Tucked between buildings on a typical Upper East Side street, this sliver of a townhouse conceals a glorious interior behind its sober red-brick façade. It belongs to a family living between Australia, Italy and New York. Longtime clients of Australian designer Greg Natale, they asked him to inject some European glamour into their new base. Greg took us on a tour, explaining how, with a mix of vintage pieces and 20th-century design classics, lashings of Italian marble and a maximalist approach to decorating, he created a home as diverse and enriching as the Big Apple itself.
Perhaps more than anywhere else, the living room expresses the clients’ desire for an interior that captures the spirit of their favourite Parisian restaurants. Ironically, they don’t entertain here often – it’s more of a cosy base – but perhaps that’s why it needed to have a ‘going out’ feel. It’s a narrow building and the lounge isn’t big, plus, says Greg (pictured above), ‘New York doesn’t have a lot of light’. He leant into that, adding mirrored walls and large-scale murals that tap into his clients’ love of art. ‘One’s inspired by Matisse, and the Kandinsky wallpaper mural is by Papiers de Paris,’ he says.
Greg made the decision not to use American pieces, describing the furniture as ‘very 1970s’. ‘As a designer, I’m looking at what is happening in Milan and Paris more than anything else at the moment,’ he explains. The ‘Sesann‘ sofa with ottoman and ‘Victoria’ chairs, all by Tacchini, were supplied by Matter. Umberto Riva’s ‘Ada’ lamps for Tacchini sit on vintage burr-wood side tables from 1stDibs. A rug from Nordic Knots covers the ‘Ada’ oak chevron flooring from the ‘Bosco’ collection by Greg Natale for Tongue & Groove. The space is painted in Benjamin Moore’s ‘Magic Potion’. An ‘Iris’ mirror by Concrete Cat hangs over the Verdi Alpi-marble fireplace.
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A destination in its own right, the grand landing on the first floor (below) serves as the central point from which the kitchen, living room and bedrooms radiate. ‘It was about making those areas feel cohesive and linked. They’re working hard to earn their keep,’ says Greg, noting that people particularly enjoy Konstantin Grcic’s purple ‘Odin’ sofa for ClassiCon. It’s paired with a ‘Cassini Rosa’ floor lamp by Merve Kahraman and a leather ‘Scala’ stool by Stéphane Parmentier for Giobagnara (found on 1stDibs). Walls and ceiling are in Benjamin Moore’s ‘Pink Hibiscus’, with Catherine Martin’s ‘Tiger Knot’ rug for Designer Rugs on the floor. A slender Breccia Capraia-marble portal by Mondo Marmo Group marks the threshold of the living room and the staircase is painted in glossy ‘Hodley Red’, also by Benjamin Moore
No one cooks in New York, right? Wrong: ‘They actually do cook,’ says Greg of his clients, ‘but this is not a huge space.’ The kitchen wasn’t moved during the renovation, but was instead opened up to the rest of the floor. Answering a desire for plenty of green, walls and ceiling are painted in ‘Van Alen Green’ by Benjamin Moore, with a Calacatta Viola-marble splashback and kitchen bench, both supplied and installed by Mondo Marmo Group. The American-oak joinery is finished in Benjamin Moore’s ‘Herb Bouquet’ gloss paint with ‘Cabinet Pull No 22’ handles from Mi & Gei. Black accents come from the ‘Crue’ pull-down faucet by Kohler and Apparatus’s ‘Trapeze 4 Surface’ light.
A candy-coloured 1980s Barovier & Toso Murano glass chandelier from 1stDibs presides over the dining table – Dirk van der Kooij’s ‘Meltingpot Ellipse’ – and ‘Giraffe’ chairs by Juliana Lima Vasconcellos, from The Invisible Collection. The painting is by Australian American artist Indivi Sutton, while a bronze-and-peach mirrored wall opposite adds a rosy glow. The only white ceiling in the house is covered in ‘Cloud White’ by Benjamin Moore and finished with striking geometric mouldings.
Enveloped in deep, putty-coloured paint – ‘Southwest Pottery’ by Benjamin Moore – and ‘White Blossom’ wallpaper from Iksel, the main bedroom is a decadent hideaway that more than makes up for in drama what it lacks in square footage. The ‘Neofutur’ headboard by Vincent Darré from The Invisible Collection continues the green theme, as do the ‘Pipistrello’ lamps by Martinelli Luce. Facing the bed is Carl-Gustaf Hiort’s ‘Kolmiojalka/ Triangle’ bench for Ornäs from Gestalt New York in custom striped upholstery. The moon-like orbs of Allied Maker’s ‘Tangent 5’ pendant punctuate the space.
One of three Verdi Alpi-marble-lined portals leads from the main bedroom to the dressing room, where Greg and his team turned what was an awkward studio tacked onto the back of the building into this high-end, boutique-like space at the clients’ request. ‘They said, “Look, we’re not living here, we don’t need a lot of storage – just make it feel like an incredible shop.” So it was actually retail that inspired the design,’ says Greg. Each bay features walnut-burr ledges and Verde Alpi panels that were custom-carved to create different geometric edges by Mondo Marmo Group.
The owners of this home – as well as its designer – have a serious thing for marble. The Australian family spend most of their time at their house in Florence and holiday villa in Forte dei Marmi. ‘Because of that close proximity to Carrara, they are majorly into marble and stone,’ explains Greg, adding: ‘All of the marble was cut in Italy, then the stonemasons flew over and spent months installing it.’ In the shower (below), the dramatic wall mosaic was fitted by Mondo Marmo Group. Kohler’s ‘Statement Oblong’ hand shower in ‘Vibrant Brushed Bronze’ is from Best Plumbing.
This house is a pied-à-terre for the clients, who live mostly in Italy but wanted four bedrooms to accommodate their five kids over the holidays. Greg decided to make each a different colour: ‘I think a really good designer tells a story. As you walk through a space, there are always elements of surprise.’
Here, that means a rug by Campbell-Rey for Nordic Knots and ‘Viscontea’ pendant light by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for Flos. In the far corner sits a 1970s glass ‘Lido’ mushroom lamp by Peill & Putzler, sourced from 1stDibs. gregnatale.com
