Explore an elegant apartment in Manhattan's Upper East Side

(Image credit: Brittany Ambridge)

published 18 February 21

The Property

This New York apartment sits in 130 East End Avenue in Manhattan's Upper East Side. The modern home (opens in new tab) blends together vibrant pattern and wallpaper, bold colours, vintage paintings and antique furnishings.

The new build apartment wasn't working for the family, so they brought in designer Bella Mancini (opens in new tab) to help them reconfigure the layout in a way that worked better for the family.

The apartment measures 2,500 square feet, with three ensuite bedrooms plus a maid's room. The living room was reconfigured, and the kitchen and maid’s room were gutted, as was the master bedroom. It's now a family home, and every space is used daily.

Entry

The foyer / entrance hallway welcomes you with a beautiful marble console and a bright piece of art. The foyer table is by James Devlin and the light fixture is vintage.

Living room

The living room, the largest room in the apartment, was underused. Each night the couple’s two teenage boys would retreat to their bedrooms to watch TV. Bella Mancini reimagined the space to include a hidden television, comfortable seating and a huge ottoman to put their feet up on.

The owners wanted their apartment to reflect their love of textiles, antiques and entertaining. They wanted it to be equal parts comfortable, practical and elegant.

With a mix of furnishings, they've now got a traditional inspired interior which still feels modern and family friendly.

The living room has a carpet from Lebanon, where the husband’s family is from. The artwork is large and abstract, adding a modern juxtaposition to the otherwise traditional space.

There are also built-in bookcases and a grand piano.

An antique cabinet acts as a home bar (opens in new tab).

There's a mix of artworks throughout the home, with pieces including family portraits, artworks by the homeowner's mother who is a trained artist, some artworks by Richard Serra plus modern abstract pieces thrown in the mix.

Kitchen

A small white kitchen (opens in new tab) features a peninsula island, marble countertops and brass details.

Across from it is a cosy breakfast nook, with an eat-in table and banquette corner bench.

Dining room

The dining room is a bright and colourful space, owed to the green velvet dining chair seats, the patterned curtains and matching bolster cushion, the vintage rug and a pop of red coming from the glossy table lamp.

Home office

The former maid's room is now a cosy home office (opens in new tab) space.

Powder room

The home office (opens in new tab) leads through to a powder room / cloakroom (opens in new tab).

Kids' bedrooms

The couple have two teenage sons. Both of their rooms feature grown-up, sophisticated schemes with wall mounted lights, framed art and quality furniture pieces.

Master bedroom

Family antiques, a 40’s French light fixture and an upholstered grey velvet headboard (opens in new tab) add elegance to the master bedroom (opens in new tab).

Ensuite bathroom

A small ensuite bathroom (opens in new tab) feels light and airy, owed to the white bathroom (opens in new tab) colour scheme.

Lotte Brouwer

Lotte is the Digital Editor for Livingetc, and has been with the website since its launch. She has a background in online journalism and writing for SEO, with previous editor roles at Good Living, Good Housekeeping, Country & Townhouse, and BBC Good Food among others, as well as her own successful interiors blog. When she's not busy writing or tracking analytics, she's doing up houses, two of which have features in interior design magazines. She's just finished doing up her house in Wimbledon, and is eyeing up Bath for her next project.