This Renter Turned an NYC Apartment into a Parisian-Chic Bachelorette Pad
“I found this apartment after a long-term breakup, when I was splitting my time between Greenwich Village in NYC and Charleston, SC. I had just missed the open house (that was attended by 40 other hopeful people), but I put down a deposit sight unseen and submitted my application anyway. Once it was accepted and I finally walked inside, I knew it was exactly what I had been looking for,” begins Emily Sermons, of this 500-square-foot apartment on the Upper West Side.
Built over 130 years ago, the apartment wowed Emily with its architectural details like 12-foot ceilings, original crown molding, and a big wooden frame dividing the kitchen and living room. “And of course the location, just a few blocks from Central Park — a place I’d always dreamed of living,” she adds.
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“When I moved in, the only furniture I brought with me was a vintage Baker sideboard (which weighs about 250 pounds — sorry to my movers!). Beyond that, I arrived with only my books, art, vintage knickknacks, and, of course, my dog, Charles. I wanted the apartment to be a blank slate and to let its character guide my design choices,” writes Emily, who won the Small/Cool Contest’s grand prize in 2022 for her Charleston space.
Emily describes the process of designing this small one-bedroom apartment as liberating. “For the first time, I was creating a home entirely for myself. I could choose a velvet sofa over something more practical, take down the ceiling fans and hang chandeliers, and even install an antique mantel so I could light fires in the winter. I could lean into my own design instincts and really push the bounds of any space I’d ever lived in before,” she admits.
“Designing this apartment helped pull me out of grief and back into myself. The space became a mirror of the qualities I was striving to cultivate in my own life — elegant, interesting, and collected,” Emily explains of the “bachelorette pad by the park” she’ll always be grateful to have lived and designed in. Alas, after five years of living in Manhattan (and one year living in this rental), Emily is off to find home in Brooklyn.
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Resources
LIVING ROOM
- Sofa — ABC Home
- Shelves — CB2
- Rug — Revival
- Dining Banquette — Wayfair
- Ottomans — Amazon
- Makeup & Jewelry Organizer — The Home Depot
- TV — Samsung
- Frame — Deco TV Frames
KITCHEN
- Peel-and-Stick Backsplash — Smart Tiles
- Kitchen Cabinet Knobs — Amazon
- Nespresso Pod Holder — Amazon
- Light Fixture — Vakker Lightings
BEDROOM
This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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