Apartment in the French Taste

A grand apartment in the French taste is transformed with new colors that highlight the best of its architectural features. These grand rooms are located in a building by McKim, Mead & White, one of the first luxury apartment building on Fifth Avenue. The striking features of this apartment are the Beaux-Arts stone entry hall and reception room as well as the dining room, the living room, and the study walled in French boiserie, which are thought to be by the famous French decorator Stephane Boudin. Although our clients were not Francophiles and had more contemporary taste, they chose to build upon the apartment’s best attributes rather than gutting the place. The rooms were originally richly polychromed and gilded and we suggested that color would take the edge off the grandeur and make everything more welcoming. After planning and careful consideration, we decided to repaint the walls in shades of blue and green with a strié finish.

We furnished the drawing room with an array of comfortable seating, including upholstered sofas and chairs, benches, and a handsome suite of fauteuils (French open armchairs) with old white paint by the famous French chair maker Jacob. These helped strike the right balance in the rooms between the old and new.