Phillip Gorrivan

The Upper East Side of Manhattan is home to so many great apartments, new and old, and you will a lot of times find an old apartment that has been converted to look brand new. Interior designer Philip Gorrivan and his wife, Lisa, share their Carnegie Hill apartment with their children, Charlie and Isabelle and found their perfect apartment(s), and made it into their own. No expense was spared when renovating and combining two apartments, one being a two bedroom, and the other being a one bedroom, into a family friendly three bedroom. You can watch Mr. Gorrivan giving a personal tour of his apartment on ElleDecor.com. Be sure to notice Mr. Gorrivan's impressive art collection; a mix of photography, drawings, and paintings cover the walls, leaving me envious.

Luxe in Downtown

People can sometimes be against white walls, but in the right space and with the right art, white walls can be very chic and warm. This entire downtown apartment should have the gritty feeling of the New York City streets, but it actually poses as a rarified home, filled with art and beautifully modern furniture befitting the newly remodeled space. The modern furniture in the living spaces would normally give the space a totally contemporary feeling, but the white and paneled walls offsets the mod tones. The classic moldings give the space a comfortable and vintage feeling. The rosewood clad office is one of my favorite rooms in the apartment, with it's high ceilings, and shelves that stretch to those ceilings, the room is encapsulated in books and other works of creativity, all while being grounded on a luxuriously printed rug. This carefully decorated space is a perfect escape from the busy downtown lifestyle to a inviting and livable home in the city. 

Photos by Pieter Estersohn for Elle Decor

Down the Spine

It is my strong opinion that a room does not feel complete without books. I believe it is a scientific fact that books out in the open make feel comfortable. I know that I feel at home when I can see my books, and thankfully after three long months of my books being boxed up, they will be coming out because my bedroom is finally taking shape. More on that to come later in the week!

Photos courtesy of Elle Decor and other sources

Get to Work

Working from home can be a curse and a blessing, but when you have a nice place to do your work, it shouldn't be so bad. Designing a home office is one of those murky-watered challenges that forces you to think about design scheme... and practicality. Having a home office brings on a new role for your home, and that is a work station, one must consider printers, and cords, and phones, and mouses, but that doesn't mean you must sacrifice your design tastes. Take a look at these chic home offices and notice how many of them have ample space, to take care of any business you might have during the day, and enough style to make you want to show off where you do your taxes every year. I would say a home office is not complete without bookshelves; they provide storage for anything you would want to keep in your office, and showcasing books around your house has been known to make people feel more comfortable and it makes the home feel lived in. It's pretty easy to set up a office in the back room of your house with old office furniture and then slam the door to prying eyes, but having a home office can be a luxe (and productive) extension of your living space.

Jessie Carrier and Mara Miller

Malcolm James Kutner

Matt Berman

Patrick Printy

Martyn Lawrence-Bullard

Lili Abir Regen

Jonathan Adler

Elaine Griffin

Anthony Todd

Rafael de Cárdenas

Miles Redd

Unknown

Joshua McHugh

Top photo, Unknown 

Bottom photos courtesy of Elle Decor 

Family Values in Paris

A ranch in Aspen, a house in The Hamptons, a place in New York City, and now a pied-à-terre in Paris, this American family is the epitome of jet set, but also of style. Their recently renovated apartment in Paris' Left Bank is twenty-first century French luxury. Designed by Jean-Louis Deniot, the apartment is perfect for entertaining but can also be home to a family with kids. The space itself went under a huge renovation, making its current design and layout a complete change from its original eighteenth century building, that was once a mansion, and now broken up into smaller apartments. The constant stream of sunshine into the big windows reeked havoc on an overall color scheme for the apartment, because it constantly made an color look dull in comparison to the sunshine; the only way to stand up against the sun light is to match it, the soft yellow hues used throughout the apartment compliments the gorgeous natural light. Owning a place in Paris would be magnificent, but owning this luxe apartment in the City of Lights would be even more magnificent. 

All photos courtesy of Elle Decor

Color in the Flatiron District

When an Australian takes up home in the New York City, a culture shock is to always ensue. But when Kiane von Mueffling moved to Manhattan to be with her husband, she had a fantastic place to adjust herself to the city. A lot of New Yorkers are jaded about the last remaining "untouched" neighborhoods of New York City becoming culture-fied, but I think its great when old New York gets a facelift and a little bit of style, other than its own. And that's exactly what Mrs. von Mueffling did to her apartment in the Flatiron District with the help of Iain Halliday, creating a warm, yet contemporary space that is perfect for entertaining. 

The blue Beauvais rug grounds the living room, and the custom-upholstered leather window seat. My favorite piece in the living room is the wired chair by Knoll. The colorful room is laid out perfectly for entertaining large groups, or a small gathering of just the family. 

The hand painted coverings on the wall by de Gournay greet everyone that enters the apartment in the somewhat stark foyer, and the rug is actually made by Stark. I find the dark blue colors in the entry to be somewhat of a subdued welcoming tone that isn't fussy, but more relaxing. 

The custom hutch in the dining room is backed by a chic mirror that casts light over the entire room, making the room appropriate for use all throughout the day. The hutch it adorned with different pieces from a marble bust, to a vase filled with tropical flowers. The different urns and trays scattered about the surface makes for an interest in the small space. 

The sleek kitchen is a perfect New York kitchen, because it isn't super big, but still packs all of the utilities of a useful kitchen, with a style that goes with the rest of the apartment. 

The master bedroom of the apartment is a colorful sanctuary that is made relevant with an oversized purple upholstered headboard, with mounted sconces (a favorite of mine). The headboard is offset by a clay colored wall, but punched up with colorful abstract art pieces. 

All images by William Waldron for ElleDecor

Luxe in Hudson Valley

Leaving Manhattan can be troubling, but not as much if you have a great home to go to in the country. Hudson Valley is a quant little village that is filled with Manhattanites who want to escape the city for a weekend, or even a summer. Gil Schafer designed a Greek Palladian home in Hudson for a couple who wanted to leave the city for a more peaceful setting (still keeping a pied-à-terre in the city naturally), Mr. Schafer then recommended the design stylings of Miles Reed who worked over the interior of the newly built house for the couple. Every inch of the house was designed to a tee, leaving no room untouched, or needless to say, boring. The use of color throughout the home is fun and bright, yet subdued and not overdone. My absolute favorite room is the blue butlers pantry, the color is so brilliant, especially being that it offsets the lighter colored kitchen hues. But I especially love the celery-green tones used in the family room and the master bedroom. The teal curtains against the celery-green in the family room add a pop of color to the more relaxing color on the walls. If you're going to live to New York City it is recommended that you have some sort of refuge outside the city, so you can take a break from the loud, cramped, and busy streets of Manhattan, and this refuge seems to do the trick.

All images courtesy of Elle Decor