Bennett Leifer Interiors crafts a sky-high Soho penthouse for a globe-trotting entrepreneur.

In the living room, a custom Jonas sofa with Dedar fabric and a De La Vega Giac chair upholstered in Holland & Sherry faux fur

THE PROJECT

When this client was ready to design their first New York City home, a three-bedroom abode with wraparound terraces in Soho, they turned to Bennett Leifer Interiors to bring their colorful vision to life. “[They wanted to] make a warm and familiar-feeling home, incorporating their personal interests in travel and global cultures,” says principal Bennett Leifer. “This inherently led to a thoughtful balance of patterns, textures, imagery and color.” The designer focused on creating balance between the varying hues of the rooms and the decor in contrast with the sweeping city views.

A custom Schumacher grasscloth-wrapped cocktail table

Schumacher Nest Feather panels in the powder room

THE PLAN

“We took the elements of the apartment that were beautiful but not perfect and adjusted them to suit the client’s needs in a way that felt effortless and perfect without reinventing the wheel,” Leifer explains. “I like to think a good designer is inspired to grow by what they see before them... The apartment had a lot of visual interest as one looked outward toward the views of New York City. I sought to add equal interior interest by infusing a sense of personalization and levity into every area of the home.”

In the dining room, a Serip chandelier sourced from Collective Form

THE DESIGN

“As a firm, we design from a macro sense,” the designer says. “Once the project was secured, we started evaluating all dimensions of the home through the study of the floor plan, elevation and selected mock-ups.” Once they broke ground, Leifer made adjustments like lowering one side of the entry bench to create a resting place for the family dog. “[That’s] a perfect example of universal function and personalization,” he adds.

Custom upholstered Anthony Lawrence Belfair bed and nightstands upholstered in Dedar and Maharam Fabrics in the primary bedroom

THE DETAILS

“Color inspiration was drawn from a unified palette of the client’s favorite colors in the living and dining area,” says Leifer. “Inspiration was also taken from one neighboring tiled roof in particular, seen from several rooms, in the material choice for dressing the living room columns.” Standout moments include the stunning lotus and petal forms in the primary bedroom (which were informed by the client’s travel photos), custom Bottega Nove Plumage ceramic tiles wrapped around the living and dining room columns, and a Majolica side table in the living room.

A Waterworks chandelier and Mokum Sheer curtains

THE OUTCOME

“The apartment as purchased was beautiful,” Leifer says of the home that was initially more contemporary than he and the client lean in their aesthetics. “Adding symmetry and layers of design while not making the apartment feel heavy proved to be a fun challenge.”

In the foyer, the Equalizer 2 Pendant by Ladies & Gentlemen from The Future Perfect and a custom bench upholstery by Anthony Lawrence Belfair with Romo leather and a pet cushion fabric by Perennials and Sutherland

DESIGN DETAILS

TYPE
Apartment

LOCATION
Soho

INTERIOR DESIGN
Bennett Leifer Interiors
bennettleifer.com

RESOURCES

ATELIER COURBET
Living room bench
ateliercourbet.com

CHRISTIAN LIAIGRE
Dining table and chairs
studioliaigre.com

DEDAR
Bed, nightstands and pillow fabric
dedar.com

DE GOURNAY
Custom primary bedroom wallpaper
degournay.com

FARROW & BALL
Various paint
farrow-ball.com

PIERRE FREY
Primary bedroom chair upholstery
pierrefrey.com

THE FUTURE PERFECT
Foyer lighting
thefutureperfect.com