Suzanne Lovell Composes a Collector’s Tranquil Apartment at the St. Regis

After two previous complete renovations within the building, Lovell approached this project—which combined two suites—with the same gusto, replacing flooring, lighting, and more to elevate the space to the exacting expectations of a seasoned art collector. “Everything is new,” says the designer, who transformed the floor plan to create a three-bedroom apartment with space for an office. “I think the difference that we bring to any project is not only that we have this ability to research and create dialogue for art, but we’re architects first and I’m alway going to be about the architectural finishes.”

Addressing first the structure and the function of the home, Lovell then created a cohesive design featuring a neutral palette of black, white, and gray, most striking in the glamorous bath that features a stone floor in a bold hexagon pattern. Throughout the remainder of the residence, a sumptuous walnut is set in a classic herringbone pattern. “We knew that strong floor was going to be a grounding mechanism in the space,” she says.

The soft grays of the living room are given dimension through the layers of textures—a sturdy textile on the traditional armchairs and sofa, a wool and silk rug by Oscar Isberian, a sleek glass Baccarat chandelier with pleated silk shades. Pops of color appear in a Hermès folding chair with deep red leather seat, a pair of custom Frank Pollaro dining chairs upholstered in a rich peacock-color Hermès fabric, a work on paper by Jean-Michel Basquiat, and a Roy Lichtenstein lithograph entitled Reflections on The Scream (1990). “In a holistic way, we were thinking about the balance of the artwork and the floor, about the balance of the color and materials,” says Lovell. “We’d be working on the balance of color in three dimensions and how do we bring warm and cool colors together to give confidence and comfort inside the space.”

A similar aesthetic carries over into the study where another Hermès Pippa folding arm chair is coupled with the atelier’s Metiers desk by Enzo Mari, both featuring a cherry red leather. In this room, another Baccarat chandelier features gleaming pops of red, while a cashmere rug from Oscar Isberian provides luxury underfoot. A ghostly work by Key-Sook Geum (one of several pieces by the artist featured in the client’s collection) dances between drapes from Jouffre. “The quietness of that as a background was appropriate for someone who is very fashionable,” says Lovell. “The subtle sophistication was the most important.”

In the peaceful main bedroom, the muted tones take an elegant turn when paired with a jet black Baccarat chandelier and high-gloss bedside tables topped with a set of sculptural lamps. A pair of Liaigre benches in cast bronze is surmounted by an Irving Penn photograph. Just beyond the door, a plaster work entitled Little Ida by Charles Calverley was one of the collaboration’s moments of serendipity—Lovell discovered it an art fair and immediately texted her client to expound its virtues only to learn the homeowner had already purchased the piece.

The home’s strongest color moment happens in a bedroom conceived for the home owner’s daughter. The walls, painted a romantic seashell pink, are echoed in a painting by Hiroyuki Matsuura, sculptural work by Kristine Mays, and custom chandelier that features a cluster of handblown glass orbs in white and gray but also red, orange, black, and gold. The client has a custom rug featuring a map of Milan in one of her other St. Regis residences, so the designer selected a handmade one by Hokanson for this space that features the Land of Oz.

“There’s a consistency—you still feel like you’re in the same house,” says Lovell. “There are threads that follow through. It’s a sophisticated, large pied-à-terre in New York City—you’ve got to have a little fun.”