This Vogue Alum's Manhattan Loft Is Beach-House-Level Breezy

Sean Santiago
Updated

I step into Meredith Melling’s NoHo loft as she’s striking a pose. Her son, Wolf, and youngest daughter, India, are crowded around her feet. “What was the best pose?” she asks the kids. It’s a fitting introduction to a woman who spent the better part of her editorial career at Vogue, over the course of which she became something of a style icon known for mixing a distinctly East Coast sensibility (Melling loves a good nautical moment) with bohemian flair. But when she and husband Zach Iscol found and purchased this home four years ago—a contemporary take on a turn-of-the-century factory that challenged the couple with new proportions but also promised modern ease—Melling was ready to work with a professional.

The couple enlisted interior designer Ariel Ashe, of Ashe + Leandro, a mere two weeks after move-in. Ashe had worked with Iscol informally for 20-plus years as a design and art consultant, and Melling knew her taste would be a great fit for the space. For her part, Ashe has deftly handled the evolving needs of the couple's growing family. “When we first moved in, I had one child, one dog, and I was pregnant,” remembers Melling. Now, the two youngest share a nursery (the more-pragmatic decor of which is admittedly a point of contention) and toys abound, yet the space is quintessential loft living—light and airy, with warmth and color imbued throughout by way of textiles and art. It helped that the apartment had been extensively renovated by the former owner right before the family moved in; the closest the couple came to any renovations was resurfacing the kitchen cabinets. “And we had to add closets,” Melling says with a laugh. “Sixteen years at Vogue, you acquire some stuff.”

Melling with her son, Wolf, and her youngest daughter, India, in the formal living room of her Manhattan loft.
Melling with her son, Wolf, and her youngest daughter, India, in the formal living room of her Manhattan loft.
Photo: Gieves Anderson

Along with a traditional upbringing in Boston and adult years spent in prewar apartments, that stint at the fashion brand certainly informed Melling's tastes. One of her initiatives at Vogue was to incorporate more lifestyle elements into the pages she oversaw, in line with the magazine’s preference for the romantic and feminine. At home, she decorated accordingly. “I brought in all of my furniture from my old apartment and it looked like dollhouse furniture,” she recalls. She enlisted Ashe to do for the space what she had always done for her own wardrobe. “It’s such an investment, so I didn’t have as much confidence [mixing and matching].” The living room alone makes bedfellows of a large seagrass rug, a tufted blue velvet sofa, and gray linen wingback chairs; lacquer and marble make appearances throughout. The sofa is Melling’s favorite purchase —“it’s also become the dog’s favorite thing, unfortunately”—a streamlined iteration of a similar style done in linen (also tufted) from her former home.

Ashe kept the front of the apartment geared toward more formal entertaining, while the relaxed family spaces are in the back. “I drew more from her fashion sense than her previous apartment, as I didn’t think that was really a fit,” says the designer. Accommodating husband Iscol’s tastes has been relatively easy, aside from the constant push for one decorative flourish both women declare non-negotiable. “He would just love to hang a surfboard on a wall somewhere,” says Melling. “And we just keep dodging it,” laughs Ashe.

This Vogue Alum's Manhattan Loft is Beach-House-Level Breezy

Melling remembers the early days of launching her twin businesses, La Marque and La Ligne, with partner Valerie Boster—from home. “We all sat around the dining table every day,” she says. “The dining room became the conference room, the guest bedroom became the fitting room, and now the blue velvet sofa has become the dog bed.”
The home office features a gallery wall with a mix of work from Melling’s friends and colleagues. “It’s more a personal collection than it is a collector’s collection,” she says. “When I was leaving my old space I had a lot of things that weren’t framed, but I wanted to preserve them.” Also encased in glass, just out of view, is her husband’s taxidermy bird (“from his first hunting trip”) which elicits a more muted response. “As a designer, I don’t like fake accessories—so if it’s something that means something to someone then I think it works better,” says Ariel Ashe, who designed the space.
In the family room, muted colors and clean lines subtly nod to Melling’s stripe-centric brand La Ligne. “We’ve talked about doing a [striped] wall somewhere—when we launch La Ligne home,” she says with a laugh.
In the family room, muted colors and clean lines subtly nod to Melling’s stripe-centric brand La Ligne. “We’ve talked about doing a [striped] wall somewhere—when we launch La Ligne home,” she says with a laugh.
“I have a basket problem,” admits Melling, whose home is littered with woven accessories. Ashe found these extra-large handled baskets to corral the kids’ toys.
“I have a basket problem,” admits Melling, whose home is littered with woven accessories. Ashe found these extra-large handled baskets to corral the kids’ toys.
“We looked for a huge piece for the hallway for a long time and then finally just hung the Tuareg rug there,” says Ashe. A chalk wall in the dining nook allows the kids’ creative freedom. “We mostly work with young families, so durability and comfort are always important,” she says. “I think we’ve gotten good at that.”
“We looked for a huge piece for the hallway for a long time and then finally just hung the Tuareg rug there,” says Ashe. A chalk wall in the dining nook allows the kids’ creative freedom. “We mostly work with young families, so durability and comfort are always important,” she says. “I think we’ve gotten good at that.”
In the master bedroom, a neutral color scheme allows the bed to pop in jewel tones. “I used to spend a lot more time trying to cook up a look,” says Melling, whose ample closet space is proof positive of this statement. “But I think simplifying and streamlining is the influence of the kids. To get out the door at 9 AM with all of that, it’s a lot, so you’ve got to simplify other aspects of your life.”
A skylight in the master bathroom allows natural light to flood the otherwise windowless space. “We wanted to find an interesting, exotic feeling here—a lot of succulents work nicely in this space,” says Melling. “We’ve gotten really into cactus here, but we could have more. They’re tall and the kids and dogs stay away from them.”
In the guest bedroom a painting by the artist (and Melling’s florist) Tom Borgese rests atop moody gray walls. “This is always the calm part of the house,” says Melling. Both she and Ashe prefer single-flower arrangements, though a preference for peonies and lilacs has evolved into a fondness of more sculptural florals and botanicals, in keeping with the new home’s aesthetic.
Melling’s magazine and coffee table book collection had to be cut down substantially during the move, despite finally having a library for them all. “[My magazines] were functioning as furniture at a certain point,” she remembers.
Melling’s magazine and coffee table book collection had to be cut down substantially during the move, despite finally having a library for them all. “[My magazines] were functioning as furniture at a certain point,” she remembers.
Iscol uses the rooftop patio space frequently for working, and Melling likes to casually entertain guests there as well. “Friends come over and we’ll order a bunch of Mexican food and bring it up here.”
Iscol uses the rooftop patio space frequently for working, and Melling likes to casually entertain guests there as well. “Friends come over and we’ll order a bunch of Mexican food and bring it up here.”
Melling, seen here with her son, Wolf, and her youngest daughter, India, in the formal living room of her Manhattan loft. “We were looking for stuff that was available because we were doing it fast,” says Ashe of the decorating process, which started four years ago. “We didn’t really have a plan, but we knew where we wanted everything.”