After four years of living with a friend in New York City’s East Village, 26-year-old Will Hardy decided it was time to find a place of his own. Because Will is a strategic growth manager for Compass, a real estate brokerage firm, the search itself was a smooth process. A few clicks and choice search terms yielded an ideal new spot smack in the center of downtown Brooklyn.
Will Hardy at home in Manhattan.
A 500-square-foot alcove studio in a just-completed high-rise, the apartment satisfied Will’s requirements. “I wanted to live somewhere that had space for the things I love to do: entertain and cook,” he says. But with no furniture (at least none worth schlepping from the East Village) he found himself faced with a challenge he hadn’t quite anticipated: an empty white box.
“It was a little daunting,” he recounts. To make the process of outfitting his space as seamless as the search for the space had been, he enlisted the help of the One Kings Lane Interior Design team. He knew he wanted “a blend of postmodern and some classics,” but beyond that he trusted his designer to pull together a functional scheme that suited his social lifestyle. And his take on the experience? “I was blown away. I’m not complacent when it comes to style, and the ability to speak with someone about what I liked and didn’t made the entire process easy.”
Below, check out the studio, then shop the look or make your own design appointment.
A glass coffee table offers a useful surface without hindering light or a sense of space. The velvet settee and the brass lamps visually separate the seating area from the sleeping alcove, while the rug speaks to the neutral hues found throughout the apartment.
Blue nightstands were selected in the interest of color and storage, pairing perfectly with orange lamps and the oversize aerial photograph hanging above the bed upholstered in charcoal linen.
A walnut-finish dining table acts as a kitchen island as well as a place for Will to share meals with friends. Just shy of 40 inches in diameter, it was just the right size for the compact corner.
I was blown away. I'm not complacent when it comes to style, and the ability to speak with someone about what I liked and didn't made the entire process easy.
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