Design Happens

Laura Day has one of the most interesting stories in design. She grew up in rural Arkansas, travelled the world at a young age and held down a myriad of odd jobs to keep herself going. All of these experiences made her the cutting-edge, yet accessible designer she is today. In her Park Avenue one-bedroom, a Ross Bleckner canvas and pedigreed 1stDibs.com treasures mingle with kitschy flea market bargains. Decadent fabrics bedeck inexpensive furnishings. Affordable indulgences like off-the-rack silk drapes and grasscloth wallcovering make a major impact without breaking the bank. Read on to see how Day brought her personal style to her New York space.

Everyone told me not to do an open kitchen in a Park Avenue apartment, but it made the space. It’s important to push the envelope, keep it interesting and follow your own tune.

I am not a fan of busy, crowded bathrooms. Graphic wallpaper is a dramatic way to fill a small space without using furniture. For the powder room, I found this funky, bold metallic chinoiserie in my favorite color: gold.

My living room is all vintage: a Steven Chase onyx table, Milo Baughman chairs and a Dunbar sofa. I love using pieces with a sense of history —  more like curating than decorating. I’m always on 1stDibs.com, which is such a great educational tool. It’s made shopping for vintage a much more sophisticated proposition.

To create a shimmering effect for the foyer ceiling, I used a metallic-gold marine varnish from Eagle Paint & Wallpaper in New Jersey. I’ve been working with them forever and they mix all of my custom colors. They’ll match any sample and ship it anywhere in the U.S.

Every home I’ve designed for myself has been quite different stylistically, but I have one constant. I always use white-marble countertops and tiles in bathrooms. Here, I paired it with crystal fixtures by Shelton Mindel that are unobtrusive, but still have a bit of sparkle — a tough mix to find.