Apartment of an Art Colletor

This spacious two-bedroom apartment originally had four bedrooms. Istomin proposed a new layout with a grand living room and an enlarged primary bedroom suite with a lavish dressing room and separate study. Rich colors combined with luxurious textures and bold patterns create a fun, jazzy atmosphere.

A painting by Victor Vasarely became the starting point for the bold geometry in the long gallery-like entrance hall that also acts as a library.

A state-of-the-art kitchen opens onto the large living room. For the curtains, Istomin combined two shades of Lurex sari fabric in large horizontal stripes to give the room a sense of scale. He kept the frayed edges of the fabrics unfinished to endow the curtains with a couture touch. The pelmets and kitchen counter backsplash are covered with metallic embossed leather.

The dining banquette and “head-to-toe” upholstered armchairs create an additional seating area to watch TV. An artwork by David Hockney is flanked by a pair of custom sconces from Lobmeyr. 

The kitchen island is decorated with multicolored veneer in horizontal bands to echo the stripes of the curtains. Plates by Jeff Koons are displayed in the niches.

In the study, the cane-wrapped double desk and armchairs are bespoke. The backs of the armchairs have been decorated with soutache-embroidered panels inspired by Matisse graphics. The asymmetrically placed wood veneer on the cabinet doors adds a dynamic touch to the room. 

The chests of drawers on either side of the sofa are clad in straw marquetry, while the ceiling is covered with a light-wood veneer and gold leaf wallpaper. The woven black leather rug is custom. Istomin lined the window frames with glass shelves on which plants are displayed to mask the views outside.

The primary bedroom’s neutral tones provide an escape from city life. A light gray cashmere fabric was used for the walls and curtains to create a “jewel box” effect. The hemispherical blown-glass sconces are by Cristina Vezzini and Stan Chen. The nightstands are in a custom mother-of-pearl lacquer finish.

An artwork by Tom Wesselmann is the focal point of the spacious primary bathroom.

An artwork by Joan Miró has pride of place in the hallway leading to the study. A metallic-thread sisal runner complements the gold brushstrokes of the wallpaper. 

The walls and Roman shades in the primary dressing room are in natural linen. The ceiling light and top of the walls are outlined with black braid as a homage to David Hicks. The gold acrylic brushstrokes on the Roman shades were hand-painted, while the vanity chair is covered with a fabric from Hermès. The orange edges of the picture frames in the client’s dressing room were inspired by the same firm’s iconic boxes. 

The colorful graffiti print on the Roman shades determined the overall palette of the daughter’s bedroom. For the curtains, Istomin created an ombre by using velvets in shades of pink and peach. The multicolored-glass, 1980s-style chandelier is custom. 

A pair of glass globe table lamps from the client’s previous apartment inspired the curved geometry of the furniture design in the room—the bespoke nightstands have arched bases and the upholstered sides of the canopy bed have rounded padding. An artwork by Alexander Calder has been placed in a mirrored frame and the lumbar pillow is made from a Mexican folk art tapestry.

Istomin designed a large cabinet with sliding doors to conceal the TV. The open bookshelves on either side have fun triangular-shaped dividers. The Dalmatian-like print on the desk adds a playful touch to the room. The purple ceramic table lamp is by Christopher Spitzmiller. 

The oval mirror above the vanity table is covered with blush velvet. The curved geometry of the room continues with the ball-shaped legs of the vanity, a pair of double-sphere sconces and the oversized round handles on the TV cabinet.