space of the week

Rooms to Grow In

After over 12 months of gut renovation, a bachelor pad is ready for the future.

The open living room. Photo: Nick Glimenakis for Homepolish
The open living room. Photo: Nick Glimenakis for Homepolish

“He basically came into our offices and said, ‘I am looking for a designer,’” Homepolish designer Jae Joo says about the first meeting with her client. “This was pretty unique because Homepolish services are usually found online — nobody ever comes into the office.” Her client, a young professional working in real-estate development, had just purchased his next-door neighbor’s apartment, and there was a lot of work to be done. First off was combining the two spaces, then decorating the freshly minted 4,000-square-foot, four-bedroom loft. He had been living in the building as a bachelor for years, but now, with his girlfriend moving in, he wanted a new palette that would accommodate his new life. Above, in the open living room, James Ramsey of Raad Studio did all the structural architecture and designed a bookshelf around the window in the wall with a nook for a TV. The sofa is from Dmitriy & Co, and the coffee table is from 1stdibs, the black-and-white area rug is from Madeline Weinrib, and the daybed by the bookcase is from Vonnegut/Kraft.

The opposite side of the living room includes the dining area and kitchen, which can be closed off with glass doors that pull out from the walls. “Everyone likes to have convertible space,” Ramsey says of the ability to make the kitchen area private. “Especially in New York.” The dining table is from Restoration Hardware, and the light fixture above the table is from Apparatus. Photo: Nick Glimenakis for Homepolish
“My client and I have very different styles,” Joo says of their finds for the eclectic mix in the space. “He’s very into minimal modernism, and I’m almost the opposite of that.” They worked by instinct. “We really didn’t have a general concept; we were looking for our favorite pieces.” This entailed lots of photo sharing as they trawled stores and sites individually and sometimes together. “So after sourcing about ten different chairs” for the library seen here, Joo says, “I decided to find something different.” The swing found at the Future Perfect fit the bill. Ramsey designed a hidden bar behind the last bookshelf unit on the right. Photo: Nick Glimenakis for Homepolish
This open room offers a cozy space to curl up and read or watch movies, but it can also be closed off with pocket doors that follow the outline on the floor. The large sectional sofa is from Restoration Hardware, and the desk chair by the window with a work surface is from Suite NY. Photo: Nick Glimenakis for Homepolish
Joo spiced up the black-and-white palette of one of the guest rooms with a pop of cerulean blue in the bed pillows, while reupholstering the Eames ottoman and chair (not shown) in a lush Pierre Frey Teddy mohair. The bed is from Design Within Reach, and the table lamps are from Parachilna. Photo: Nick Glimenakis for Homepolish
One side of the office also features an Eames lounge chair and ottoman upholstered in creamy butterscotch leather. “This is his favorite room,” Joo says of her client’s space. “He loves Eames; they even have a dog named Eames!” The coffee table is from Blu Dot, and the love seat is from 1stdibs. Photo: Nick Glimenakis for Homepolish
In the master bedroom, a curved standing mirror from the Future Perfect lends a touch of Alice in Wonderland intrigue, as it looks like a door to another room. The built-in bed also features a hidden TV, which comes up like a telescope at the foot of the bed with the push of a button. Photo: Nick Glimenakis for Homepolish
The opposite side of the master bedroom features a pair of vintage chairs and ottomans from eBay also covered in delicious Pierre Frey Teddy mohair. The art on the wall is by Hiro Yokose. Photo: Nick Glimenakis for Homepolish
The master bath, designed by Raad Studio, pulls out all the stops with double sinks and a massive tub and shower room. The shower head is from Dornbracht. “We had to make something he could grow into,” Ramsey says of the expanded-space design. “He’s getting to the age where he is starting to settle down.” Photo: Nick Glimenakis for Homepolish
A Bachelor Pad Gets Ready for the Future