Interior design by Story Street Studio, New York, NY and Bozeman, MT — Photograph by Brittany Ambridge

Color and Pattern Take Center Stage in This New York City Apartment

VERANDA
By Zoë Gowen
April 7, 2022

The city may be changing, but young homeowner Lucinda May and decorator Lizzie Bailey of Story Street Studio preserve a touch of the gilded age in this Upper East Side prewar apartment.

This may be the first apartment for Lucinda and Theodore May, but it is less starter home and more so a lifelong achievement. “I grew up in a prewar building in New York and ever since I was a little girl, I have been obsessed with floor plans and lobbies,” confides homeowner Lucinda May. Handily, that fascination played out well into adulthood where May worked as director of communications for Peter Pennoyer Architects. At the tony, classicist firm, she gained access to Pennoyer's elegant point of view and his architectural library (over 10,000 volumes!) while also crossing paths with her future decorator, Lizzie Bailey. At the time, Lizzie worked for Pennoyer’s wife, Katie Ridder, an acclaimed decorator renown for joltingly colorful projects juxtaposed with traditional elements.

In 2019, when Lucinda and Theodore May began apartment hunting, Lucinda narrowed the search down by floor plans and locations, leading them to this building with a limestone facade designed by Pleasants Pennington on the Upper East Side. As if the lobby decorated by Dorothy Draper wasn't enough on its own, the apartment appealed even more. May says the traditional floor plan had, "separate public entertaining spaces and private living areas flowing through a large entrance hall, plus original casement windows throughout and lots of built-in bookshelves." She adds, "It overlooks St. James Church which is always pin-drop silent unless the choir is practicing.” With the dream apartment secured, the Mays sought to make it perfect for them with the help of Lizzie Bailey, principal of Story Street Studio.

NURSERY

The May's adorable dog, Clementine, stands guard in the nursery. The walls are painted in Farrow & Ball’s Blue Ground and the trim is Farrow & Ball's Dix Blue. Book plates from the early 20th c. book The Foxes Frolic are framed on the wall for a whimsical touch.

FOYER

The main entry foyer cleverly transforms into an intimate dining room for expanded
dinner parties, making the most of limited square footage. The chairs are covered in Decors Barbares“Cassa Noisette" and the tablecloth is Schuyler Samperton's “Benghal Stripe." Stylist Carolyn Englefieldcreates the perfect tablescape.

FOYER

The foyer peaks into the library and living space, where bold color abounds. The wallcovering is Katie Ridder's “Scraffito” Orangerie and the painted floor is by Cheron Tomkins.

LIBRARY

The library is swathed in "Luscious," an aubergine sisal wall covering from Scalamandre. It was designed around the sofa's fabric, Pierre Frey’s Monuments d’Egypt toile, a nod to years Theodore spent living and working as a journalist in Egypt before the couple met.

LIBRARY

This corner of the library perfectly mixes rich, bold patterns without feeling overstimulating or stuffy. The antique chair is covered in Pukka Fabre Textiles' “Feather” and the wallpaper in the back of the bookcase is F. Schumacher's “Tortoise Amazon.”

KITCHEN

Sandberg's "Waldemar" oak leaf-printed wallpaper is deployed with gusto. The bold choice transformed the formerly all-white kitchen into a cheerful, garden-inspired space. A utilitarian corner was repurposed as a chic bar for entertaining, and the mirrored backsplash adds a touch of glam. A black-and-white ticking stripe skirt from Kravet conceals the washer and dryer when not in use.

LIVING ROOM

Glazed walls in Benjamin Moore's "Bermuda Blue" create a bold backdrop for a colorful space filled with a mix of classic and modern pieces. Contemporary artist Willa Nasatir’s “Bite" (2020) hangs on the wall above a custom raspberry strie velvet sofa from Pindler. The quirky piece picks up colors in the armchairs covered in F. Schumacher's "Rolling Hills." This room is also filled with family heirlooms, such as a charcoal drawing from Lucinda's great grandmother, lemon silk window treatments passed down from Lucinda's parents, and an antique Oushak carpet from Theodore's parents.

PRIMARY BEDROOM

The Charles P. Rogers iron bed gets a charming makeover with classic chintz. The bedskirt and headboard slipcover are from Brunschwig & Fils Verrieres. Oversized gingham curtains in Scalamandre's "Swedish Linen Check" keep the space feeling fresh and light.

GUEST BEDROOM

This guest bedroom is warm and welcoming, thanks to "Setting Plaster," a peachy paint color from Farrow & Ball. The headboard fabric features a cheeky dog print (Virginia White “Whippets” from Supply Showroom). Quilted bed shams from Amanda Lindroth continue the pattern play and peachy color scheme.

HALLWAY

Twigs "Dublin" wallpaper is featured in this hallway from the main entry to the primary bedroom, and the trim is painted in Farrow & Ball's "Monkey Puzzle."

“Lucinda and I already had an endless, years-long text chain with images of things that we both loved,” says Bailey, who recognized the influence that this Manhattan prewar building should have on the decor. “My partner, Laura Stanley, and I have developed a design vocabulary rooted in traditional decorating that never reads as overly serious,” says Bailey. The decorator says she aimed to “establish an overarching perspective” to the May's home and use bold color and unexpected art to “inject a youthful edge into the somewhat formal spaces.”

Bailey says that the Mays were open minded when it came to her design ideas: “I learned to quit saying, ‘you might think I am insane’ when proposing a crazy-sounding idea like upholstering a headboard with a whippet-printed fabric, but Lucinda was always up for it.” Those wild ideas both play up and lighten up the serious antiques that May and Bailey worked diligently to collect. Case in point: the Egyptian Revival cabinet spotted in an auction catalog that’s now located in the May’s foyer. The library’s sofa fabric (Pierre Frey’s Monuments d’Egypte) cheekily salutes the auction win. Lucinda also brought a wish list of wallpapers and fabrics to use in the apartment, which Lizzie wove throughout with ease. Katie Ridder’s Scraffito wallpaper gives the foyer an architectural backbone and Bailey says the golden yellow colorway is “like Vitamin D, despite there being no natural light," while the painted floor anchors the space “like a rug that can be easily mopped.”

The cobalt living room (Benjamin Moore’s Bermuda Blue with a custom glaze on top) features lemon-yellow silk draperies repurposed from Lucinda's parent’s home, a fuchsia strie velvet sofa, and a faux-bois painted fireplace mantel. Adjacent to the saturated living room and striking foyer, Bailey turned the library into a strong, but quiet sitting room filled with tonal plums and greens. “Sometimes it’s best to lean into a dark room and make it clubby and cozy,” says Bailey. Off of the main rooms, Bailey eased up on the color palette. She says, “[though] the private spaces are more subdued...this apartment is phenomenal for entertaining.”

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