If this were my rental, I’d NEVER leave. Just goes to show what a person can do with a space they don’t own without alienating the landlord. It helps, I guess, if the tenant is also an interior designer.
Designer David Frazier and his fiancee Holly Payne, a studio director with an architectural design firm, searched two years to find this diamond-in-the-rough 900-square-foot apartment in a 100-year-old New York City building.
All the original mouldings and parquet floors were intact, which were a big draw. He accentuated them and provided a striking background for an extensive art collection by painting the walls in the main living areas white–certainly something no landlord would object to.
I love how the lamp becomes part of the art arrangement over this chair. And the butterscotch tones in the textiles work so well with the woodtones and blacks.
To me, the antique breakfront cabinet is the star, though. It lends such warmth and presence to the room.
It’s a tailored, masculine look, though a soft one, what with the subdued golds and menswear prints.
The rich woods of the furniture and layered oriental rugs layered over the parquet floors provide a warm counterpoint to the white walls and black-and-white art. I hope that anorexic door is a closet because I’d hate to have to squeeze through it if I was ever invited to visit (fat chance, LOL).
All of which makes the private space of the bedroom a complete contrast, which was Frazier’s intention. He wanted it to be just the opposite of the public spaces–a cocoon of sorts. And so far the landlord’s not complaining. Who could?
The white bedding and butterscotch tones of the animal prints link it to the other spaces.
I simply adore this wall color–Farrow & Ball Studio Green. Frazier specified a satin finish to play up the imperfections of the old plaster and help the light bounce around more. I love how the painting is just a slightly different shade of green.
How lovely it must be to lie on this bed with the sun filtering in!
If you want more…
The article this post is drawn from, “Discovery Zone” by Nathalie Kirby, appears in the April/May 2022 issue of House Beautiful. If you have online access, follow the link to take the online tour.
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