USA Houzz: Global Style for an NYC Bachelor Pad
A bistro-style coffee bar, Indian rugs and knick-knacks from around the world bring global style to a New York apartment
Sometimes homeowners can be very specific about what they want their home to look like, offering their designers suggestions on colours, materials and furniture. But what designer Peti Lau had to work with when decorating this New York City one-bedroom apartment was a bit vaguer. She knew that the owner of the property – a bachelor from Bangalore, India, who works in finance – loves to travel, drink coffee and collect vintage things. That was it.
Lau took this knowledge and ran with it. She pulled together the homeowner’s tchotchkes and rugs gathered from trips to Africa, Morocco and India to give the space a sense of his travels, added a bistro-style coffee bar in the kitchen to appeal to his caffeine affection, and incorporated things like old rotary telephones to play up his love of vintage objects.
Lau took this knowledge and ran with it. She pulled together the homeowner’s tchotchkes and rugs gathered from trips to Africa, Morocco and India to give the space a sense of his travels, added a bistro-style coffee bar in the kitchen to appeal to his caffeine affection, and incorporated things like old rotary telephones to play up his love of vintage objects.
Lau transformed a narrow loft space into a gentlemanly reading lounge and library accessed by a rolling ladder. She used old pipes for the rails and upholstered one of the walls in plaid fabric. The owner of the apartment likes to crawl up there to read and take naps on the weekends.
He already had the white Eames lounge chair and broken-in brown leather sofa.
Lamp: Arco
He already had the white Eames lounge chair and broken-in brown leather sofa.
Lamp: Arco
The library portion of the loft has custom-made bookshelves made of poplar with a walnut stain. Lau wanted the bookcases to line up with the ceiling beams, so she designed three sets of shelves for the spaces between the three beams, and a small storage cabinet on the far left.
Another one of Lau’s big tasks was putting to use many of the owner’s knick-knacks from various trips, such as the hat and camera seen here, which he used during an African safari. “A lot of stuff is very personal, things he’s brought back from travels,” Lau says. “Before, there was no place for them.”
Console table: Worlds Away; TV credenza: AllModern; blue chair: West Elm; ladder: Putnam; industrial light sconces: Shades of Light
Another one of Lau’s big tasks was putting to use many of the owner’s knick-knacks from various trips, such as the hat and camera seen here, which he used during an African safari. “A lot of stuff is very personal, things he’s brought back from travels,” Lau says. “Before, there was no place for them.”
Console table: Worlds Away; TV credenza: AllModern; blue chair: West Elm; ladder: Putnam; industrial light sconces: Shades of Light
A wood slab table with an industrial base and an open-backed slab bench bring in warmer elements. Small-scale pendants keep the views out the big, wide windows clear. The kitchen was existing and already in good shape, so Lau didn’t have to do much to it.
Bleeker Street mini pendants: Sonneman; chairs: West Elm
Bleeker Street mini pendants: Sonneman; chairs: West Elm
As a response to the owner’s love of coffee, and to expand the kitchen a bit, Lau created a bistro-style coffee bar. “It helped make the space more rustic,” she says.
A shelf from West Elm displays alcohol and spices above a splashback made of Moroccan-inspired tiles.
‘Cafe’ marquee sign: Dot & Bo
A shelf from West Elm displays alcohol and spices above a splashback made of Moroccan-inspired tiles.
‘Cafe’ marquee sign: Dot & Bo
Sheepskin rug in ‘taupe’: Auskin; gold leaf and linen bench: Worlds Away
Instead of trying to brighten the windowless bedroom, Lau decided to play up its moodiness by painting it dark blue and adding a grass cloth wall covering in a chevron pattern. “All the other spaces are very bright and open,” Lau says. “We wanted the bedroom dark and cosy.”
Phillip Jeffries grass cloth wall covering in ‘Chevron Chic’: Dante; leather bedside table: Made Goods; lamps: West Elm (discontinued)
Phillip Jeffries grass cloth wall covering in ‘Chevron Chic’: Dante; leather bedside table: Made Goods; lamps: West Elm (discontinued)
Who lives here: A bachelor in the finance industry
Location: New York City, USA
Size: 167.2 square metres; 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
A big task for Lau was adding warmth to the high-ceilinged, open-plan space and figuring out how to delineate various zones while still having them feel connected. Incorporating the homeowner’s rugs bought in India helped solved both dilemmas.
Lau bought the vintage coffee table at an antiques store frequented by set designers in the city. “It’s got that rustic black-and-metal look that I like to use for men,” she says. “It kept things airy and light but still has that feeling of masculinity. It’s old-world but not necessarily a kitschy piece.”
Vintage Nautical Link table with custom glass top: Olde Good Things