For Margaret, the kitchen was a labor of love. “I love to cook and a full-size kitchen with full-size appliances, a floor-to-ceiling pantry, and wine storage were all priorities for me—a rare combination in New York for an apartment this size,” she reflects. And yet, for a kitchen that pulls heavy duty, the aesthetic is surprisingly easy-breezy. The custom cabinets, for example, match the wood floors in style and spirit. And the ceilings are coated in a high gloss paint that nicely reflects the light.
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The home brims with character thanks, in large part, to the treasures and tchotchkes that whisper of a past life. “There are many unique pieces I have collected over the years. My photography collection was curated with the help of Jodi and Holden Luntz of Luntz Gallery in Palm Beach. Among my other special possessions are my Baumann dining chairs, my collection of books which I started while in college, and my bedroom rope chair which I purchased at Brimfield [Antique Flea Market]. The light fixture in the dining room is also noteworthy. I made it using antique cages that provided protection to a rare grape in France in the late 1800s.”
Of the many challenges she faced in overhauling the apartment, the biggest, Margaret confesses, was the bathroom. “There was an old rolled-edge porcelain tub that I was dying to keep, but with all the pipes that needed replacing, there was no scope for any kind of movement, and we eventually decided to lose the tub,” she rues. Porcelain tub aside, the bathroom is all the better post-renovation: The walls dazzle in a Spanish ceramic glaze, and a 1960s Swedish mirror gives the chamber a glam twist. “I also love how the light reflects off the high-gloss ceiling and the way the vintage grape cage light fixture throws reflections on the wall.” But perhaps most special of all, is the view from the shower—of rows and rows of Fifth Avenue rooftops that roll off into the horizon.
