Area Interior Design

When AREA Interior Design’s Janine Carendi MacMurray took on the design of this New York apartment, her client requested that the living room exude uptown elegance but have furnishings durable enough for her tykes to play on them. A mother herself, MacMurray is well-schooled in melding polish with practicality. A pair of graceful and comfortable walnut armchairs with brass feet, attributed to T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings and found at Donzella via 1stDibs, sets the room’s tone. “I appreciate how he infused designs with restraint, simplicity and familiarity,” she says of the great 20th-century neoclassical architect and furniture designer. “His focus on proportion and craftsmanship resulted in exquisitely elegant pieces.” Her admiration is reflected in the custom curved sofa and accompanying armchairs produced by her own team of expert furniture makers, as well as the custom coffee table from R&Y Augousti, with its top of inlaid shagreen and brass. A stunning cut-silk rug commissioned from Brunschwig & Fils anchors the room while endowing it with tranquil movement. Yet for all its formality, this interior is not without fun, thanks to the hotfooted animation of Sylvia Rutkoff’s 1960s Blue Abstract diptych, another 1stDibs find.