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Houzz Tour: Warmth Infuses a Greenwich Village Home
Plenty of wood and collected furniture pieces give a New York food stylist's apartment a comfortable, caring feel
Walking into Dora Jonassen's apartment used to be like stepping into a time machine. The 800-square-foot space is nestled onto the top floor of a landmark 1910 building in New York's Greenwich Village. Jonassen, an accomplished food stylist from Denmark, had been living in the apartment for more than a decade and hadn't made a single change to the space. Like so many Scandinavians, Jonassen had a great eye for design. But like so many creative people, her life had become a little cluttered. Peeling wallpaper, cluttered living spaces and outdated appliances took away from the home's potential charm.
Jessica Shaw of moment design + productions worked closely with Jonassen to hone down, declutter and update the space, taking full advantage of her beautiful collected furniture and the apartment's southern exposure to create a warm and comfortable interior.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Dora Jonassen
Size: 800 square feet; 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
Location: New York City
Jessica Shaw of moment design + productions worked closely with Jonassen to hone down, declutter and update the space, taking full advantage of her beautiful collected furniture and the apartment's southern exposure to create a warm and comfortable interior.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Dora Jonassen
Size: 800 square feet; 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
Location: New York City
When Shaw first started working on the renovation, she found artwork, accessories and tchotchkes piled along the walls, and "the original wallpaper in the foyer and bathroom was literally peeling off," she says.
The house was stripped down to a simple structure with warm white walls and the original wood floors. Shaw wanted to keep Jonassen's beautiful pieces on display, but she also wanted them to feel curated rather than cluttered. Custom shelving and a modern wall unit from Future Perfect provide the perfect display case.
The house was stripped down to a simple structure with warm white walls and the original wood floors. Shaw wanted to keep Jonassen's beautiful pieces on display, but she also wanted them to feel curated rather than cluttered. Custom shelving and a modern wall unit from Future Perfect provide the perfect display case.
Jonassen's pieces provided the original framework for the design, but Shaw brought in a sense of modernity through paint colors, finishes and new furniture. "The eclectic mix provided a creative starting point and made this a project that was equally about editing as it was about adding to," says Shaw.
A professional-grade kitchen was one of Jonassen's must-haves, so a custom Viking Range (in a beautiful sage green) and a Sub-Zero refrigerator (clad in bamboo panels for cohesiveness) were installed. Inexpensive lighting and fixtures helped balance out the budget.
Backsplash: Glacier Tile, Stone Source; countertops: limestone, Artistic Tile; pendant lights: Ikea; faucet: Luna, KWC; dishwasher: Bosch
Backsplash: Glacier Tile, Stone Source; countertops: limestone, Artistic Tile; pendant lights: Ikea; faucet: Luna, KWC; dishwasher: Bosch
"I like to say that we ended up with a big kitchen in a small space — it just feels comfortable," Jonassen says about her new favorite room.
| A mix of old and new items creates a comfortable and warm feel in the living room. An antique dining room table and a mishmash of chairs are the result of years of collecting. "The living room has the most amazing glow and so many 'Dora' things around to look at and enjoy," says Shaw. "This room reflects her personality in a wonderful way." Couch: ABC Carpet & Home; coffee table: Twist, Philadelphia |
"Jessica was able to help me let go of things and objects, and gently suggested what could stay," says Jonassen. "She has an amazing sense of color and space, so what we ended up with was an apartment that feels very serene and very much like a home where one wants to spend time."
The color palette for the home evolved over the course of the project. Shaw was working with a mostly existing collection of folk art furniture and midcentury pieces, so she carefully chose accents and materials to blend with what was already in the home.
The top shelf in this display on the far living room wall was custom made by the contractor, R. Frost Design Build, to match the kitchen shelves. Inexpensive paper lanterns installed in the hallways create a soft, ambient evening light.
Jonassen's bedroom furniture is exclusively folk art antique finds, including the gorgeous quilt. Bare white walls take advantage of the natural light and emphasize the furniture's elegant lines.
A home office system, which was custom designed by Shaw, runs along the length of the bedroom wall. Extra storage was integrated below the desk.
Since there's no second bedroom, Jonassen chose to have a workspace in her bedroom rather than in the main living area.
Desk: custom; built-in shelving: custom by R. Frost Design Build
Since there's no second bedroom, Jonassen chose to have a workspace in her bedroom rather than in the main living area.
Desk: custom; built-in shelving: custom by R. Frost Design Build
A simple bathroom renovation stays in line with the home's new clean and classic lines.
"Because she had lived here for a considerable amount of time, her lifestyle and her home style were a reflection of the neighborhood," says Shaw. "She loved the neighborhood 15 years ago when she first purchased the apartment, and she still loves it today."
Flooring: Darling Grey, Nemo; sink: Bates & Bates; countertop: limestone; vanity: Waterworks; backsplash: Crackle White, Nemo
Photography by Costas Picadas
"Because she had lived here for a considerable amount of time, her lifestyle and her home style were a reflection of the neighborhood," says Shaw. "She loved the neighborhood 15 years ago when she first purchased the apartment, and she still loves it today."
Flooring: Darling Grey, Nemo; sink: Bates & Bates; countertop: limestone; vanity: Waterworks; backsplash: Crackle White, Nemo
Photography by Costas Picadas
Comments
Artisanaworks I am impressed with the "clean-lines" solutions in display and housing of Dora's treasures. The long suspended shelf and cabinet in the living room are scaled beautifully for the room dimensions, and wood tone is perfect with flooring and Dora's furniture. The off white walls are a good choice as a backdrop to allow all the warm, colorful collected items and folk furniture to shine. Moment Design +'s creation of a horizontal breather of white wall between top shelf and cabinet, and between cabinet and floor, is genius, for it provides an open, light venue with lots of surface for display, and keeps that wall from becoming too heavy and massive. I am reminded of words by architect (Living Homes) Ray Kappe: "Creativity comes out of solving the problem in an intelligent way."
9 months ago · Like
marcie31 It's great except for the bathroom - I can see many bruises from reaching around that sharp limestone vanity corner to get to the tub faucets. Awkward! A simple round pedestal sink would make more sense.
9 months ago · Like
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Anna Rhees Love it! It would have been fun to see the "before" pics.
9 months ago · Like
Ideabook published on Aug. 21, 2012.
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