S.R. Gambrel

“Think Syrie Maugham and Elsie de Wolfe,” says New York designer Steven Gambrel, describing the entry gallery in an expansive Greenwich Village townhouse that he’s swathed in tasteful shades of champagne and platinum gray. “The soft palette creates an overall mood that is timeless and appropriate, while the hits of black add an injection of strength and confidence.” Gambrel is also playing with contrasts, as in his pairing of Axel Vervoordt’s weighty bluestone table and the gossamer-like glass chandelier by Carlo Scarpa for Venini that hangs above it. Other gems include an exuberant large-scale painting by Cecily Brown, a sleek pair of shagreen side tables by Newell Design Studio and two slender-legged stools attributed to T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings. Like the room itself, the stools “have great provenance,” says Gambrel, “but still feel young and fresh.”