When FREDERIC Senior Design Editor Hudson Moore first saw this 1910 brownstone apartment in Harlem, he fell hard for its 13-foot-high ceilings, beautiful paneled wood wainscoting, hardwood floors with inlaid borders, and crown moldings. So charmed was he by its incredible architectural detail that he decided he could live with its lack of closets (he uses a large armoire instead) and compact 16′ x 16′ confines. (Moore is a veteran of small-space living—see the amazing transformation of his previous studio apartment.)
Instead of trying to hide the bed or make it do double duty as a sofa, Moore embraced the architectural lines of the airy metal canopy bed his uncle made in art school, placing it front and center in the room to define the sleeping space. “Everything is pared back and simplified,” he says of the room, including the seating area’s streamlined sofa and slipper chairs. “This is my bedroom, my resource library, my closet, it’s all the things wrapped up in one.”
The iron canopy bed in the center of the apartment was made by Moore’s uncle in art school. The armoire on the left holds all his clothes, and the bookshelves on the right serve as his design library.
“It sounds counterintuitive, but I think larger scale furniture really works in a small space,” says Moore. “My rule of thumb is to keep your big furniture big and just have less of it.” His other guiding principle? Don’t worry about design trends. “Live in a space you feel comfortable in and enjoy the things that you absolutely love.”
Moore takes a breather on his vintage Hickory Chair sofa.
