New York apartment - Living room

A Tour of Bunny's New York Apartment

New York Apartment - Living Room

Welcome to my Upper East Side apartment in New York City. I live here with my husband and two dogs, and it's one of my favourite places to be.

The Living Room

• We bought this apartment around 10 years ago, and dove straight into making the architectural changes we wanted to make it our forever home.

• I raised all of the doorways from 7ft to 8ft, to increase the feeling of height throughout the space. I also added a door to the living room, as being able to see through to the neighbouring room helps to give an increased sense of spaciousness.

• In New York, you will often only have a window on one wall, which leaves the rest of the walls very long and empty. I broke these up using in-built bookcases to add interest, as well as a mirrored panel opposite the fireplace. The mirrored panel also helps to balance the light around the room and counteracts the issue of the one-directional natural light source.

• The mantle is an antique from Italy and gives the neoclassical look I wanted for the apartment.

• The furniture is a mix of pieces we've had for years and loved, with some pieces we sourced specifically for the space. It's the mixture of old and new which I believe gives a room its timeless quality.

• When working on the floor plan, it was important for me to have a seating group that could accommodate 8 people comfortably. I have done this with one large sofa, two pairs of chairs and one pair of stools.

• To balance the wall opposite the window, I hung an enormous painting with a pair of Venetian carved wood figures on either side.

• I like a room to 'unfold' the more time you spend in it, with new details to notice and design elements to admire as you look around.

• Flow is incredibly important, and you should be able to move through the space easily. Don't overfill a room with furniture, as this becomes uncomfortable to live in.

• The colour scheme for this room started with the beautiful rug in soft, warm colours that I completely fell in love with. The walls are in a dragged polished plaster and have a slight sheen to them and reflect the light. Most of the upholstery is in neutral fabrics, apart from a few armchairs that I covered in accent fabrics; a yellow and a tiger print pattern. I picked up on the yellow colour again with the curtains that frame the window.