The reasons people fall in love with prewar Park Avenue apartments are numerous: old New York elegance, historic charm, distinctive details. These are the things that drew designer Brittany Bromley’s clients to their Upper East Side residence. But, as a young family with three children, they knew they needed something livable—a home in which food could be spilled, guests could relax and kids could play in any room. In short, they wanted it to be elevated, but whimsical and fun rather than stuffy and precious.
This lighthearted vibe can be seen immediately as one glances down the entry gallery into the punched-up dining room. “It was a very formal, heavy space,” Bromley says, pointing to the built-in display cases the former owners had used to showcase their collection of objets d’art. For a fresh perspective, she coated the walls and ceiling in a pale blue-gray lacquer, creating colorful contrast with a Natasha Law painting in shades of peach, pink and orange, as well as dining chairs upholstered in a paprika fabric with a flame chevron pattern on the backs. “I knew I really wanted those chairs to be as interesting from the front as they were from the back,” muses Bromley, “as that’s the view from the gallery.”
Like the dining room, the living room emanates playfulness, which is fitting since the owners sought a space to host mahjong parties and football game viewings. White silk wallpaper and a ceiling lacquered in whisper-soft blue to “give it a pop,” Bromley says, are elegant without feeling stodgy. A multitude of colorful works from the couple’s art collection—acquired over many years working with consultant Kate Bellin—play to the mix of solid and patterned furnishings in vibrant shades of blue, pink, green and yellow. The combination of it all makes the room feel “much more modern than when we inherited it,” notes the designer.
It’s an unexpected twist, then, when one opens the living room’s double doors to a cozy library decoratively painted with tortoise-shell patterning. “With those wood walls, it was never going to be anything but dark,” Bromley says. “We leaned into that idea. It’s a moody space in the midst of all this light.” The room, however, doesn’t completely stray from the rest of home’s eclectic style thanks to a mix of geometric and floral patterns, along with pops of red, orange and blue. It’s the perfect setting, the designer says, for these consummate entertainers to retire with guests after a leisurely dinner.
Pale blue lacquered walls softly contrast with Natasha Law art and vintage chairs in Schumacher velvet with a Claremont fabric on the backs. Above the custom table hangs a Niermann Weeks chandelier. The Gustavian chests were sourced from Chairish.
While the library may be the draw for late-night cocktails, during the day the family can most often be found in the kitchen, where a breakfast nook provides plenty of seating for meals, homework and conversation. “We wanted something comfortable and organic,” Bromley muses, pointing to the textured performance textiles on both the banquette and chairs that ensure no one needs to stress over spills or stains. “The kids could literally pour ketchup on them,” she laughs.
This careful consideration of the children’s wants and needs shines through in the daughters’ sleeping quarters. Previously a stately guest room, Bromley transformed it with color and fantasy. A textile with a bold dragon design set against a backdrop of peachy-pink striped walls makes for a retreat that’s “girly without feeling overly feminine,” Bromley says.
Whether juxtaposing pattern and texture, midcentury modern and Art Deco, or bright color with dark wood, for Bromley, it’s all about the mix. It’s a design philosophy on proud display in her new monograph, Relaxed Elegance: Rooms for Living Well (Rizzoli), which showcases interiors with a joyfully collected sensibility from Manhattan to Palm Beach. “If I’m doing my job properly, it shouldn’t feel like I bought everything this year,” continues the designer. “And that’s a defining aspect of this couple’s style, too. They can appreciate the history of an antique as much as they can appreciate something new.” It’s only natural, then, that their home espouses the same sensibility. Concludes Bromley, “It’s a beautiful prewar apartment that’s been reimagined with a modern aspect for this young family.”
A piece by Kikuo Saito above a custom chair in a hand-painted textile makes for a bold moment in a living room corner. Designer Brittany Bromley layered the look with a Patterson Flynn rug and drapes of Cowtan & Tout fabric.
A yellow-and-pink Schumacher textile steals the show in the daughters’ bedroom, composing the drapes, bed canopies and accent pillows. High-gloss trim paint is color-matched to the Kathryn M. Ireland ticking-stripe wallpaper.
The girls’ bedroom palette carries into their bathroom, with Jim Thompson wallpaper, a custom vanity painted by Theresa Nardone of Bella Terra Design and Ann Sacks subway tile. A Coleen & Company sconce crowns the Mirror Home acrylic mirror.
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Designed to withstand messes, the breakfast nook features chairs in a Scalamandré performance leather and a Pierre Frey-upholstered banquette. Coleen & Company sconces frame a Gray Malin photograph against a Holland & Sherry raffia wallcovering.
Pale blue lacquered walls softly contrast with Natasha Law art and vintage chairs in Schumacher velvet with a Claremont fabric on the backs. Above the custom table hangs a Niermann Weeks chandelier. The Gustavian chests were sourced from Chairish.
A Roman shade in the wife’s favorite Schumacher pattern pops against glass-front cabinetry and Calacatta Gold countertops sourced from ABC Stone. The brass faucet and sink, both Waterworks, add further dressy touches.
Art by Sebastiaan Bremer hangs over a bespoke sofa, with a set of eight works by Spencer Finch above the banquette. A Schumacher-covered ottoman sits between vintage chairs and a settee clad in a painterly Pierre Frey fabric.
A piece by Kikuo Saito above a custom chair in a hand-painted textile makes for a bold moment in a living room corner. Designer Brittany Bromley layered the look with a Patterson Flynn rug and drapes of Cowtan & Tout fabric.
Vintage pieces define a nook in the library. Antique prints stack above the Chairish-sourced, marble-topped walnut chest and gilt buffet lamps with Penny Morrison shades.
Between the tortoise-shell-patterned cabinetry painted by artist Shelly Denning, a sofa in a Schumacher chevron packs a punch. Bromley turned to a Pierre Frey floral for the Roman shade and accent pillows, while a Designers Guild faux leather covers the coffee table.
A yellow-and-pink Schumacher textile steals the show in the daughters’ bedroom, composing the drapes, bed canopies and accent pillows. High-gloss trim paint is color-matched to the Kathryn M. Ireland ticking-stripe wallpaper.
The girls’ bedroom palette carries into their bathroom, with Jim Thompson wallpaper, a custom vanity painted by Theresa Nardone of Bella Terra Design and Ann Sacks subway tile. A Coleen & Company sconce crowns the Mirror Home acrylic mirror.