Feminine Fervor

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A generous dose of funky flair starts in the living room with a timeless, yet playful space with a wink of whimsy. A crisp black-and-white theme with brass accents lays a classic foundation, while lighthearted details provide a dash of spice: the zebra head perched above an antique carved-wood mirror, a hoofed side table and a brass hand that appears to reach out from a rock-shaped cocktail table.
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“It’s a total mix of old and new,” states Howe. An Italian chandelier from Harbingers in Los Angeles soars regally above a marbled Kelly Wearstler dining table flanked by mod Lucite chairs custommade by Charles Hollis Jones. The table leads way into the kitchen – a slick black lacquer and matte granite affair that initially presented a challenge with a low ceiling and no windows. “It seemed strange to paint it black, but it created this glamorous feel to it,” describes Dixon. An immovable structural column was dressed up with mirrored tiles to reflect light, turning it into a key feature. Antiqued gold fixtures add Midas’ luxe touch to the dramatic black kitchen.

nohoWith a zebra head overlooking the living room and a table or cavorting on hooves, it’s clear that this exuberant Bond Street Loft doesn’t take itself too seriously – and neither does its owner.

“The client wanted something fun,” notes architect James Dixon, who undertook the apartment’s transformation in collaboration with designer duo Caroline Cummings Rafferty and Georgia Tapert Howe of Carolina George Interiors. Having recently traded in her townhouse for the downtown digs, the owner sought a space that would speak to her vivacious character and sense of adventure.

Once a manufacturing lot, the apartment was awkward and aesthetically challenged. “It was a strange space; many rooms didn’t have windows, and we were limited in what we could do,” Dixon shares, referring to the historic building’s status as a National Register Landmark. “We tried to lighten up the space as much as we could.”

With “considerable jumping through hoops” required for approval, Dixon’s team relocated the entrance door from its position at the back of the apartment, where residents and guests had to walk through a long, dark hallway to reach the front, and reopened a skylight in the living room that had been covered over years ago, instantly flooding the high-ceilinged space with light. Furthermore, the previously “heavy and grungy” balcony den above the kitchen was brightened up with a sleek glass railing and contemporary staircase. “Something as simple as that completely changed the apartment and how the whole place felt,” the designer notes.

Once the structural changes were underway, Rafferty and Howe took over. “Oftentimes when you have a decorator and an architect on the same job, there can be a bit of conflict, but these people are pros,” remarks Dixon on working with Carolina George. “They really understood the work we do and didn’t step on our toes.”

Photography by Carolina George Interiors

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