This 538-Square-Foot NYC Studio Has a Private Patio — And It Feels like a Secret Garden

“Design has always been in my DNA,” begins Kate Ruberti, (@kateskindregards on TikTok). “My mom, Mari-Lou Nania, principal at Patdo Light Studio, and my grandparents, Mariann and Robert Durso, the studio’s founders and former principals, have incredible design instincts that shaped my own eye.”

Patdo Light Studio is a lighting business her grandparents began in 1973, and Kate says her mom shared her expertise in interior and lighting design when designing this 538-square-foot Murray Hill studio apartment Kate’s rented for about a year.

“She helped me create a space that feels bright, warm, open, clean, and cozy — exactly what I envisioned,” Kate writes. But it’s not just her mom’s side that’s full of design; Kate’s dad Anthony Ruberti is the owner of the custom painting firm Signature Paint and Paper and installed the grass-cloth peel-and-stick wallpaper in the studio. “With his incredible attention to detail and perfect sense of balance and layout, he helped give my studio dimension and create a visual separation between areas.”

Kate recalled how the small space looked before moving in (and getting help from talented family and friends): It was a “quietly impressive unfinished jewel — timeless, historic, elegant, with understated grandeur.” But now that she’s put her stamp on the space? She describes it as a light-filled, serene, chic, welcoming, bright, inviting, clean” home.

“I love blending high and low,” she admits. “You’ll find a designer bar table and a slightly-too-expensive New York needlepoint pillow paired with asymmetrical mirrors from The Home Depot and a coffee table from Wayfair. It’s proof that great style isn’t about the price tag; it’s about mixing personality and polish in a way that feels entirely your own.”

• NuWallpaper x Society Social Classic Faux Grasscloth Peel and Stick Wallpaper — Amazon

• Woodblock Print I Japandi & Ukiyo — PSTR Studio
• Chandelier — Patdo Light Studio
• Alice Classic Cottage Two-Tone Scalloped Runner  — Jonathan Y
• TrafficMaster Peel and Stick Vinyl Plank Flooring — The Home Depot

• Sofa — Wayfair
• Jet Set Needlepoint New York Pillow — Jonathan Adler
• Coffee Table — Wayfair
• Fluted Accent Cabinet — Wayfair
• Modern Minimalist Resin Drink Table — Jonathan Y
• Walnut Rattan Ash Wood Lounge Accent Chair — Homary
• New Yorker April 1st, 1972 Art Print — Fine Art America
• Chill Pill Hook Throw Pillow — Paynes Gray
• Chris Loves Julia x Loloi Polly Checkered Area Rug — Rugs Direct
• Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree — Easyplant
• Milo Mid Century Modern Dresser — The Home Depot
• Wireless Wall Sconce (set of 2) — Pridola Design
• Flameless LED Candles — Amazon
• Smtyle Fireplace Candelabra Candleholder — Amazon
• Homiest Decorative Knitted Throw Blanket — Amazon
• Curtain Panel — Bed Bath & Beyond
• Curtain Rods — Amazon

• Cosmopolitan Slate Chalk Rectangular Pub Table — Litfad
• Masters Bar Stools — Interior Icons
• Fishscale Wall Tile — All Modern
• Bamboo Cutting Board — Amazon
• Nostalgia Retro Countertop Microwave— Staples

• Monkey Wall Sconce — Patdo Light Studio
• Sphere Floor Lamp — Patdo Light Studio
• Lucky 7 Ball Wall Art — Etsy
• Boucle Upholstered Bed Frame — Wayfair
• Solid Wood End Table — Wayfair
• Iyana Wool Throw Pillow — All Modern
• Bampton Nightstand — Raymour & Flanigan
• decorUhome Couch Throw Pillow Covers — Amazon

• Ebern Designs Patio Chaise Lounge — Wayfair
• Fermob Metal Round Outdoor Bistro Table — Pottery Barn

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
Share Your Style: House Tour & House Call Submission Form