In the heart of one of the busiest cities in the world, Greenwich Village still feels like an intimate neighbourhood, with tree-lined blocks, independent bookshops and restaurants that have been around for decades. On East 9th Street stands a 1925 co-op designed by the renowned architecture firm Helmle & Corbett. It is home to an apartment designed by Sarah Henley, founder and principal of Henley Design.
‘It has always had a creative energy and felt like the perfect setting for these clients,’ Sarah says of this particular corner of New York. ‘He is an Academy Award-winning film industry creative, and she is an artist,’ she adds. ‘They both have a strong sense of what they like and are wonderful collaborators. They aren’t afraid of a wild or funky idea, or something a little unexpected.’
Sarah and her team had worked with these clients on their summer home in Rockport, Massachusetts – the small coastal town where they grew up as childhood sweethearts, so she knew them and their aesthetic well. They wanted this space to feel distinct from the other project and to serve as a pied-à-terre as they live mainly in California, and asked Sarah to create a cosy, art-filled sanctuary.
‘They’re newly grandparents and approaching retirement,’ Sarah explains, ‘so the apartment also represents a new chapter. It’s a place to host family, spend more time in the city and eventually make New York a bigger part of their lives. We talked about wanting the space to feel in some ways like a favourite boutique hotel, but with personal touches catered specifically to them.’
Restored by the previous owners in a predominantly white and grey palette, the apartment was in sound shape and had great bones, but lacked character and warmth. Sarah was immediately struck by the soaring arched vaulted ceilings in the living room with their original plasterwork, as well as the lofty windows. Sitting on the seventh floor, the apartment sits above the surrounding rooftops so enjoys extraordinary light for a New York home. ‘We just had to make it feel like our clients, which is a thrilling task with this creative and talented couple,’ Sarah adds.
Sarah worked with Brooklyn-based art advisor Phoebe Grip to source fine art, including two works by contemporary painter Eric Aho for the den and entry foyer which set the tone for the colour scheme throughout the home. Similarly, a commissioned Sara Dykstra piece ended up informing much of the living room palette. The earthy tones of the neighbourhood – ‘saturated greens, cool blues, toasted golden, russet tones and washes of amber’ – also provided inspiration. ‘From there,’ Sarah says, ‘we focused on materials that would bring luxurious warmth and texture including alpaca, mohair, silk, walnut, shell and unlacquered metal.’
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The living room was Sarah’s biggest challenge; ‘while the ceiling is incredible, it’s also a huge volume and we didn’t want the furnishings below to feel dwarfed, or overly grand and formal,’ she explains. She layered lush textiles with warm tones for the rug, furnishings and window treatments, and selected furniture with enough scale to hold its own in the space. Focal points at varying heights bring the eye upward, while the curved pelmet picks up the geometry of the ceiling and helps visually anchor the vast window wall. ‘The handmade quality from makers like Sawkille and Lawson Fenning kept the room from feeling too formal or polished,’ she adds.
The den, meanwhile, is a small space between the entrance and the kitchen that had to serve as dining room, lounge and guest bedroom – a first for Sarah and her team. A custom sofa bed (that doubles as a dining banquette) and extendable dining table gave them the flexibility they needed. Rather than trying to make the room feel bigger, they leaned into its size with darker, more enveloping colourways. ‘It ended up becoming one of the cosiest rooms in the apartment,’ she says.
The caramel-coloured Holland & Sherry amber silk wallcovering in the main bedroom is a highlight. ‘It brought so much depth to the space, and changes throughout the day depending on the light,’ says Sarah. ‘You enter the bedroom through the living room and the shift from the expansiveness of the living space to the shimmering, cocoon-like bedroom is a lovely transition.’
She looked at the building’s art deco history when sourcing furniture and lighting, including a French oak side table, a 1920s magazine rack and several contemporary pieces inspired by the art deco era. Her favourite piece is the custom Sawkille credenza in the entry hall; made from bleached and ebonised walnut, it features motifs that carry special meaning for the clients, including shell inlay and hand-carved silver appliqué depicting flora and fauna and subtle references to their love of reading, writing and knitting in the form of an open book and a knot of yarn.
‘Our team took a trip to Sawkille in upstate New York during the production of the piece, which was a special experience,’ recalls Sarah. ‘The narrative quality of the work, the craftsmanship, and the sculptural design are all elements that are repeated in each room of the home.’ In a way, the credenza sets the tone for the whole project; deeply personal and celebrating craft.
Before the final reveal, the clients had seen very little of the renovation, so were floored by the finished results – both the richness, texture and colour that had been added to the blank canvas, and the attention to detail which saw Sarah even adding a nook for their beloved dog Grover’s food bowls in the kitchen. Smiling, she says: ‘Our clients now affectionately call the apartment their “New York jewel box” which makes us very happy to hear.’ henley.design, @Henley_design, styling Emily Karian @emilykariancano
