New Year, New Look: introducing our latest project

brooke moorhead design lenox hill playful living room — *Above: the living room of our new project on the Upper East Side in Manhattan.*
*Photo by Gieves Anderson.*

Brooke Moorehead blog post transformations living room ceiling before — *Above: “before” photo of living room.* *Photo: BMD*

Hello, 2020… and… we are FINALLY unveiling ALL the photos from our NYC Upper East Side project, completed last year.
You may have seen snippets of this home from the October 2019 “Rising Star” article published in New York Cottages & Gardens or on Instagram, but now, here it is in full form! If you have not already seen the article, you can read it here.

The construction on this project started a few years ago, but the final touches were not completed until 2019.
As you might notice from the picture at right, when the family purchased this apartment, it needed some updating. The floors were shiny red, and the lighting cast an unfortunate glare. We set to work creating a lighter, airier vibe.
We painted the walls and trim the same color, keeping a streamlined appeal, but lacquered the ceiling in a watery green, creating a lift to make it appear higher.
The ceiling lights were revised to reduce glare and create a more ambient wall wash, the floors were stained as dark as possible, and the radiator covers were all re-invented to look more like furniture.

Once construction was complete, the real fun began. The young family enjoys color and whimsy set against simplicity, so we added some pattern, spots of color, and artful accents.

The living room has two seating areas. We upped the drama by installing deep green window treatments with an offset edge. The patterned rug next to another less-patterned rug grounds the space while giving it an extra dimensional feature. We kept the coffee table and other elements simple with a twist, like the leather accent on the limed oak wash finish of the table, and the “splatter paint” fabric on the pillows. The lamp, an existing family piece, provides an unexpected traditional element, making the home its own.

*Above left: a corner of the living room.* *Above right: the living room sofa with custom furniture and accessories.* *Photos by Gieves Anderson.*

brooke moorhead design lenox hill playful living area — *Above left: a corner of the living room.* *Above right: the living room sofa with custom furniture and accessories.* *Photos by Gieves Anderson.*

brooke moorhead design lenox hill playful dining — *Above: the breakfast area, refashioned for life without windows.* *Photo by Gieves Anderson.*

More construction was necessary in the breakfast and kitchen area. The breakfast room had a fake window (yes, you read that right) which had to be filled in. With no natural light, we added aubergine stripes, a high table, and custom cabinetry to give the area a boost.

*Above: The “before” picture of the breakfast room. Photo courtesy of The Corcoran Group.*

The family dining room was designed with a feeling of light and simplicity, and to stand the test of food and drink. We employed some iron-clad staples to get the job done: lucite ghost chairs, a tulip table, and a rug with enough pattern to mask stains.

brooke moorhead design lenox hill playful dining area — *Above: The family dining room.*
*Photo: Gieves Anderson.*

brooke moorhead design lenox hill playful bedroom — *Above: the master bedroom.* *Photo by Gieves Anderson.*

The master bedroom was conceived with rest and retreat in mind. We added some deep blues to bridge the masculine and feminine.

The family room (below) was intended as a family meeting place for games, movies, and overall fun. Textural accents on the walls layered with color and texture in the fabrics creates some interest in the overall simple design.

brooke moorhead designlenox hill playful cozy — *Above: the family room.* *Photo by Gieves Anderson.*

brooke moorhead designlenox hill playful cozy detail — *Above: a corner of the family room.* *Photo: Gieves Anderson.*

brooke moorhead design lenox hill playful mirror — Entry console, accented with the family’s existing brass “bird” lamp.
*Photo by Gieves Anderson.*

brooke moorhead design lenox hill playful living area relax — Entry console, accented with the family’s existing brass “bird” lamp.
*Photo by Gieves Anderson.*

I hope you all had a restful and relaxing holiday and are looking ahead to a happy and healthy new decade. We are thrilled to be doing the work we love every day and creating spaces for you that enhance your lives.