This Serial Renovator Has Designed Homes for Anne Hathaway, Jimmy Fallon, and Jessica Lange—See His Own Apartment

From House Beautiful

Kyle O’Donnell is a serial renovator. At age 32, the founder of Gramercy Design—who has fashioned homes for Anne Hathaway, Jimmy Fallon, and Jessica Lange—has already owned (and remade) three abodes of his own. “I like to experiment with materials and design ideas that I haven’t had the chance to use in client projects,” he says. He was drawn to his most recent residence, a 900-square foot one-bedroom in Manhattan’s West Village, for its provenance and good bones. “It’s a Bing and Bing building,” O’Donnell explains, referring to real estate developers revered for creating well-proportioned apartments in Art Deco buildings.

Before

The unit lacked salvageable original elements save for a roomy cast-iron bathtub, so O’Donnell incorporated his own Art Deco nods. Subtle period-inspired details include stepped crown moldings, open shelves with curved corners, doors with angled panels, and grills with cut-outs reminiscent of the Chrysler Building’s crown. Although the new limestone mantel is based on a Baroque design, its undulating façade fits right it.

O’Donnell extended the height of the doorways to combat the effect of the less than sky-high ceilings. Then, just for fun, he painted the doors blue. A Venetian plaster finish on the walls helps reflect light, which is less than abundant since the apartment faces the back. When asked about the challenges of designing for himself, the architect admits “There’s added pressure from people’s expectations.” Safe to say he's more than met them here.

Living Room

Located in the heart of downtown, O’Donnell's place is bound be a post-dinner destination once the pandemic passes. As such, ample seating is key. He built the scheme around a Dmitry & Co sofa (a floor model acquired on sale), then added vintage pieces with mid-century modern and industrial flavor. There’s a low-slung leather lounge that’s a favorite place to read, along with a pair of chairs with skinny metal frames that echo the end tables and the lamps that he picked up at vintage shops in Los Angeles.

Rather than a traditional coffee table that would inevitably collect clutter, O’Donnell commissioned Brooklyn-based artisan Mark Jupiter to make a dozen wood blocks at staggered heights. “They’re made from solid tree trunks and dipped in resin to fill the cracks,” O’Donnell says. “People can pull a block up to the fire, place a drink on one, or I can push a couple together to put my feet up.” He loves that the arrangement never looks the same.

O’Donnell has an eye for art. A playful watercolor by Cuban-born painter Lourdes Sanchez provides color over the sofa while a solid black etching by Richard Serra hangs over the fireplace. “I love Richard Serra’s work, but there’s clearly not enough space for one of his Corten steel sculptures,” he jokes. A sensual stoneware sculpture on a custom brushed aluminum pedestal stands solo in a niche that others might be tempted to fill with shelves.

Wall color: Farrow & Ball Wimborne White. Trim color: Farrow & Ball Manor House Gray. Art over fireplace: Richard Serra, Ballast II, 2011. Art over sofa: Lourdes Sanchez, Multidots #3 from Sears-Peyton Gallery. Chairs: vintage Oase chairs by Wim Rietveld for Ahrend de Cirkel from 1stDibs. Fireplace mantel: Jamb. Lamps: Vintage from Rewire. Lounge chair: Vintage PK 31 chair by Poul Kjaerholm for E. Kold Christensen from 1stDibs. Rug: RH. Sconce: Vintage Poul Henningsen for Louis Poulson from Dienst + Dotter. Sculpture: Alicja Podgorska Birkner, Sculpture No. 5 from Studio Twenty Seven. Side tables: Big Daddy’s Home & Garden Sofa: Texel sofa by Dmitry & Co. with Camden upholstery by Kerry Joyce Textiles. Window seat upholstery: Mondra by Zak & Fox.

Bedroom

A similar sensibility prevails in the bedroom—albeit a touch quieter. “I’m always on the go, so I wanted a soothing space where I can relax,” O’Donnell says. A heathered wool wallcovering with stitch-like stripes wraps the room, making it feel warm and cozy. The textured merino wool Makrosha rug reinforces the bold blue doors and the curvilinear white wall sculpture and Isamu Noguchi’s ethereal paper lanterns soften the linear wood furnishings. “They keep things Zen,” O’Donnell says.

Door paint: Farrow & Ball Stiffkey Blue. Art: Andrew Zimmerman Artic White from Sears-Peyton Gallery. Bed: Capo bed by De La Espada from The Future Perfect. Dresser: Vintage Jack Cartwright dresser from 1stDibs. Lamps: Akari Model 1A lights by Isamu Noguchi. Nightstands: Harlosh by Pinch from The Future Perfect. Rug: Reflection B by Makrosha. Wallcovering: Cozy Nestle by David Rockwell for Maya Romanoff

Kitchen

“I haven’t cooked in five years,” O’Donnell confesses. Nevertheless, the galley kitchen is a jewel. Silvery blue paint in a semi-gloss finish bounces light around the narrow space. Custom cabinetry stretches to the ceiling to meet plaster crown moldings which O’Donnell finds are more forgiving than wood in terms of cracking. His favorite part is the built-in Miele coffee maker. “I use it all day, every day,” he says.

Cabinet and wall color: Benjamin Moore Silver Lining. Stone: White Fantasy quartzite from New York Stone. Faucet: Waterworks

Bathroom

Upon spotting this dramatic Italian marble at a stone yard with a client, he asked them to set it aside. “I had yet to convince a client to do stone slabs on the wall and really wanted to try it,” he says. Pared down fixtures in polished nickel add shine but keeps the focus on the artful veining.

Faucet: Waterworks polished nickel. Medicine chest: RH. Sconce: Apparatus. Stone: New York Stone

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