Inside A New York Apartment With A Punchy, Fresh Aesthetic
A graphic Jonathan Adler rug anchors the same space, where an Oka ottoman links multicolored sofas. The sculptural side table is from the MoMa Design Store and the 3D artwork is by J. Margulis.
A COUPLE’S NOHO APARTMENT TOES THE LINE BETWEEN YOUTHFUL PLAYFULNESS AND A SOPHISTICATED SENSIBILITY.
After an eye-catching red-and-teal rug on Instagram stopped her in her tracks a few years ago, Isy Runsewe couldn’t get it out of her head. “For whatever reason, that rug really spoke to me, and I was desperate to find a way to use it,” says the designer, who launched her eponymous New York studio in 2020. Fast forward a few months and the perfect project presented itself: a NoHo apartment for a young couple seeking a punchy, fresh aesthetic.
Having designed their previous home, a smaller two-bedroom in the West Village where she introduced a playful tropical theme, Runsewe knew they would be open to something equally as spirited in their new place. Located in a nondescript postwar building, the dual-level residence was a better fit for the homeowners, who wanted more space for an office, guest quarters and a lounge area where they could spend time with friends and family sans TV.
“They’re a very fun couple and they wanted the apartment to reflect that,” says Runsewe. “At the same time, they wanted things to feel more grown up than their previous place.” While the pair wasn’t ultimately sold on the red-and-teal rug from Runsewe’s mood board—“It was one of the only things I showed them that they didn’t love,” she laughs—they were besotted by the color combination itself, which became the jump-off point for the design. Runsewe’s background in fine art (she studied art history and spent the first decade of her career working in London auction houses and galleries) informed her approach, where each room feels like a curated exhibition.
Home Details
Interior Design:
Isy Runsewe, Isy’s Interiors
A colorful Jacob Ouillette piece enlivens a corner of the living area, joined by a red hutch from Anthropologie. Alongside a pair of Four Hands swivel chairs, a Polspotten side table procures a perch for drinks.
Rebel Walls’ Songbirds wallpaper steals the show in the dining area, which features velvet chairs via Homeinfun around a lacquered CB2 table. A Troy Lighting chandelier illuminates the scene. Samuel & Sons trim amps up the linen Shade Store draperies.
The apartment’s red-and-teal palette carries through to the guest bedroom, where Danika Herrick for Spoonflower wallpaper backs a bed from One Kings Lane. A pair of rattan-detailed Candelabra Home nightstands are topped with Penny Morrison lamps.
Whimsical notes in the lounge area include a kinetic mobile and Rebel Walls’ Waves wallpaper as an accent. The curves of the Athena Calderone for Crate & Barrel coffee tables mimic those of the bouclé-covered Castlery sectional.
In the office, a Matilda Goad & Co. rug ties to a ceiling surprisingly clad in Rebel Walls’ Rays paper. The mustard tones of the Soho Home desk chair and lamp offer warm notes against walls painted Benjamin Moore’s Sheer Romance.
In the living area, red and teal touches, including a velvet couch, striped rug and embroidered ottoman, pop against a crisp backdrop of white walls and floors. A sculptural side table and flourishes like red tassels on the ottoman and draperies invite a youthful sensibility and help the room feel cohesive and artful. A dimensional, abstract artwork that Runsewe helped the couple source for their previous apartment made the jump to their new home, alongside new pieces curated by the designer. In the dining area, a geometric table and a suite of teal chairs are set against a feature wall covered in a dreamy wallpaper bedecked with birds and branches. The pattern has the effect of emphasizing the uniquely arched ceiling, a quirky architectural detail that Runsewe was happy to highlight.
Also on the main level, two bedrooms were designated as guest quarters and a home office. In both, a bold mix of patterns, colors and unexpected furniture profiles keeps the party going. “I always love to create fun moments and push playfulness and color to the max,” says the designer. In the guest room, Runsewe’s approach took form around a collection of different shapes including scalloped bedding, an angular side chair and a curved upholstered headboard. A teal patterned wallpaper continues the home’s signature palette and nods to the couple’s previous tropical-themed apartment. Knowing the office needed to be more reserved for video calls, Runsewe put the wallpaper on the ceiling—a green-and-white striped pattern that lends a French Mediterranean feel and works well when the space is converted to a kid’s room during family visits. “How fun to be a kid, go to bed and look up at this circus-tent ceiling!”
A luxurious primary bedroom, outdoor terrace and cozy lounge area complete the upper floor. High ceilings in the lounge were a challenge for Runsewe, who envisioned a large chandelier in the space but couldn’t run electrical that high. Enter: a Calderesque ceiling mobile that introduces diamonds of violet, red and blue. “I love that it constantly swivels and moves,” says the designer. A feature wall with a painterly wallcovering completes the space, where the homeowners enjoy playing board games and hosting poker nights. In sum, the apartment serves as a reminder that one is never too old for fun, even as tastes mature. In Runsewe’s estimation, “Life is too short to have a boring house.”