Take a Look Inside Misty Copeland's 'Pretty' but 'Not Precious' Upper West Side Apartment
Architectural Digest
Misty Copeland is giving fans an inside look into her New York City apartment.
In a new profile for Architectural Digest, Copeland, 37, and her husband, lawyer Olu Evans, open up about their dream home in Manhattan's Upper West Side.
The couple, who wed in 2016, purchased the classic three-bedroom loft two years ago, and enlisted the help of L.A.-based AD100 interior designer Brigette Romanek to make the space feel like home. Copeland asked for "relaxed grandeur, not precious, pretty, dreamy," she said in a brief submitted to Romanek.
"There are things we just cannot do on our own, and we realized how necessary it was to have a professional team,” Copeland told Arch Digest. “I did not comprehend how many layers there are to creating a beautiful home that feels organic.”
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Architectural Digest
Evans added that they chose to work with Romanek because they wanted a person of color working on the space."There was a comfort level there, a vernacular. With Brigette we spoke the same cultural language. I enjoyed that connection,” he said.
"I’m always drawn to strong women," Evans added while gesturing towards Copeland.
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This love and admiration between Evans and Copeland is what Romanek said she wanted to make the focal point of the home. "They are a fantastic couple, they make each other better, and they are so hardworking. It had to be functional and full of color and life" she said. "I envision them coming home after an incredible performance, after creating a thing of beauty, and being in the next beautiful thing.”
Both Copeland and Evans "love to entertain," so their favorite space is the open living-dining room, which Romanek outfitted with regal blue velvet sofas and a custom walnut wall cabinet for their TV and personal photos.
Architectural Digest
"Brigette pushed us with color," Evans said. "She calls it her ‘funky’ side."
In the dining area, Romanek brought in a vintage-looking chandelier she found at Circa Lighting, its sparkling light bouncing off a mirrored wall that enlarges the space.
When she moved on to the couple's bedroom, Romanek brought in a lush silk rug that would "feel good under Misty's feet" and upholstered the walls and headboard with a cream suede.
“We started with a box, and now we have a jewelry box,” Romanek said.
However, the most important part of Romanek's job was Copeland's walk-in closet, which was formerly a bedroom. "My dressing room was my number-one priority," said the high-profile ballerina.
Architectural Digest
“I was nervous about that space,” Romanek confessed. “I needed to nail it! Misty has so many events. She needed a place to be alone, to get dressed. Working with California Closets was great. We tried to give her exactly what she needs and what she wants. There is a place for dresses, for shoes, full-length mirrors, a generously sized island, and a spot for glam with good natural light...a lot of thought went into it."
Read the full feature and see more photos in the October issue of Architectural Digest or on archdigest.com.
