A 500-Square-Foot West Village Rental’s Style Is Beach Meets Boho

published Feb 14, 2023

We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

About this tour

Explore More House Tours

Home Type

Apartment

Location

West Village, Manhattan, New York

Style

Bohemian

Eclectic

Bedrooms

Square feet

500

Sq ft

500

Name: Caroline Danehy, Chief Brand Officer and Co-Founder of Fair Harbor
Location: West Village — New York, New York
Size: 500 square feet
Type of home: One-bedroom apartment
Years lived in: 13 months, renting

I recently moved into my first solo one-bedroom apartment in the West Village. Since I was little, I have always envisioned myself living in a one-bedroom walk-up in the tranquil area of the West Village — and finding an old building with markings of its history and old charm, on a tree-lined street. A charming 500-square-foot space in a pre-war building with original wood floors and other unique details made it a reality.

Can't-Miss House Tours Straight to Your Inbox

Keep up with our latest house tours each weekday with our House Tour of the Day newsletter

Credit: Robert Liberatore

With a hectic life building my company, it doesn’t often leave much room for quiet reflection or calmness, so I wanted to curate this space to be my personal haven. This apartment has made me realize just how important my quiet time is. As I began curating my home and filling my white walls and empty corners, I experienced a pretty wild feeling of freedom being able to use it as my personal expression and a living representation of my style and energy. I brought in a selection of my favorite brands and vintage shop finds, collecting each piece with a purpose.

Apartment Therapy Survey

My Style and Inspiration: I grew up going to the beaches of Fair Harbor, Fire Island, which inspired me to co-found the sustainable coastal lifestyle brand Fair Harbor with my brother, Jake. A lot of that beachy aesthetic has informed my design sensibilities. I like things to feel bright and refreshing, but still a little sun-soaked and weathered, which works really well with the natural light of my small but airy space. I wanted to bring in design elements of the sun (reflected in the orange colors) and the sea (reflected in the blue tones).

Credit: Robert Liberatore

Favorite Element: Definitely my dining room. This room faces east and gets amazing light early in the day — which is one of my favorite aspects of the apartment. Next to the window is an authentic Julien Roubinet photograph of a “Sticky Fingers” cassette tape from the 1972 Rolling Stones album. It was a part of Julien’s 2015 “Cassettes” series, reflecting the changing physicality of audio recording. We always had the Rolling Stones playing in the background at our Fair Harbor beach house, and I was immediately drawn to the vibrant colors.

I recently added a piece from Daniella Manin, a local Los Angeles artist, too. I like supporting small emerging artists and thought this was a fun print to add to my beach-inspired collection.