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Designer Lauren Waters might be based in Los Angeles, but she’s been eager to take on a project in the city that never sleeps. So, when an old friend from college asked her to put the finishing touches on her New York City apartment, Waters was happy to oblige. (A convenient coincidence or decorating destiny? You can be the judge of that.) Fortunately, the 1,350-square-foot Tribeca unit boasted great bones that made any limitations that typically come with decorating a rental seem virtually non-existent.
“To be honest, I don’t think we were restricted in any way,” Waters explains. “There are these huge windows and the beautiful [stone] fireplace stands out so much in the apartment.”
Instead, Waters sought to highlight the unit’s natural beauty all while creating a space that bridged the gap between her and her client’s aesthetics. While the homeowner's original vision showcased a neutral palette combined with the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi (which celebrates imperfections), Waters wanted to make sure the interior had a homey edge, too.
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“I want my projects to really reflect both my personality and my client's personality,” she shares. “A lot of my concept was driven from the idea that you can create a place that feels serene, relaxing, and calming, but still have color, texture, and character.”
To balance it all, Waters juxtaposed natural materials, sculptural furnishings, and a warm scheme. Though each section of the spacious flat is undeniably eye-catching, Waters’s clever use of repetition created a home that’s cohesive, not cookie-cutter. “I like to take a color, material, or object and repeat it from room to room, but it’s not necessarily obvious right away,” the designer says. “[Here], those colors are in every room, but it’s not in-your-face.”
Many Zoom calls and cross-country visits later, the project strikes a happy balance between serene, sleek, and stylish, thanks to its strategically placed art, antiques, and accessories.
“I try to have these moments where design is meant to be fun and it should be seen,” Waters adds. “I think of it as a work of art, and I like to be kind of playful and have humor sometimes.”
Tour the entire apartment below.
Entryway
Step inside the apartment and you’ll immediately spot an eclectic assortment of geometric artwork, woven wares, and a sunny rug, which lays the foundation for key elements featured throughout the home.
“Everything here was intentional,” Waters says. “Though the same colors are repeated throughout the apartment, each area has its own main hue. For example, the entryway highlights more of the yellow tones.”
According to Waters, most of the apartment’s furniture is vintage, a decision that was both practical and aesthetically pleasing. “There's so much character to vintage furniture and always a story behind it, but that was also intentional with the pandemic [because] product lead times [have been] so long,” she explains.
Chair: Pierre Paulin. Storage cabinet, lamp, rug, ceramic, and art: vintage. Coat hooks: Made Measure.
Kitchen
Though Waters left the kitchen as is, she spruced up the all-white space by hanging up printed plates and peppering the space with rattan stools and wooden serve ware. “These different moments make a rather utilitarian kitchen feel more personal,” she shares.
Stools: Dirk van Sliedregt. Plates and bowls: vintage.
Living Room
In the living area, Waters was tasked with decorating around a gray sectional, which her client already owned and brought into the space. To give the sofa a stealth makeover, she accented the room with bright throw pillows and a coffee table that highlights the sectional’s shape. “I did still want the space to have natural warm materials so that it does feel grounded, warm, and cozy,” she shares. Rounding out the space are two geometric mirrors that hang above the stone fireplace, deftly reflecting the light from the sun-drenched windows.
Sofa: client’s own. Mirrors and coffee table: Vintage. Rug: Rush House for Chairish. Throw pillows: Room & Board.
Dining Area
For this Tribeca home, it all started with Friends of Form’s printed dining room chairs, which the client found herself. “I loved the pattern, color, and geometries of [them],” Waters shares. “We picked up those colors from the dining room chairs, and it almost became a formula that we repeated throughout the house.”
To make the end chairs pop—without overwhelming the rest of the space—Waters added leather seats, a slim light pendant, and a glass table that was designed by Gustav Gaarde for Trekanten-Hestbaek. “Not only can you see through it, but it was [also] reflecting and bouncing the light and the colors of the vases,” she says about the table.
Admittedly, styling a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf is no easy feat: Too many tchotchkes can be overwhelming, while a scarce setup can feel cold and sterile. However, Waters created the best of both worlds with an assortment of antique clay olive jars, which were individually sourced from Ukraine.
“I was looking for something that was relatively easy to source for an affordable price point,” Waters explains. “I originally thought of olive jars, but the neutral and gray [tones] seemed so cold and stark. I realized there are some that are glazed, so I wanted to tie them in with the colors of the furniture and mix up the shapes.” As a result, the built-in takes serves as a major focal point.
Dining Table: Gustav Gaarde for Trekanten-Hestbaek. Leather chairs and jars: Vintage. Canvas Chairs: Friends of Form. Light Pendant: Anders Pehrson.
Office Nook
Like many people in 2022, Waters’s client wanted to have a designated space to work from home. But, just because the office area means business, doesn’t mean it can’t look good, too. Waters mastered the work-life balance by selecting industrial pieces in vivid, cheery hues. “We wanted this nook to be as colorful as the rest of the apartment,” the designer shares. “The desk is really sculptural, and there are a few industrial pieces that are balanced with these warm tones and bright colors.”
Bedroom
For a bedroom that’s both stylish and serene, Water experimented with proportions. Here, a king-sized bed is offset by a small ashtray that acts as a nightstand. “There really wasn’t room for a traditional nightstand,” Waters says of the unconventional accessory. "It’s playful, quirky, and brings in another sculptural moment.”
Bed Quilt and ashtray: vintage. Bed frame: CB2.
Bathroom
Though the Le Corbusier-esque tiles in the bathroom are original to the unit, they provided the perfect backdrop for a few colorful accessories. “Similar to the kitchen, a bathroom is a practical space that has a specific use for it, but that doesn't mean you can't put flowers next to your bathtub while you're taking a bath or hang art,” Waters says. “I wanted to balance the cool blue tones with a warmer yellow, similar to the pendant over the dining table.”
Art: vintage.
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