A New York Apartment with European Flair

“I got into a taxi ready to negotiate with the New Jersey port officials, but the driver told me that the ride would cost $600. So, I went downstairs to get some fresh air. While I was considering my options for salvaging the furniture from the container, the phone rang. They were going to release them,” explains the designer, María Santos, about what she experienced as a design kidnapping.

But before reaching this point, we must go back to the beginning of last year, when Santos’ clients who live in Madrid, where she has her studio, told her that they were going to buy an apartment in the Big Apple, with incredible views of Central Park.

“To give it the European style they were looking for,” Santos says, “they chose moldings, Hungarian pointed oak parquet – something unusual for American builders – a white kitchen and a functional bathroom. They did not want a house to live in, but an escape for one week a year. So, they gave me a lot of freedom and I chose a palette of whites and creams and light woods to create an attractive setting.”

To build on the European look and feel of the space, María, with the help of the Catalan antiquarian Carina Casanovas, went in search of original unrestored furniture with which to round out the décor of the space.  A trip to The Gallery at 200 Lex at the New York Design Center added to the duo’s finds, as the pair scored a pair of midcentury floor lamps and stunning coffee table with a travertine base. Special thanks to Gallery dealers Lawton Mull and ReGeneration.

This article was originally published in AD Spain by editor Toni Torrecillas. To read the full article online, visit revistaad.es.

The Gallery at 200 Lex powered by Incollect located on the 10th floor of the New York Design Center is an impressive 33,000 square-foot gallery space home to 50 vintage and antique dealers. All products are available for immediate purchase and delivery or pick-up onsite. Visit nydc.com/appointment to schedule your visit.