After renting in New York City for years, a family of five finally decided to invest in a 1,500-square-foot, 1926 prewar apartment on the Upper West Side. The only issue: It had no personality. The new homeowners quickly called up designer Kerri Pilchik (with a gaggle of inspirational images in hand) and asked her to infuse their new home with color, pattern, and tons of storage to house their growing library of books. Oh, and then they said they wouldn't be moving in until it was picture-perfect.
With room to play, Pilchik started with the living room. "They wanted this to be an everything room: a family room, a living room, and a cocktail room," she says. The first thing to do was create a focal point since the room itself, at about 300 square feet, was just four walls of nothingness. She started by adding a wall of built-in storage, anchored by a faux fireplace at the center. This design maneuver allowed the furniture plan to feel preordained, as if the original architect had always intended this layout.
From there, she started layering in all the pretty and the function, painting the walls in a dusty pink called Setting Plaster by Farrow & Ball and finishing the trim and cabinetry in Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore. To offset this feminine palette and strike a balance between formal and casual, Pilchik homed in on block prints and paisley patterns for the drapery and swivel chairs but went full-on luxe with a blue velvet 96-inch sofa.
It was critical that there be a space for late-night noshes or family game time too. "The room needed to be casual enough for everyday but special enough to host friends," she says. Since the apartment had no formal dining room, Pilchik turned a corner of the living room into another conversation area. Two adjustable marble side tables were repurposed as bistro-esque tables that go from dining to cocktail height by simply rotating the top to the ideal level. For seating, she floated two rattan chairs in the living area that can easily be brought over for extra guests and customized a tufted banquette in a red batik fabric from Susan Deliss to seat the family of five (adding an elongated bullion fringe to keep it playful).
With the primary family living space all set, Pilchik then worked to give each additional room a unique design. Remarkably, she kept the white walls in the eat-in kitchen but added smart textiles to bring much-needed texture to the space. The bedrooms had existing built-ins, including vertical storage and seating, so the designer focused on color and furnishings, adding custom and vintage pieces where they'd be most impactful.
When it was finally time for her clients to move in, Pilchik met one of the homeowners to show her in. What was her favorite change? "She loved all the patterns and color in her bedroom, but I think the banquette is one of her favorites. And she absolutely loved the new built-ins. She was so excited display all of her things and all of her books," says Pilchik. When you have a home designed to reflect your personality, it's impossible to choose.
Entryway
Three wallcoverings greet guests upon entry, setting the scene for a home that's unapologetically colorful. "I wanted you to know right away that this apartment is going to have bold color and pattern but in a sophisticated, elevated way," says Pilchik of this ethereal entrance. At the end of the hall, a former closet was recast as a small office with enough space for a built-in desk and cabinet.
Bench: Julian Chichester with Schumacher fabric. Wallpapers: The Mural Source (entry), Casa Branca (hallway), Schumacher (office).
Living Room
Pictured above.
Two layered rugs create zones in this family space with clear breaks between the lounge and informal dining area.
Simple sconces with custom lampshades keep this corner feeling like an upscale cocktail lounge.
Mantel: Chesney's. Drapery fabric: Soane. Sofa: Highland House. Table lamps: Hwang Bishop. Banquette: LivenUpDesign with Susan Deliss fabric.
Eat-In Kitchen
The existing kitchen worked well for the family, so the designer simply added a graphic floor runner and a new Roman shade.
Off the kitchen, a classic Knoll dining table from Design Within Reach pairs perfectly with the kitchen cabinetry but feels fresh with unexpected seating from Hollywood at Home. The dining chairs, originally made famous in How to Marry a Millionaire featuring Lauren Bacall and Marilyn Monroe, have seats covered in a linen fabric from Leah O'Connell. One smart trick worth stealing: Pilchik had the fabric laminated, essentially turning natural linen into a performance fabric that can withstand spills and stains. The banquette has a faux leather on the seat and a Peter Dunham fabric on the back.
Chairs: Hollywood at Home with Leah O'Connell fabric. Table: Design Within Reach. Banquette: Chaddock with Peter Dunham fabric. Chandelier: Made Goods
With shades of blue as a central theme in this apartment, splatterware dishes and relaxed linens feel right at home on the tabletop.
Primary Bedroom
The well-appointed bedroom reflects a vibrant redo in globally inspired prints and colors mixed with vintage midcentury modern case goods. "I have always loved this paisley wallpaper from Sanderson, so when the client agreed I couldn't have been more thrilled. I love how the pattern plays with the fabric on the upholstered bed," Pilchik says. She snagged the custom upholstered bed from Etsy retailer LivenUpDesign, which specializes in affordable handcrafted pieces.
Existing built-ins and a window seat were freshened up with forest green Herb Garden by Benjamin Moore paint, while basic Roman shades got jazzed up with Samuel & Sons brush fringe and Schumacher pom-pom trim.
Bed: LivenUpDesign with Schuyler Samperton fabric. Wallpaper: Sanderson
Kids' Bedroom
One of two kids' rooms needed to do double duty, so Pilchik worked with the existing millwork, adding a custom trundle bed for when their eldest comes to the city. "At first I designed the bed to fit between two tall bookcases like an alcove. But the view of the Hudson won out," she says.
The window seat hides a radiator and adds a bit of additional closed-door storage. Bookcase bins make tidying up an easy task.
Wallpaper: Peter Fasano. Shade fabric: Seema Krish. Carpet: Stark. Sconces: Hwang Bishop. Quilt: John Robshaw. Throw blanket: Anthropologie
Bathroom
Off the primary bedroom, the ensuite bathroom continues the green theme with a sweet miniature floral wallpaper.
Q&A
House Beautiful: What was the home like before?
Kerri Pilchik: Before, the apartment was quite drab. The living room is large but did not have a focal point, and the space was not used to its best advantage. The clients are a family of five, with the oldest child away at boarding school and about to start college. They also own a home in Connecticut where they spend the summer. The room to be used by the sons is on the small side and lacked adequate storage. We needed to fit two beds for when the older son comes home from school. In addition, the apartment lacked a formal entertaining space.
HB: Where did the majority of the budget go?
KP: Unique and special fabrics and wallcoverings. I wanted the apartment to feel sophisticated but fun, and all of the patterned textiles helped to make the spaces come alive. Other splurges included the marble mantel from Chesney's. It is so beautiful and really elevates the room. I chose a style that I thought could have been there when the building was first built in 1926. We also invested in really high quality millwork in the living room, office and sons' room. These built-in additions made those rooms so functional.
HB: What was the reason/inspiration for the new design? What are a few ways you achieved your vision?
KP: The clients had lived in the city for many years but had always rented, which meant that they could not install wallpaper or add anything fixed in their previous apartments. When they decided to purchase this apartment, they wanted to put a really personal stamp on the spaces. I felt honored to be entrusted with this special task. The wife was great and sent me a ton of inspiration images that were all layered with pattern and rich color—right up my alley. A couple of the images had pink walls, and I couldn't have been more excited!
The clients also had a ton of books and wanted more storage and display space in the living room, as well as more than one seating area, as the room was to be used for multiple purposes: watching TV, entertaining, lounging, games and cocktails. The previous owner had centered the seating area in the middle of the room, thus not using the outer edges. We decided to move the main seating area toward the window, which would then be centered on a new faux fireplace and built-in cabinetry on either side. I also wanted to add a slightly more formal area in the front of the room as a transition from the gracious foyer and because there is no dining room in the apartment. I designed a custom corner banquette and paired it with adjustable height marble tables so the space could serve as a cozy spot for dinner or cocktails with friends.
HB: How did you save money?
KP: All of the bedrooms had built-in cabinetry already that were not exactly how I would have made them. They also took up an entire wall or two so were rather prominent in the rooms. Rather than rip them out and start over, we painted them to match the trim so that they would be more incorporated into the new design of the room. In fact, we painted all of the trim a color in almost every room. It's amazing what paint can do to transform a space to make it feel cozy and cohesive.
HB: Did you encounter any memorable hiccups, challenges, or surprises during the project? How did you pivot?
KP: It's always a challenge to do work in a co-op building in New York City. This one was particularly picky. But with patience and perseverance, we got through it!
