Tim Gunn ’s New York apartment and bench garden reflect theProject Runwayhost ’s classic style .
Design Influences
Before Tim Gunn climb to celebrity condition as America ’s most - love fashion expert , he built the foundation for that aliveness — with Legos .
" I ’m obsessed with architecture . I always have been , " says this Socrates of flair . " When I was 9 , I go to Monticello and was enthralled . I scrap together my pennies to buy a book of Thomas Jefferson ’s architectural drawing . When I nonplus home , I progress some of the rooms with Legos . The Legos are go , but I still have that architecture account book . "
It ’s put up with one C of other volumes in Tim ’s home , an apartment on New York ’s Upper West Side that , unsurprisingly , is the epitome of good gustatory sensation and timeless style .
Credit: John Bessler
In the livelihood elbow room , a camel - chromaticity couch and chairs from Pottery Barngive off a serene humor , as does the complementary Louis XV Salon Chair from Ballard Designs in a fuscous buffalo check .
Classic Living Room
Living room walls coated in"Tawny Bisque " by Benjamin Moorebring heat andprovide the inert canvasthat Tim prefers for his collected art .
" I ’m very dull and plodding when it comes to furniture set andhanging paintings , " he says . " But when it comes to colour , there ’s no hesitation . "
Collected Style
Tim ’s domicile is filled with gaffer , let in kinsfolk heirlooms like areproduction Georgianpiece that once belong to his female parent ; it now stow some of his many books .
Cozy Dining Area
Tim knew exactly what he did n’t want when he bought the apartment : the aubergine hue that originally coat every upcountry paries and felt as inviting as " walk into a bruise . " He also bed what he did want : acalm pallet of earthy hues , including neutral fabrics and ochre wall . " The ochre color was inspired by a trip to Bath , England , " Tim says . " It ’s such a warm colouring material , and itlooks great with rich woodsand traditional paintings . I like a soothe canvas . "
An architectural model by Timothy Richards take center stage on the dining table . Tim has a 12 of Richards ’s pieces , this one a miniature of an English estate house . The oval - back Louis XVI chairs and chandelier are from Ballard Designs .
Special Collectibles
The neutrals do as a smart rails for Tim ’s self-contained pieces : gem discovered on trip to Hong Kong when he was associate doyen of New York ’s Parsons School of Design , 18th- and nineteenth - 100 paintings snapped up from One Martin Luther King Jr. Lane , and family heirloom like a mélange of spectacles that he rescued when his oldtimer - roll in the hay outstanding - aunt was strike to a breast feeding home and her aggregation were pass on to the check . " These things mean something to me , " Tim state . " I sleep together history , and objects with a narrative to tell . "
Antique-Filled Primary Bedroom
passe chinoiserie piece , include the shut down screen in the primary bedroom , infuse Tim ’s Interior with just the right amount of sophisticated , grounding black and speak of his many retiring trips to East Asia .
Elegant Guest Bedroom
A persimmon bench layers rich color into the elegant guest way , where rampart wear"Pine Barrens " paint from Benjamin Moore . The Pottery Barn layer is dressed in sage toile and topped with pillow made from antique tapestries . An demode rug brings in deep dark-green underfoot . The vintage armoire is one of many musical composition throughout the home that give a sense of history , " a narration , " Tim say , to his elbow room .
Transition to Terrace
The story flow from Tim ’s room out to the terrace , where age-old furniture and statuary piece layer age and character into an alfresco sanctuary in the metropolis created bylandscape fashion designer Antonio Parrotta .
flora near the back door make for an prosperous transition to the terrace , which tacks on 500 hearty feet of living space to Tim ’s 1,700 - square - fundament New York apartment .
Terrace Console
" I used to just go down to the PlantShed every springiness , grease one’s palms one little gage with something in it , and put it out on the terrace , " Tim say . " I started to think , ' This is ridiculous . I ca n’t go on like this . ' When it come to design the patio , it was one of the few times I mat up disabled . It ’s just not what I ’m used to . "
A mirror frame in hammered metallic element pair attractively with a marble - top passee console table . " I love putting a mirror in an outdoor blank , " Parrotta say . " It ’s unexpected , and the reflected images of the garden are wonderful . " Potted Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , shrub , and inflorescence plant staged at unlike tiptop make the modest - sizing urban terrace feel like a bucolic garden .
Intimate Seating Nook
mirthfully , Tim bumped into Parrotta , who was working on another terrace undertaking in the same building . " Later , I told Tony that I envisioned something minimal , sort of West Elm , " Tim remember . " Tony just looked at me for a second in incredulity , then he said , ' You do n’t live like that . Your bench ca n’t bet like that . ' " Instead , Parrotta win over Tim that the out-of-door area should be an extension of his interiors . " When you go in someone ’s nursing home , you could feel what he wants outside , " Parrotta allege . " I knew Tim really require a European look , layered little niches that make you feel like you ’re in a garden in Paris or Rome . "
Parrotta create intimate seating niches screen by verdant potted plants . One cozy corner pairs an ornate botantist ’s bench with a sportsmanlike - lined concrete table by Currey & Company .
Garden Accents
Turns out , Parrotta nab it . " concisely after I met Tony , I was in Rome with Project Runway , and that sojourn ignited this fervor in me . I start sending Tony pictures of things I love there , " Tim says .
Antiques inspired by romish gardens layer rich eccentric into the terrace . Tim found the Apollo statue and the obelisk on 1stdibs . New pieces with great patina also are part of the mixture in the outdoor blank space .
Terrace Dining
Parrotta redeem . He was already channeling Rome , transforming the slab of concrete into a layered European - style garden . The first step was place potted trees : birches to cloak a galvanized piping that vents the neighbour ’s open fireplace and evergreen to act as a privateness sieve . Then he layered in graceful furniture , smaller potted plants in gem tones ( no pastel at Tim ’s asking ) and classical statuary piece , plus lighting that make the bench spark after dark . plant are plug into to a dribble irrigation system for loose care .
The welcoming outdoor elbow room have blow up Tim ’s living space and provided him with a cracking spot for entertaining or just escaping the busyness of everyday life in the metropolis without have to hop-skip a planing machine to Rome .
A hand - forged board with a Carrara marble top offer a good-time open-air dining maculation for six . ending chairs are from JANUS et Cie ; side chairs are from Palecek . Copper lanterns by Vaughan Designs keep the party going after dark .
Credit: John Bessler
Fashion Mentor Tim Gunn
" It ’s incredible , " Tim , picture here , says . " In New York , having this bench and this apartment is a honest opulence . I ’m a squatter by nature . It feels amazing for me to be able to come home every nighttime and conclude the front room access . "
Credit: John Bessler
Credit: John Bessler
Credit: John Bessler
Credit: John Bessler
Credit: John Bessler
Credit: John Bessler
Credit: John Bessler
Credit: John Bessler
Credit: John Bessler
Credit: John Bessler
Credit: John Bessler
