Houzz Tour: Park Avenue Pied-à-Terre Paints a Pretty Picture
Gilded ceilings, a custom bar nook and exuberant color add flair to this traditional New York City apartment
The homeowners thought they wanted to slow down and spread out, so they sold their Manhattan apartment and purchased a shingle-clad home on Long Island. It wasn’t long, however, before the couple realized how deeply rooted they were to the city and how much they still wanted a place there. With the help of the couple’s trusted designer, they transformed a raw shell of an apartment on Park Avenue into a sumptuous and cozy pied-à-terre.
In the entry, Eberlein covered the ceiling with a subtle hammered gold wallpaper called Burnish Gilt from GP & J Baker. It’s a technique she employs often in rooms that lack natural light to bring in some needed reflectivity. This particular paper was chosen because it’s not too shiny, which was important in a room with relatively low ceilings where gold-leafing might have created an uncomfortable glare.
Above the antique console table is one of many portraits of the family’s ancestors. “It’s hard for people with gorgeous paintings like that,” Eberlein says. “You want to use all of them, but if you overdo it, the effect can be a little backward-looking, too much about history and not enough about you.”
Wallpaper: Gracie
Above the antique console table is one of many portraits of the family’s ancestors. “It’s hard for people with gorgeous paintings like that,” Eberlein says. “You want to use all of them, but if you overdo it, the effect can be a little backward-looking, too much about history and not enough about you.”
Wallpaper: Gracie
The library is a relatively small space at only 11 by 14 feet. “If you saw it unfurnished, you’d think ‘Gosh, you can’t fit much in here,’” Eberlein says. But with strategic thinking, she found a way. “The worst thing you can do is treat it timidly with under-scaled furniture. Small rooms really need a robust, gutsy approach.”
Two of the corners were unusable because of the doors leading into the space, leaving one dominant wall where the sofa had to go. And the sofa is a big one, deep and comfy with room for six people, and with a single long cushion that can double as a bed when needed. On one side of the sofa is a multi-tiered table, but the other side could handle only a tiny table, so Eberlein hung paintings to counterbalance the asymmetry.
Two of the corners were unusable because of the doors leading into the space, leaving one dominant wall where the sofa had to go. And the sofa is a big one, deep and comfy with room for six people, and with a single long cushion that can double as a bed when needed. On one side of the sofa is a multi-tiered table, but the other side could handle only a tiny table, so Eberlein hung paintings to counterbalance the asymmetry.
The homeowners love to entertain, so Eberlein transformed a former closet in the library into a stylish bar nook. It’s an “interesting exercise in how to capture space nobody thinks you have,” Eberlein says. The bar top flips down when it’s not needed, and what appears to be cabinetry actually hides the air handling system and mechanical equipment.
Since the room often doubles as a bedroom, Eberlein made sure to layer in Roman shades with blackout lining at the window. Coordinating the shades with the wallpaper makes the room open up a bit, while the window seat below connects the windows in a graceful way and makes them appear larger. For a cocktail table, instead of a big one that would take up a lot of floor space, they pulled in a ship captain’s chart chest from an antiques store in the Hamptons.
Overhead light fixture: Vaughan
Overhead light fixture: Vaughan
The living room has two points of entry coming off the foyer and the library, so the options for furniture arrangement was also constrained. The doorway to the library is set back enough to allow for an elaborate treatment around the limestone mantel. Eberlein had compound vertical pilasters added to emphasize the ceiling height, give the corner some rhythm and create the impression of thick, enveloping walls.
Bordering the mantel are two wing chairs from Wood & Hogan that came with the couple from their old apartment. Their unusual shape helps them pass for antiques, but their real value is in their height: Both husband and wife are very tall and appreciate the generous back support of these cherished fireside chairs.
Bordering the mantel are two wing chairs from Wood & Hogan that came with the couple from their old apartment. Their unusual shape helps them pass for antiques, but their real value is in their height: Both husband and wife are very tall and appreciate the generous back support of these cherished fireside chairs.
All of the ornate plaster moldings in the home were fabricated by the specialists at Hyde Park Mouldings.
Find traditional molding on Houzz
Find traditional molding on Houzz
The settee is not up all the way against the window wall because the couple loves to sit on the window seats and read.
The clients already owned some nice Oriental rugs, so Eberlein took some color cues from them. But overall the home’s palette was about mixing things up. Eberlein suggests there’s “no reason to have things look the same. Part of the beauty of having multiple spaces is you can have multiple personalities. Exuberance is important,” she says.
The clients already owned some nice Oriental rugs, so Eberlein took some color cues from them. But overall the home’s palette was about mixing things up. Eberlein suggests there’s “no reason to have things look the same. Part of the beauty of having multiple spaces is you can have multiple personalities. Exuberance is important,” she says.
The kitchen, to a great extent, was the reason the couple bought the apartment. It’s “mammoth for New York,” Eberlein says. But the space was in need of a renovation. The kitchen was stripped of all original finishes. “The window was there, but that’s about it.” Just like in the living room, Eberlein added a plush window seat, building the banquette around the corner so the owners could sit and cozy up with cookbooks and plan menus as they often do.
Undoubtedly, the centerpiece of the room is the gorgeous periwinkle La Canche range, which complements the white oak cabinetry. The floor is made of two different colored corks, a light color to go with the cabinetry with a dark inlay. The cork material is cost-effective, very soft underfoot, surprisingly durable and stain-resistant, Eberlein says.
The clients collected the two colorful light fixtures in Italy years ago, and the fixture in the center of the room matches the one in the foyer.
Undoubtedly, the centerpiece of the room is the gorgeous periwinkle La Canche range, which complements the white oak cabinetry. The floor is made of two different colored corks, a light color to go with the cabinetry with a dark inlay. The cork material is cost-effective, very soft underfoot, surprisingly durable and stain-resistant, Eberlein says.
The clients collected the two colorful light fixtures in Italy years ago, and the fixture in the center of the room matches the one in the foyer.
The counters and backsplash are made of quartzite. It’s slightly less hard than granite and doesn’t stain or scratch as much as marble. Toward the window, there’s a 4-inch ledge for the couple to keep oils and spices handy while cooking.
The master bedroom had only a tiny closet, so the designer pulled the wall in and added built-in closets. The ceiling is painted in Benjamin Moore’s Candle Light, a subdued pink that picks up on the lavender color in the Scalamandré fabric on the window seat and drapes. “It gives some character to the ceiling and reflects the tones in the room,” Eberlein says.
For Eberlein, properly dressing a window always starts by assessing the function required: In this south-facing bedroom, she tried to maximize light by using sheers under a beautiful green blackout-lined silk that matches the Sherwin-Williams Leapfrog covering the bookcases and built-ins. On top of that is a traditional valance in a Scalamandré brocatelle fabric. The company was about to discontinue the print, so Eberlein bought up a lot of yardage and used it throughout the room. The wall behind the bed is covered in a green silk wallpaper from Gracie. The beams are original to the building.
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: A pair of lawyers who love to read, cook and entertain
Location: Manhattan
Size: 1,400 square feet (130 square meters)
Designer: Eberlein Design Consultants
After working closely with them on their Long Island home, designer Barbara Eberlein knew her clients’ aesthetic well. “Both love early 20th-century buildings, and their tastes are very classical and traditional,” Eberlein says. That sense of classic design hits guests right when they walk through the front door.