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IN HER NEW BOOK, A MOOD, A THOUGHT, A FEELING: INTERIORS, DESIGNER YOUNG HUH TAKES readers INSIDE HER DESIGN PROCESS, AS ILLUSTRATED BY FOUR DIFFERENT HOMES, INCLUDING HER OWN. IN THIS EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT, SHE SHARES THE STORY BEHIND A MANHATTAN APARTMENT WHERE EVERY DETAIL WAS CAREFULLY CRAFTED AND COMPOSED TO CREATE AN EXQUISITE ENVIRONMENT OF TRANQUILITY AND A HOME FOR A TOP-NOTCH ART COLLECTION.
The prior owner of this Park Avenue residence was famous for his penchant for purchasing real estate to house his extensive collection of modern art. Though the building was beautiful, the apartment had been an uninteresting white box, more of a simple gallery space than an inviting, comfortable home. Our clients were drawn to its clean lines, and before they even closed, they were imagining their own art on its walls. When they invited me over, though I appreciated the potential for art installation, I saw a greater potential. If we could make some changes to the architecture, the space could exude élan and verve. A plain, uneven network of hallways could become a glamorous gallery. An unusually low living room ceiling was yearning to be raised, if we could open it up and see what was underneath.
The apartment’s foyer and gallery glow as the light changes throughout the day, aided by gold-leafed de Gournay wallpaper. The hand-painted plum blossom pattern brings an artful sense of serenity.
JACOB SNAVELY
A console in goatskin and bronze serves as a sculptural counterpoint to the painted branches on the walls. The area rug is meant to suggest rippling water.
JACOB SNAVELYIt is essential for designers to understand what originally draws people to a home, but our clients also rely on our vision for elevating a space—beyond what they could imagine.
The husband and wife wanted to keep mostly to creams and golds, and they were drawn to luxe materials and elegant, modern furnishings. To bring architectural interest and a unified, organized flow, we decided to add paneling detail to the gallery walls and a stepped molding in the ceiling. Installing hand-painted plum blossoms on gold leaf paper within the paneling was both quietly elegant and glamorous all at once.
In the hall, the linear pattern of the YHID-designed Marc Phillips rug connects the main spaces of the apartment.
JACOB SNAVELY
In the expansive living/dining space, the art includes a sculpture by Joe Gitterman, a lithograph by Alex Katz, and a painted paper-mâché artwork by Chad Schonten.
JACOB SNAVELYAn unexpected challenge arose when we broke through the living room ceiling and
discovered a vast network of jogging pipes. And even though the apartment was a penthouse, we were not allowed to touch any of them. Since our clients love art, we channeled the painter Mondrian and transformed the ceiling into a pleasing field of cubes and cuboids, of varying heights and widths, which encased those wayward pipes. Underneath what we called the Mondrian ceiling, we created a soft, welcoming contrast with curved sofas upholstered in alpaca. Curvilinear coffee tables with hand cut glass tops, some shimmering and some opaque, brought the clients’ sensual bronze sculptures into rich conversation. The rug echoes the straight lines and angles of the ceiling, which completes the room’s balance of organic and geometric shapes. The cream and gold color scheme may seem quite controlled, but by playing with shapes, scale, texture, and wonderful art, we have suffused the room not just with peacefulness, but with excitement and interest.
Huh devised a clever “Mondrian Ceiling” throughout the living areas in order to raise the ceiling height while camouflaging pipes.
JACOB SNAVELY
Custom sofas by Dune in alpaca upholstery surround nested brass coffee tables with pieced glass tops by Galerie Glustin. Mary Manning collage.
JACOB SNAVELYThe primary bedroom was burdened by two low soffits, one over the only wall suitable for a king bed, and another over the dressing table area. After our trial in the living room, we knew not to try to demo these ceilings. Instead, we covered the soffits with fluted plaster, creating the effect of an extravagantly decorated tray ceiling. To echo the fluting, we upholstered the bed wall entirely in channel tufting, which lent both coziness and a deco elegance. Peaceful, poised, welcoming, and lovely—just like our clients.
“The cream and gold color scheme may seem controlled, but by playing with shapes, scale, texture, and art, we have suffused the room not just with peacefulness, but with excitement and interest.”
Young Huh
The dining space features a Keith Fritz dark walnut table, a Rosie Li gingko blossom chandelier, and artwork by Laura Fayer.
Jacob Snavely
A sitting room off the gallery can convert into a guest space. Artwork by Jasper Johns.
Jacob Snavely
Plaster fluting and channel tufting add glamour and coziness to the primary bedroom. A soft rug by ALT for Living soothes at the end of the day.
Jacob Snavely
Excerpted from A Mood, A Thought, A Feeling: Interiors, by Young Huh, published by Rizzoli.
