Tour an Apartment Inspired by Diana Vreeland’s “Garden in Hell”
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Before you even set foot inside this home in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, you are engulfed in pattern. In a landing, just outside the front door, you are surrounded by a fantasia of flowers, courtesy of a madcap Gucci wallpaper. It’s just a small hint of what’s beyond: life-size white herons in the gallery hallway; cherry-red lips in a powder room; an all-over floral inspired by Diana Vreeland’s “Garden in Hell” in the primary bedroom.
“My mother was a colorful person, and my coming of age was in the 1970s,” says the homeowner, a native New Yorker and the director for access, programs, and initiatives at a New York City art museum. “I think I’ve always been a maximalist.”
Until last year, however, her apartment was largely brown. Though she and her family have lived in this three-bedroom in a landmarked 1929 building for more than 20 years, the birth of their third child and the imminent departure of their college-bound son prompted a renovation that had been a long time coming. For one thing, the homeowners needed to reconfigure their bedrooms and bathrooms, and the opportunity to simultaneously upgrade the HVAC system, insulate the original steel windows, and rework the kitchen as the heart of the home was too appealing to pass up.
Entry
The apartment’s dramatic entry offers a clue of all the fun to come. The ribbon sconce is vintage, as is the chair, upholstered in jacquard fabric by Dedar. The floor tiles are Carrara marble, and the black lacquer is by Fine Paints of Europe.
Entry Hall
A riotous pink wallpaper by Gucci envelops the entrance gallery. The designers covered the floors in a leopard-print rug by Tai Ping and accessorized a vintage console table with a Murano table lamp from Stair Galleries. The vintage faux-bamboo side chair cushion is in a fabric by Helena Blanche via Temple Studio.
Entry Hall
A miniature office nook is tucked into the entry hall. The leopard-print rug is by Tai Ping.
Kitchen
The pink theme continues into the kitchen. The countertop is in Calacatta Vagli marble by New York Stone.
Kitchen
The custom millwork is by Custom Woodwork NYC, while the marble backsplash is by New York Stone. The sconces are by Soane Britain, the pendant is by Rose Uniacke, and the rattan counter stool is from CB2.
Living Room
The maximalist living room features a leopard-print rug and a pair of (you guessed it) pink custom velvet sofas, covered in a Dedar velvet. The cocktail table is by Alton Bechara, and the side table and lamp are vintage.
Loggia
Mint green treillage climbs the walls of this cozy loggia. The floor tiles are of Nero Marquina and Bianco Carrara marble. The table is custom by Alton Bechara, and the dining chairs are vintage with cushion upholstery by Helene Blanch via Temple Studio. The lattice wall is painted in Folly Green by Farrow & Ball, while the wall color is Cucumber by Benjamin Moore.
Powder Room
The lips wallpaper is by Aux Abris, the sink is by Devon & Devon, and the faucet is by Barber Wilsons & Co. The mirror is vintage.
Lounge
This slinky television lounge was made ruby all over by Farrow & Ball’s Rectory Red paint, a rust-colored Breccia Arrabida custom mantel, and a bespoke sectional sofa bed in a plush raspberry chenille velvet by Pierre Frey. A vintage ceramic dog sits near a claret mohair rug by the Rug Company. The artwork is by Nick Fyhrie.
Lounge
The throw pillows are in a fabric by Dedar, and the lamp is vintage.
Lounge
The fireplace insert is by Real Fyre, the vintage gaming table has a custom top made from a Dedar fabric wrapped in vinyl, and the faux-bamboo folding chair is vintage.
Primary Bedroom
In the primary bedroom, the designers selected an allover floral wallpaper by Artemis inspired by Diana Vreeland’s “Garden in Hell” apartment. The custom bed sits atop a pink rug from the Rug Company. The chest and bedside lamp are vintage.
Primary Bathroom
The custom vanity countertop is in a Paonazzo Rosso marble by New York Stone. The sink is by Villeroy & Boch, the fittings are by Nanz, and the hardware is by Whitechapel.
At the recommendation of neighbors, they contacted Daniel Frisch Architecture in 2021 to overhaul the space, down to its studs. They then commissioned design firm Alton Bechara—a partnership born in 2019 between Spencer Alton and Alex Bechara, formerly designers at Billy Cotton’s studio—to make its interiors reflect the pattern-loving personality of its arty occupants.
“In any good prewar building, there are not enough closets, the bathrooms are too small, and the kitchens are closed off,” explains architect Kate Jiranek of the Daniel Frisch team, which has renovated several other units in the storied building. “The family wanted to open up the flow of the apartment but maintain its historic character, to make it feel like it could have been an original layout.” Plain-sawn white-oak herringbone floors, plaster moldings, and unlacquered brass hardware throughout add period detailing.
Contrary to their original thoughts, the family decided not to convert their formal living room into a fourth bedroom, as it had been used since the baby’s birth. Their son had flown the nest, and they wanted to prioritize casual places to gather when he came to visit. Bechara had designed the family’s Sagaponack, New York, beach house a few years prior and was familiar with their comfort-first way of living. For this apartment, the homeowner had just one initial request: “I told them that I really like pink.”
But it had to be the right one. Three design iterations later, there was enough of the hue to satisfy her. “We didn’t settle for anything that I think is less than spectacular,” she says, noting the myriad wallpaper samples she reviewed with her decorators in the process.
Today, the generously sized room off the black-lacquered foyer is a slinky television lounge made ruby all over by Farrow & Ball’s Rectory Red paint, a rust-colored Breccia Arrabida custom mantel, and a bespoke sectional sofa bed in a plush raspberry chenille velvet by Pierre Frey. The new kitchen—where rattan barstools with lavender leather cushions sidle up to a Calacatta Vagli marble and silvered bronze island—seamlessly extends into a maximalist living room with a leopard-print rug and a pair of (you guessed it) pink velvet sofas. It’s got a large empty wall, still waiting for just the right artwork.
One of the few rooms that didn’t get doused in pink is an intimate corner loggia, where one can take in views of an adjacent church and a tree-lined stretch of Fifth Avenue. Now, mint green treillage climbs its walls, and the small breakfast table with a built-in bench and mismatched chairs is a favorite spot for frequent family Rummikub games.
“The homeowner spoke about furniture pieces her mom had very lovingly and with nostalgia,” Alton says. “We wanted to make a space for her children to feel the same way in 30 years: warm and sentimental.”
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