This Dusty Pink Manhattan Loft Is the Perfect Antidote to Barbiecore
Every inch of the oversized space has been acknowledged and invigorated with a timeless, mature take on the colour of the year
Thanks to black-and-white photographs, movies, and New York City art-world lore, Manhattan loft living has been romanticized for decades. As a result, those vast swaths of mostly uninterrupted space in SoHo’s and Tribeca’s old manufacturing and warehouse buildings remain deeply coveted. And yet, the average New Yorker wouldn’t know how to make them comfortable for everyday life due to their expansive open floor plans.
Such was the case for one young family, who called on designer Paris Forino to help resolve their flummoxing space dilemma. “They’d been living there for six years before they brought me in,” Forino says, referring to the family’s 4,000-square-foot loft apartment in a landmarked Tribeca building that was originally built as a warehouse in the 1800s. “They hadn’t done much to it; it had a lot of potential but was very underutilized.”
The family had only been socialising in one corner of their vast living area before the design intervention. But Forino knew exactly what needed to be done to optimize the unit and encourage the family to venture into all areas of their own home. “We really wanted to activate every part of the great room,” Forino explains, referring to the spacious common area.
The designer tackled that area first by dividing it into three distinct zones and then by using coffers to demarcate each section. “We [wanted] to create interest in this massive ceiling,” explains Forino. The move also gave the illusion of a more intimate, smaller-scaled space. Lighting is tucked inside each lip of the coffers, which imbues the formerly dark interiors with extra brightness. Notably, each zone can be lit up individually, allowing the owners to highlight different areas depending on their needs.
Forino used the clients’ one main request – that the apartment’s palette be pink – to pull the room together. “She really wanted pink,” says Forino of the family’s matriarch, “and [her husband said,] ‘Okay, let’s do pink.’” To ensure the family did not wind up living in a Barbiecore fantasy, Forino used warm, grounding pink tones throughout the public spaces and in other areas of the apartment. “When you’re in it, it just has a happy feeling. There’s a joy to the color…. It’s not like a baby’s room,” the designer says of the finished product.
Walls are the first and foremost focus of this rose-tinted effort. In the great room, a soothing hemp wallpaper by Phillip Jeffries lines the walls. A pink kitchen, with cabinets and refrigerator painted in Farrow & Ball’s Red Earth, continues the peachy feel. The only rooms that aren’t bathed in the shade are the office, along with its en suite bathroom, and the powder room. “We went a little more masculine here with this beautiful hunter green,” Forino says of the walls in the office, which doubles as a guest bedroom.
Additional variations of the rose-tinted hue can be found in the primary bathroom, where glazed zellige tiles line the shower walls and a soft pink tadelakt-style plaster surface was installed above the vanity. In the primary bedroom, only the carpet, sconces, headboard, and bed frame get the pink treatment – the rest is punctured by subtle green and blue accents, along with a few neutral nods in between.
Now that every square inch of the Manhattan loft has been tended to, the family is able to properly enjoy their prized New York City apartment. “The transformation was unbelievable," Forino says. “Every corner of the apartment feels loved and touched and designed, and part of a big whole.”
1/11The unit’s private elevator opens directly into a foyer dressed in spruce-oak panels. The natural material and neutral palette help ground the apartment. Custom bench by Paris Forino with fabric by Cassamance. Mirror by Sabine Marcelis. Lighting by the Urban Electric Company.
Photo: Genevieve Garruppo2/11Two sconces by Patrick Naggar flank an active wood-burning fireplace. A white chandelier by Fabio hangs above the seating area, which includes a custom sofa, chaise upholstered in white bouclé by Pepe Albargues at Missana, custom ottomans by Paris Farino, a coffee table by Charlotte Perriand, and Club Chairs by Phantom Hands. Artwork by Grace Weaver.
Art: Sadie Benning/ Vielmetter Los Angeles3/11Two Carl Hansen & Son Signature Chairs, a custom-designed sectional by Paris Forino with velvet fabric by Dedar, and a coffee table by Jean-Michel Frank make up the informal living area. Side table by Mia Hamborg, floor lamps by Aerin, throw pillows by Zak & Fox. The artwork, by Sadie Benning, was sourced by advisor Elizabeth Fiore.
Art: Clare Woods4/11A custom banquette by Paris Forino is covered in velvet by Brochier, while dining chairs by Hiort af Ornäs surround the dining table by Fern. Artwork by Clare Woods.
Art: Evan Nesbit/Van Doren Waxter, New York5/11The kitchen’s pink palette is a delightfully executed, mature version of the color. Stools by KGBL, upholstered in fabric by C&C Milano, cozy up to a custom island by Paris Forino. Artwork by Evan Nesbit.
6/11A pink-and-white marble vanity enlivens the powder room.
7/11The moody office, which doubles as a guest room, was designed sans pink. Deep green wallpaper complements a similarly colored velvet ottoman designed by Paris Forino. It sits on a tobacco-colored rug.
8/11A custom-designed work station made out of burlwood is positioned at the opposite end of the office.
9/11The en suite bathroom, which is attached to the office, has a custom vanity by Paris Forino. Sconces are by Apparatus.
10/11Custom headboard by Paris Forino. Headboard sconces and ceiling lighting by the Urban Electric Company. Nightstands by Orior. Chairs by Jean-Michel Frank, with custom ottoman by Paris Forino.
11/11Forino balances several shades of pink in the primary bathroom. Vanity is custom by Paris Forino, faucets and hardware are by Waterworks.
