The client here had moved from London’s Kensington to this home on the Upper East Side. The house is substantial and elegant, sitting opposite the Metropolitan Museum on a double tree-lined street. Our challenge here was to work on creating a bright space that would respect the classicism of the house, work as a backdrop for the owner’s contemporary art collection and still function principally as a base for a large family. We lacquered the walls of a beautiful, paneled room in soft white so that it would serve as a gleaming setting for the Lucio Fontana and the Jean Prouve table. We juxtaposed Swedish antique furniture with a Gabriella Crespi coffee table, a Scolari lamp amongst other important pieces of contemporary art. For the dining room we decided to go super chic and line the walls in a mauve shade of silk velvet. Andy Warhols abut important contemporary art and furniture that we designed to be clean, classic and unobtrusive in feel and yet entirely comfortable.