Kim Kardashian's Makeup Artist Mario Dedivanovic Has the Chicest NYC Bachelor Pad

Jennifer Fernandez
Updated

As makeup artist to the stars, Mario Dedivanovic spends most of his time crisscrossing the globe. One week he’s in Dubai leading a master class (his often sold-out international series of maquillage tutorials); the next week, he’s contouring Kim Kardashian for a photo shoot in Manhattan; and the next he’s in Los Angeles, primping Naomi Harris for an appearance at the Golden Globes. It’s enough to turn anyone into a homebody during off hours. Luckily, when Dedivanovic’s plane touches down again in New York, he has a plush landing spot, a 1,700-square-foot penthouse on the Upper East Side that he calls “a refuge from the chaos of the city and my life." He adds, "It's like my personal little chic cocoon."

But it wasn’t always so. When Bronx-born Dedivanovic purchased the two-bedroom, two-bath apartment, which is housed in a former convent, the space was typical of most New York City condos. “It was super-clean, bright, and modern, so I needed to make it feel personal and customize a few things to my liking,” he says. Enter interior designer Ryan Korban, who was introduced by celebrity florist Jeff Leatham and found a kindred spirit in his new client. “There were so many similarities between us,” says Korban. “He’s an artist and very creative, and his aesthetic is in line with what I do. That’s the best situation. In a way, I felt like I was doing my own home.”

“I wanted the master closet to be completely custom without having the look of the typical custom closet company,” says Dedivanovic.
“I wanted the master closet to be completely custom without having the look of the typical custom closet company,” says Dedivanovic.
Photo: Fran Parente

Korban began the renovation process by reinventing the traditional interpretation of a modern condo apartment, a concept he’s also rolling out at 40 Bleecker, a 61-unit condo building he’s currently designing downtown. “I wanted to channel the new generation’s interest in design and relationship to luxury as something that’s meant to be used and not put away on a shelf,” says Korban. “Mario is so young and successful, and he has such a lifestyle. I wanted it to feel aspirational and a little frivolous—things don’t always have to be so practical.”

For Korban, that meant warming up the space with rich textiles like leather and velvet, adopting his signature gray color palette, and cladding all of the walls in opulent fabrics, from silk grass cloth to suede. (It also meant knocking down a wall between the two bedrooms to create a spacious master suite with a walk-in closet, a dressing area, and an office space.) Yet the interiors also pay respect to the glamour of the past. “A lot of my inspiration was from the '70s—think Angelo Donghia and Halston,” says Dedivanovic. “I love the elements of masculinity, richness, warmth, and glam, and I wanted the place to feel low and sexy.” Adds Korban, “We both came from a '70s point of view, but I tend to gravitate toward the '20s and found a nice balance, with more bronze than brass and custom pieces that feel more Jean-Michel Frank.”

The rock-crystal lamp, sourced from Phoenix Gallery in New York, serves as a counterpoint to the living room’s warmer decor items, adding hard luster to a space that’s layered with plush elements.
The rock-crystal lamp, sourced from Phoenix Gallery in New York, serves as a counterpoint to the living room’s warmer decor items, adding hard luster to a space that’s layered with plush elements.
Photo: Fran Parente

In fact, many of the rugs, lighting, and furnishings are custom creations commissioned by Korban, an approach that admittedly drove Dedivanovic a little crazy. “I’m so impatient—the lead times were a challenge,” he says. The low profiles of the sofas and chairs underscore the unbuttoned 1970s aesthetic, but they also betray a hidden note of sensibility. “Nothing feels too precious,” says Korban. “You can have people over and go from the sofa to the floor and be comfortable.” To lend a sense of age, vintage pieces, including a statement-making marble bust on the dining table, sourced from 1stdibs, were incorporated throughout.

The result is a modern bachelor pad that feels fresh and not overly decorated, where Dedivanovic can host low-key dinner parties for friends and family on one of two gut-renovated outdoor spaces or simply enjoy a quiet sunrise, coffee in hand. “I love coming home and relaxing, and I love waking up here,” he says. “I feel so comfortable, cozy, and inspired when I'm home.” And no doubt recharged for the many travels ahead of him.

Kim Kardashian's Makeup Artist Mario Dedivanovic Has the Chicest New York Bachelor Pad

Jet-setting celebrity makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic teamed up with interior designer Ryan Korban to infuse his ultramodern Manhattan penthouse with warmth and personality. They began by knocking down the wall separating two bedrooms to create a sprawling master suite complete with a dressing room and a walk-in closet.
Jet-setting celebrity makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic teamed up with interior designer Ryan Korban to infuse his ultramodern Manhattan penthouse with warmth and personality. They began by knocking down the wall separating two bedrooms to create a sprawling master suite complete with a dressing room and a walk-in closet.
“I wanted the master closet to be completely custom without having the look of the typical custom closet company,” says Dedivanovic. He worked with Korban to commission the cerused oak and oil-rubbed bronze built-in that dominates one wall, as well as an accompanying dresser and desk. The suede walls continue here, creating continuity with the bedroom. The ottoman is upholstered in J. Robert Scott fabric, and the overhead lighting is from Vaughan Designs.
A discreet desk area in the dressing room is topped with vintage Pierre Chareau lamps and created by Edition Modern in Los Angeles.
A discreet desk area in the dressing room is topped with vintage Pierre Chareau lamps and created by Edition Modern in Los Angeles.
“It's probably my favorite room in the place,” says Dedivanovic of the master bedroom. “It feels very rich and warm and reminds me of being in a great hotel—but even better because it's so personal to me, and my own.” Korban warmed up the modern lines of a B&B Italia bed with an oxidized mirror by Michael Dawkins Home, a fur throw from Area ID, and walls upholstered in J. Robert Scott suede. Sconces by Apparatus Studio hover above custom end tables, and commissioned X-base stools inspired by Jean-Michel Frank are also covered in J. Robert Scott fabric.
To create a glam moment that doesn’t upstage the bedroom’s coziness, Korban upholstered a vintage chair from Flair in New York with deconstructed Dedar fabric. An Apparatus Studio sconce doubles as artwork above a task lamp from Vaughan Designs and a side table by Liaigre.
To create a glam moment that doesn’t upstage the bedroom’s coziness, Korban upholstered a vintage chair from Flair in New York with deconstructed Dedar fabric. An Apparatus Studio sconce doubles as artwork above a task lamp from Vaughan Designs and a side table by Liaigre.
Art photography from Michael Dawkins Home provides contemporary contrast to tactile silk-grass cloth walls by Stark in a hallway.
Art photography from Michael Dawkins Home provides contemporary contrast to tactile silk-grass cloth walls by Stark in a hallway.
Korban designed the custom sofa, which joins a cocktail table by Holly Hunt, with an eye toward low-lying 1970s styles. “A lot of my inspiration was from the '70s—think Angelo Donghia and Halston,” says Dedivanovic. “I wanted the place to feel low and sexy.”
Korban designed the custom sofa, which joins a cocktail table by Holly Hunt, with an eye toward low-lying 1970s styles. “A lot of my inspiration was from the '70s—think Angelo Donghia and Halston,” says Dedivanovic. “I wanted the place to feel low and sexy.”
“It’s important that my rooms feel fresh and not overly decorated,” says Korban. In the dining room, he combined old and new, pairing an elegant bench and chairs by Liaigre with an industrial glass-top table by Thomas Pheasant. Completing the vignette is a marble bust sourced from 1stdibs.
“It’s important that my rooms feel fresh and not overly decorated,” says Korban. In the dining room, he combined old and new, pairing an elegant bench and chairs by Liaigre with an industrial glass-top table by Thomas Pheasant. Completing the vignette is a marble bust sourced from 1stdibs.
“I’m very afraid of heights, so the outdoor space had to feel safe and secure,” says Dedivanovic. To accomplish this, he and Korban enlisted Brook Landscaping to overhaul the rooftop terrace. The team replaced the wood deck and added black fencing and boxwood hedges for a clean, contemporary look. The table and chair are by RH, and the bench is custom. “Every morning during spring and summer, I spend about an hour up there and watch the sunrise while having coffee and working on emails and social media,” Dedivanovic says. “It's very private and peaceful.”