This 120-Year-Old NYC Home’s Design Was Inspired by Gertrude Stein’s Paris Apartment
If anyone knows anything about the unique blend of financial planning combined with hosting guests, it’d be author and the founder of The Financial Diet, Chelsea Fagan. Not only did she create a platform for women to openly talk about a taboo subject (money!) but she also has a book, titled Having People Over, coming out in October about hosting. You might also recognize her from her very popular TikToks, which feature party planning tips and hot takes.
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What makes Chelsea’s platform even more special is that she shows it all in her two-bedroom apartment in Manhattan’s Morningside Heights neighborhood. She’s lived in the home for four years, but she knew it was the space for her, her husband, and their pup instantly.
“I saw this apartment online the day it was listed, visited it the same day, and made an offer that evening,” Chelsea explains. “And in the 120 days we were in contract, I never saw another listing I would have visited. I knew I wanted to live in Morningside Heights, which is a very small neighborhood with limited housing stock, and I knew the specifics of the apartment I wanted. So as soon as I saw this place, it was love at first sight.”
The apartment was built in 1905 and those original architectural details, like the moldings, high ceilings, and transom windows enchanted Chelsea. It was also a bonus that the layout has a cohesive flow — especially for hosting. Another plus? As an expert on financial planning, she knew that during the COVID-19 pandemic, when inventory was cheaper, was the “optimal time to buy in the city, if we were ever going to,” Chelsea says.
Resources
PAINT & COLORS
- Main Paint Color — Benjamin Moore’s Boothbay Gray (HC-165)
- Kitchen Cabinet — Benjamin Moore’s Louisburg Green (HC-113)
ENTRY
- Art — Rita Rogers
LIVING ROOM
- Sofa — Article
- Loveseat — Room + Board
- Dining Table, Side Table — Thrifted
- Hanging Lamp — Vintage
- Mini Lamp — Pooky
DINING ROOM
- Table — Jonathan Adler
- Wrought-Iron Chairs — Vintage
- Dining Chairs — West Elm
- Wallpaper — The Lawns
- Mini Lamp — Pooky
- Wine Cabinet — Handmade
- Painting — Elizabeth Lennie
KITCHEN
- Fridge — Sub Zero
- Oversize Print — Etsy
- Mini Lamp — Zafferano
- Dutch Oven — Staub
BEDROOM
- Nightstands — Wayfair
- Lamps — West Elm
- Vanity — Wayfair
- Chinoiserie Mirror — Vintage
- Wicker Shelf — Pottery Barn Kids
- Wallpaper — Etsy
Thanks, Chelsea!
This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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