
Mixed in with the more expensive pieces are easy and accessible DIY solutions with a big impact. For example, for the master bathroom, Sabrina bought a bunch of inexpensive frames, painted them all the same color, and mounted them in a clusters on opposing walls.
The result is a crisp, fun home full of clean lines, and lots of well spaced spots to take in the view.
Apartment Therapy Survey
Style: Casual Colorful Modern
Inspiration: New York City
Favorite Element: The view of Central Park.
Biggest Challenge: The lack of time I had to decorate my own space. As they say, the cobbler's children have no shoes.
What Friends Say: They think it's a fun and sophisticated space, which is a great compliment.
Biggest Embarrassment: Not realizing that my sofa was a bit too high, so I had to cut the metal legs myself on set.
Proudest DIY: My carbon steel coffee table. I had it made in a commercial kitchen manufacturing plant in Brooklyn and blackened it in the backyard of my friends place nearby. Needless to say, it's a VERY heavy piece, but can double as a dance floor if need be.
Biggest Indulgence: The Michio Takayama painting above the couch.
Best Advice: Although most makeover shows are about 22 minutes in length, it takes a lot longer than that to put together a cohesive room design. Take your time, don't rush the process.
Dream Source: ABC Home & Carpet, Etsy.com, Target, AllModern.com, Ebay, NYC Flea Markets
Resources:
PAINT & COLORS
- • Master Bedroom: Benjamin Moore — Gray Husky
• Office: Benjamin Moore — Silver Springs
ENTRY
- • Console - LAX floating console
• Acrylic Wine Rack - CB2
• Martini Shaker - Missoni for Target
• Clear tealight holders - Two's Company
• Vintage Radio - Pip & Estella
LIVING ROOM
- • Art - Michio Takayama
• Media Console - Design Within Reach
• Decorative Plate - Missoni for Target
• Chairs - Gus Modern
• Vertical Garden - Urbio
• Frank Gehry Wiggle Chair - estate sale
• Planters - West Elm
• Vintage Glass Water Buoy - pipandestella.com
• Vintage Fans - A few are from ebay and others were passed down from family members
DINING ROOM
- • Table — Room & Board
• Chairs — Herman Miller Eames
• Chandelier — Iacoli & McAllister
BEDROOM
- • Bed — West Elm
• Bedding — Dwell Studio
• Bedding — Target
• Lamps — Jonathan Adler
• Pillows — Etsy & Gracious Home
• Pouf — Calypso Home for Target
• Felt Basket — Target
• Accessories and Frames — Target
BATHROOM
- • Towels — Target
• Wall Art — Kenneth Wingard
• Framed Tiles — Target
• Vintage Frames — Ebay, flea markets
• Shower Curtain — Custom
Thanks, Sabrina!
Images: Jill Slater
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Comments (108)
beautiful apartment!
Not my style but I love all the details especially the cute office and the vintage radio sitting in the LAX unit is a nice touch.
Cute place, had a lot of elements I really liked!
love the styling, and the views are incredible too. where are the brush holders from?
I love the floating white and wood credenza. Where is that from?
Loved the plant wall thing! I'm so jealous of the view too.
Wow - I love every inch of it - especially your view! Where did you get that wall planter??
Stunning!
Oh - Urbio! Nevermind :) Very cool, I am definitely looking into those!
Cute pup, fun, pretty, and clearly the occupant has no fear of heights!
Beautiful home!
I'd love to know where you bought the colourful hanging containers you have your markers in. They really brighten up your office space!
Gorgeous. Appeals to both sexes (well, maybe not the makeup brushes...). I have a dream of one day owning the Gehry Wiggle chair. Maybe when I win the lottery.
Oh wow I love absolutely all of it! Great job! So much of this is stuff I could reasonably achieve at home too. BOOKMARK. :)
Hmm... Can't decide if I like it or if it looks like something I've seen a million times before at this point. I definitely like the dining room light fixtures!
Love it! Great job on your place.
Wow. I love it! The office is the best part! And the pillows!
This much modern is not my taste, but this is a beautiful apartment. Sabrina is talented and wonderful.
I would love to know where she got the print in the kitchen with the fork, knife and wine glass.
I like the exposed lightbulb look but feel that incandescent lights are kind of jerky. I wish we could learn to see CFLs as cool and designy. What do exposed light fixtures with the funky CFLs look like in them?
amygoog, you can get CFLs with covers that look like incandescent. I've bought them at Lowe's Hardware. They look the same.
BTW, love the apartment.
Aw she's so adorable. I'm actually surprised this is what Sabrina's apartment looks like. Of course I expected a lot of Target, but maybe I thought her style was more classic than modern. Still very lovely and comfortable, though.
What an incredible apartment!
simply divine..... love the view from the bedroom.... Makes me miss my hometown of NYC.
OMG. I was so nervous for this post! :) Thank you so much for the compliments! xo
Looks great! It's refreshing to see the target and CB2 pieces in there because I can *actually* afford those. Well done!
Where did the art in the kitchen come from? Love it!
Sabrina - What is the centerpiece on the dining table? Looks like skeins of yarn!
beautiful pops of color!
where did you get that cool rug w/ the letters on it in your office?
Congrats Sabrina! Looks beautiful. :)
I especially like that she makes a typical NYC box apartment have character. I love the art and the accessories/details are beautiful. Could you tell us where you got your brush holder and marker containers pls?
brush holder- I made myself
Art in kitchen - I drew the sketch and had artist Dean DiMarzo paint it for me
Office Rug - CB2
Centerpiece in the dining is giant red cockscomb
LOVE it. She is so refreshing and so is her apartment!
Another apartment that makes me miss apartment living. I know. Strange. Apartment dwellers want their own home. I'm a home owner and love to decorate apartments and make them my own.
love your place Sabrina! also wanted to let you know I am really loving the "High/Low Project."
So many things I love in your home! I flipped through the photos 3 times! Spunky, Clean and inviting, your view is amazing! Love seeing realistic pieces I can afford. Cute pup too! Completely inspired by your Michio Takayama painting... Now i just need to figure out how to fit a canvas that large in a Hyundai Accent! Looks great ;)
Awesome apartment! I'll be pinching some of the office storage ideas - need a place for my art supplies too, and the hanging rack/cup thingy is perfect and colourful! And who's the cute fur-kid? Sooooooo handsome.
Where does the acrylic/lucite office chair come from? It's gorgeous and looks comfortable.
Thanks for letting us know where you got your stuff.
51desks - The office chair is from Target.com!
This is cute, but way more modern than I might have expected. The view is totally amazing.
Can I be the weirdo that asks what kind of dog that is?
Oh man, I like Sabrina even more now... what a lovely, fresh, unpretentious apartment! And that labradoodle is darling. Seeing such a big dog in a NYC apartment gives me so much hope that, if I get into Columbia for grad school in the spring I can bring my own big dog along! Great place!
This is super lovely, comfortable, funky, colorful, and modern. And most importantly - seems attainable. Great job!
So lovely and colorful! That hanging garden is gorgeous.
Love it. And I would buy that brush holder in a heartbeat.
Very beautiful and tranquil. The view--I die (in Rachel Zoe's words).
Just a quick note to say that I really love your work on HGTV. I am an HGTV-aholic! I work from home and have the channel on many hrs in my office. Thanks for sharing pictures of your home also. Wishing you continued success!
1) gimme the wheatie
2) hand over the wheatie
3) i want the wheatie
Love the pops of color. Where did the little dish in the bathroom with the peacock come from? It's so cute?!
It is always interesting to see the homes of creative and talented people. She has taken out a lot of visual clutter that you would expect to see in a designer home and opted for simplicity. Kinda Cool.
I love it! So happy to see her apartment here in AT, I am definitely a fan!
Great space, it feels uncontrived and lived in. I love how she didn't overdecorate.
Great space. Where did you get the chandelier for the bedroom?
I love Sabrina the person/tv personality. Sabrina the decorator, not so much. Chevrons? How uncreative.
I love it!
http://acalligrapher.blogspot.com/
Hmmm... there's something missing here for me -- it feels more like a decorated space than a home with personality. There are a lot of fun elements -- but not a whole.
People like this? It doesn't look like catalog shopping 101 to anyone else? People still think empty picture frames are interesting? I don't get it.
Loved the perfect use of bits of color. Fantastic view!
Since I'm going to be living with a paint color called sky mimic, your approach was a great teacher.
Loved that red painting in the kitchen. And the chalkboard-wall.And the wall-garden.
Am borrowing that tile idea.
But I guess I'll keep my bookcases.
Would Sabrina please let us know her pup's breed? Other commenters have made guesses, I have no idea, and now I'm curious. Thank you.
I didnt love any one thing but I liked everything. Its well edited and put together and still "new", doesn't look lived in yet. I guess I like the work space the most.
I've gotten so into Sabrina's new show High/Low Project on HGTV and am quickly becoming a huge fan of hers! I love her place. I live in NYC too and am obsessed w/ seeing the inside of other people's apartments here. Her's did not disappoint, and I like that she uses items from very "accessible' stores. Just goes to show...
As for baines comment, sometimes I think the empty frames are overused and I don't always get the point, I think in a small room like a bathroom it makes total sense. If those frames all had pictures in them, it would be way too much visual clutter for me. The frames add almost an architectural detail that is hard to find or achieve in a lot of rentals.
Sabrina, you seem like one of the most genuinely NICE hosts on TV! As a viewer, I always feel like you are one of my best friends, even though we probably will never meet, and I'm sure lots of other folks get that same vibe -- it's lovely! I hope you can maintain it!
As for the comments about having "seen it before" I have to say, this is her HOME for the moment. It doesn't HAVE to be radically cutting edge to inspire YOU, it's meant to be comfortable and happy FOR HER! So what if chevrons have been viewed before? "There is nothign new under the sun" -- what you do with things (even things you have seen before) reflects your interests and taste, and isnt' the point of Apartment Therapy to absorb ideas for your own space??
Hi guys! To answer some questions... My dog is an Australian Labradoodle. She's an absolute sweetheart!
As for the apartment, I'll be the first to say that the place is a work in progress. Maybe in a few months, if I make any changes or additions... I'll post pics!
Thanks so much for the great feedback!
Xo
Thanks, your labradoodle does look sweet, and thanks for sharing photos of your dreamy home.
What a pretty place! Can I please know where the bed side tables are from? Thanks :)
Where is the chandelier over the bed from???
Thanks for taking the time to respond to everyone Sabrina. I miss having cable---since it means I never get to see your show anymore. :( Love your space and the mix of high-end and low-end finds! And I'm not much of a dog person, but yours is a cutie! Have a great day! :)
Love the wall garden and many other elements. Love the dog and the chairs and the sculptural accessories. It all works so well together. Would add just a touch more color for my personal taste. I guess when you're surrounded by so much of it in your daily work, at the end of the day, you might just need to give yourself a rest and it's perfect!
I love it! And I love you Sabrina! You are my favorite HGTV host. I love what you can do for clients that are on a budget and you come across like a real down-to-earth-person on camera. Your apartment is colorful and fun, yet sophisticated and it's refreshing to see that you occasionally shop at estate sales and etsy! Keep up the good work!
Love it all, the "high/low" approach is what makes it look great but not too "decorated". Anyone know how to contact Sabrina so I can see if she is available to assist me? Seriously...can't find any email for her..
Your apartment is wonderful. My absoulte favorite element is the "Musica" painting. Who is the artist?
This is exactly my style so saying that ........I love everything! That wiggle chair is to die for.
A nice space, and the collector's piece and custom piece make those catalog standbys we all have to settle for sometimes (even designers with their own TV shows) look less out-of-the-box to me. Such a relief to see that it's not overly designed and, God bless her, not merely staged. All the plants and flower arrangements soften the space nicely, and this apartment illustrates that good organization is also good design. But that kitchen still has a real estate developer's starkness to it, and empty painted frames are an overdone bit of DIY. But that's just nitpicking. And something tells me that the real star of this space, is the light and the view. Lucky girl.
Welcome to NY! Love it...it reflects you so nicely and like others here love the whole high/low approach. Love watching you on HGTV...and if you open a design biz in NYC you will be overwhelmed by fans like me who would love to work with you on their own places!
Welcome welcome so glad you are in NY. You are a favorite and enjoyed seeing what makes you happy. Wonder if you would just give me some ideas on "how to" for my smaaalllll Harlem apartment. Again so glad you are in NY. All the luck with your new show you've worked hard and deserve it.
Those of you looking for the source for the bedroom chandelier - I have seen something very similar (and very affordable) on Etsy about a week ago. In natural birch and painted white as well.
I was excited to see this post as I love Sabrina! I love how she has her personal items out just like everyone else! Shows how down to earth she is!
How carefully you selected each and every item, then placed them in perfect juxtaposition with other items. WONDERFUL.
Delightful! I love reading other people's book titles... thank you for the closeup! :)
And I love the reflection in the photo of the puppy!
ckfori -I think that is a wheaton terrior not a labradoodle - looks just like my neighbor Sydney :) Love the look of the frames in the master bath and would kill for your office! What a cheerful place to work! Beautiful view and enjoy watching your show - you make it seem so easy and are never demeaning to the homeowners (as some similar show hosts can be). Thanks for sharing!
Sabrina recently responded that it's an Australian Labradoodle. I can't tell those cute fluffy breeds apart, but they're sweet.
Love this space and all her color choices! In the resources, There was no mention of the office. Who makes that desk?
I'm especially in love with that "dance floor" coffee table :-). Good job. The duvet cover, the picture frames and the glass doors in the kitchen all make me very happy. Thanks for sharing.
Help! more information please on wall system in office. I am about to revamp office/art studio and want to find those hanging holders for my many, many, many pens. Loved the apt. Got slight twinge thinking about being close to those "bottomless" windows. Good job. Thanks
Absolutely beautiful ! It is very stylish, yet inviting and comfortable.
Lovely!
PLEASE tell us where you got the faux chandelier above your bed!
where is the "musica" art from? who is the artist?
I just love this place, especially the bedroom. Serene yet warm and fun, and oh the view!
Im a HUGE fan of Sabrina Sotos!! I dvr "get it sold" and try to take as many tips as possible from the show as I can. I even made a fantastic wood headboard thanks to her.Its so ironic to see her apartment on the site because when she stages she always goes for a natural palette and contemporary clean look, I always wondered what her personal style was, and now I know. Absolutely love it!
I don't watch "tv" unless its a movie, for the most part. This might be why I don't understand why a bed would face a little lcd opposed to the magnificent view. I'd much rather face towards the city lights at night... Perhaps its just the way the room could be situated with the large bed?
I also wondered how low the Eames chairs would have someone sit at a standard dining room table height since they have a "bucket-seat" feel to them. Doesn't matter too much considering how great they look together!
I love her/your vertical garden, btw! Very cool. Oh and her/your samples-wall/workstation, I want call it. With all the Ikea curtain clips for fabric and magnetic knife holder for scissors. Super creative!!! The pop of color against the white wall is so fun.
I really like the place.
Love it! Where are the pillows in the office from? The LOVE pillow and the chevron would work perfectly with the colors I already have...Love your work on HGTV, too!
Thank you 4 allowing us to see your HOME, and I do mean HOME! I want to curl up on the couch w/a good book and my dog and spend the day(esp when it's snowing). I fell in love w/ the bathroom color and the frames. This is such a testiment to your love of beautiful living and it inspires us (me) to make my house
into a Home that I can love and love back.
Thanks for all your shows, I esp love the new one,saw 1st time last nite.
Please continue to inspire and teach, you have so much to say!
Thanks again,
Myra
Love it. I'm trying to put together a functional office space in my apartment and got some great ideas from your house tour. Could you please advise where you got the desk pad from?
Love that you have your home on here, Sabrina. I've watched your shows for-ev-er! And I think it's a great sign of your professionalism and creative brain at work seeing that your space is different from spaces you've worked on in the show. Your space is truly all yours and was unexpected with all of the clean lines and modern style. Loved it! And your work on HGTV has such an incredibly wide range of spaces, aesthetics and owner personalities. Your creative mind is at work every day and it shows! Thank you for sharing your space!
ahhhhh!!! Someone PLEASE let me know where those wonderful pillows in Sabrinas office are from??? I want ALL of them:-)
I love the chair in the bedroom, where is it from?? Thanks for sharing your gorgeous style!
I wasn't sure I would like this based on the first pics. I'm just not that into modern/contempo styling but Sabrina, this place is awesome! Great job! and as for @WandaR, look this isn't your apartment, it's Sabrina's and she is arranging her bed to suit her tastes. That doesn't mean she is opposed to looking outside. If she did she would live in a hole somewhere not in an apartment with huge windows and that have little window dressings.
I skipped over this tour (not a huge fan of lots of color/modern) and later decided to check it out soooo glad I did.
Loved it all.
I especially loved everything in it's place and a place for everything. Great use of color and while keeping it minimal you managed to make it feel very cozy and comfortable. Job very well done. Thank you for sharing your home. I learned a new trick or two from you.
'scuse typo meant its'
what a treat to see Sabrina's apt! I have been mulling over a gray paint for my bedroom for months, and just may be settling on 'husky'. Love her show, she's got great design sense, very adaptable to bring out clients' personal taste, and of course within a budget. (and Sabrina, fyi, for that bedroom makeover you did for the single mom and that $3800 gold plated mirror, saw a similar one for $500 in Ballard Designs, although the DIY was pretty great!).
Oh, I love it! The vintage tile displayed on the tub is from my Etsy shop! What a nice find on this blog! I love seeing where things go after they leave my shop!
Only a couple of those left if anyone is interested:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/65132885/sale-vintage-shower-tub-tile-please
What a gorgeous apartment (and view!!!) and stunning style. Great feature.
Joy
Sabrina, you are just so dang "likable" and so is your apartment. Very contemporary. I. too, would have pegged you as more traditional. It does look a bit like a model home, but the parts that I can see your personality coming through are great!!!
Such a nice, nice. NICE home!
Special touches everywhere and though edited, very well edited, without seeming contrived.
The best part is Miss Pup..she looks like a happy, well loved dog- she's smiling! I particularly love that you can see the reflection of the photographer in the bedroom night table!
Love it all!
So nice of you to share your apartment with us....enjoy seeing you on HGTV & it was great to see how you decorated your own space! Would like to know where the couch/chaise in your office is from. I am trying to find an item to provide an additional sleeping area in my teenage son's room. Thank you!
Sabrina,
Love, love, love your new home! What brand and style is your couch? Is it a sofa bed, by chance?
Sabrina-
Love the apt. Great job! Where did you get that Musica painting. dying to know...
Upscale outlook. Flash art is out of sight.
http://www.plumber-denver-co.com
The wall o' frames is right up there with framed fabric! Sorry, girl. I expected more from you==the apartment is spendy so why not go a liitle more lux??
Lots of "catalog" items; West Elm, CB2 and Room and Board represent over 95% of the furnishing.... it's tasteful but lack of personality.