This 900-Square-Foot Prewar Apartment Has a Personal Element in Every Room
NICK GLIMENAKIS 2023
Over the past decade, Justin DiPiero has toured countless New York City spaces. His interior design roles at now defunct design startup Homepolish, coworking company WeWork, and short-term rental marketplace Sonder have provided him with access to so many homes and offices that he knew exactly what he wanted when he started his own apartment search in 2021. The moment he walked into his 1939 prewar building in Prospect Heights, he was sold.
“The lobby has a beautiful Art Deco chinoiserie mural,” Justin describes. “That was the first thing that I saw and I was like, Oh my gosh, this is so cool; I want to live in this building. The character of the apartment was still very much intact. It had the original parquet floors and beautiful soft arches. I immediately fell in love with all of those period details.”
Justin purchased the unit right away and has been renovating it ever since. So far, the most heartbreaking change he’s made was swapping the historic floors, which turned out to be damaged underneath, for wide-plank white oak engineered hardwood. The most exciting update was creating a second bedroom (which doubles as an office) by dividing the extra-long living room with a wall and steel-and-glass pocket doors.
Though remodeling the dated kitchen is still on Justin’s to-do list, he has finally reached a level of completion with the project. He’s infused nearly every inch with a calming neutral palette of ivories, camels, and ochres, while incorporating juxtaposing textures (think raw silk with solid walnut) for depth. Most importantly, each space has at least one sentimental feature. “I wanted everything in this apartment to have a personal element,” he says.
The oversized foyer turned dining zone, for example, is outfitted with sculptural wood Maide chairs by Orior, an Irish furniture brand that holds a special place in Justin’s heart. “My college friend is the son of the founders and he’s now the North American CEO,” he shares. “It’s a family company that’s been around for about 40 years. Everything is handmade in their factory in Ireland.”
The two seats are accompanied by a built-in bench with a geometric Zak+Fox cushion, a plinth-like West Elm table, and a Taiwanese paper lantern that Justin has admired for eons. “I have been coveting that pendant for literally 15 years,” he admits. “I saw it while I was still in college studying design. It has this ubiquitous feel, but the terracotta finish with the hand-painted bamboo motif makes it a little bit more unique. It’s been sitting on my Pinterest board for so long.”
In the adjacent living area, a velvet Pottery Barn sleeper sofa (for accommodating overnight guests) mingles with a 1960s Bassett surfboard cocktail table, wiggly bronze Design Frères Méandre accent chairs, and molded glass-and-brass Brasher sconces from Hudson Valley Lighting. But it’s the commissioned painting, with its tawny hue and moody flowers, that steals the show.
“It’s my favorite thing in the world,” raves Justin. “It’s by another one of my friends from school, a fine artist named David Silverstein. I sent him a photo of the pendant in the dining room and some other inspiration images of what I was going for and he was able to draw this out and then paint it at his studio in Connecticut. I think it’s amazing.”
Nearby, the new bedroom-office includes a Serena & Lily Presidio Trundle daybed (to squeeze in more guests), Love House butcher block cubes, a tiny artwork by Justin’s friend Matt Jackson, and a fluted Studio McGee for Threshold cabinet. Most notably, the compact chamber is covered in a beige Helene Blanche wallpaper that evokes Justin’s childhood.
“It gives me a bit of a country vibe,” he describes. “I grew up in a Colonial Williamsburg reproduction house, which was very popular in the ’90s, and this just reminded me of that in some way. It makes this a really cozy, nostalgic space. I like that there is a pattern, but it’s neutral, so when I’m working, I am not distracted by it. It helps me focus and it creates a little cocoon for me to be productive in.”
Justin’s own bedroom feels similarly insulated, with its two-toned green paint job that was inspired by Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment in early episodes of Sex and the City. The pale sage walls and darker moss trim generate an envelope of warmth. Meanwhile, a deep red, floral rug adds a pop of fiery color—and a sentimental touch, of course. “It was in my great-grandmother’s living room in Ohio,” reveals Justin. “It’s vintage from the 1950s. It’s super special to me.” It doesn’t get more personal than that.
Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
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