The completion of Muriel Brandolini’s latest residential project in Manhattan marks a significant milestone in a career defined by an refusal to adhere to conventional decorating norms. Located on Sutton Place, overlooking the East River, the two-story apartment represents a "full circle" moment for the celebrated interior designer. Brandolini, an autodidact who has spent nearly three decades refining a style characterized by the fearless mixing of improbable colors and antithetical styles, has transformed a historic space into a serene, light-filled sanctuary. This renovation is not merely a change in decor but a complete reimagining of a space previously occupied by one of New York’s most influential style arbiters, John Fairchild.
The Architectural Heritage of Sutton Place
Sutton Place has long been regarded as one of Manhattan’s most exclusive and tranquil enclaves. The building, a 1920s masterpiece designed by the legendary architect Rosario Candela in collaboration with the firm Cross & Cross, serves as the structural foundation for Brandolini’s vision. Candela is widely recognized for defining the standard of luxury in New York City apartment living, known for his ability to create grand, well-proportioned rooms that balance privacy with communal elegance.
The apartment’s previous occupant, the late John Fairchild—longtime publisher of Women’s Wear Daily and founder of W magazine—had maintained the residence as a quintessential tribute to English country house aesthetics. Fairchild’s interiors were defined by floral chintzes, deep-seated sofas, and a garden-like atmosphere that evoked a London townhouse. Brandolini’s intervention has replaced this traditional English narrative with an exotic, ethereal atmosphere that she describes as a "floating barge" on the river.
A Decades-Long Collaboration and Renovation
The transformation of the apartment was a collaborative effort involving a team of professionals Brandolini has worked with for over twenty years. Working alongside architect Alice Tai, the renovation focused on enhancing the natural light and the proximity to the East River. The design team utilized an enfilade—a suite of rooms formally aligned with each other—to create an airy perspective that runs the length of the riverside.
The technical execution of the project was managed by contractors Wojtek Lusinski and Mark Los of New Path Contracting, with precision painting handled by Lukas Koszegi Andres. A critical component of Brandolini’s signature look—the extensive use of fabric on walls and windows—was executed by Pilar and Olivier Lhermite of Couture For Homes. Brandolini has publicly credited this long-term collaborative team as the essential backbone of her ability to execute high-stakes design projects.
Materiality and the Enfilade of Light
One of the most striking elements of the new residence is the quality of light, which Brandolini describes as "liquid and dappled" in the morning, shifting to a "chiaroscuro" effect at dusk. To unify the various rooms along the enfilade, she employed a singular decorative device: unlined, block-printed silk curtains in a pale pink hue. These curtains remain identical from the library through to the dining room, filtering the river light to create a sense of weightlessness and continuity.
The color palette of the apartment was inspired by custom fabrics Brandolini developed in India during the renovation process. Eschewing her earlier reputation for high-contrast palettes, she opted for a series of muted, soothing tones. These include peridot greens of varying intensities, soft citrines, opalescent silvers, and various shades of pink. According to the designer, these choices were intentional, designed to put guests at ease and provide a warm, uniting atmosphere.
The Library: A Study in Curated Eclecticism
The library serves as the entry point to the residence and sets the tone for Brandolini’s refined, multicultural aesthetic. While she chose to retain the original pale sandy oak paneling, the room is furnished with a diverse array of rare objects. Two original Madeleine Castaing tufted sofas, upholstered in a peridot silk damask from Claremont, anchor the space. These are illuminated by Louis Süe and André Mare "Clochettes" pendants, which have been hung at eye level to maximize their glow.
The library also showcases Brandolini’s Vietnamese heritage through a bespoke floor lamp designed by Hervé van der Straeten. The piece incorporates antique Coromandel panels, gilt bronze, and semiprecious stones. Further layering the room’s history is a T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings desk and a 1960s Venetian mirror in candy-pink. The seating arrangement is completed by a curved tufted sofa paired with a Mattia Bonetti "Smarties" table and Brandolini’s signature slipper chairs, which are upholstered in a patchwork of antique embroideries.
The Living Room and the Art of the Collection
The living room continues the theme of the enfilade, with walls upholstered in a sage-toned, block-printed silk featuring a pattern reminiscent of the Art Nouveau movement. The room is divided by a massive pink marble table, above which hangs a crystal-beaded chandelier in the shape of a galleon, a custom creation by Claire Cormier Fauvel.
The furniture in the living room represents a cross-section of 20th-century design history. Identical sofas by Decour Décoration, modeled after a Jean-Michel Frank design and covered in silvered velvet, face Chinese-style armchairs in amethyst silk. The space is further populated by a rare Rateau table, neoclassical chairs, and Art Nouveau planters.
The art collection within the home reflects a shift from the figurative to the conceptual. Muriel and her husband, Nuno Brandolini, began collecting in the early 1990s, initially acquiring works by friends such as George Condo, Donald Baechler, and Philip Taaffe. Over time, and under the guidance of art adviser Vincent Risterucci, the couple moved toward more intellectual and challenging works. Risterucci has noted that Brandolini’s approach to art is characterized by bravery and passion rather than a focus on investment value or resale. Today, the walls feature a spontaneous arrangement of works by Sol LeWitt, Paul Klee, Maurice Denis, and Max Ernst.
The Dining Room: A Jewel Box for Entertaining
At the end of the main progression of rooms lies the dining room, designed as an intimate "jewel box." The walls are covered in block-printed silk in shades of cognac and green, providing a rich backdrop for an early 20th-century Swedish Grace console. A massive beaded chandelier, designed with trailing vines and flowers, dominates the space.
For Brandolini, the dining room is the heart of her social philosophy. She emphasizes the importance of mixing guests to foster diverse conversation and views entertaining as an extension of her design work—a way to provide friends with an immersive experience of food and ambiance.
Private Sanctuaries and Serenity
The lower level of the apartment, accessed via a staircase lined with custom shelving for a vast collection of rare films, houses the private quarters. The guest bedroom features two large windows overlooking the river and walls upholstered in mossy green velvet. It is anchored by an extraordinary 17th-century Portuguese bed and a rug by mid-century designer Mathieu Matégot.
The primary bedroom is the ultimate expression of the apartment’s "floating world" concept. The palette remains feminine and serene, utilizing pale gray silk block-printed with tiny flowers. The room features a mauve Gio Ponti armchair, pink opaline lamps, and floral Art Nouveau mirrors. The bed is dressed in custom embroidered linens by Vis-A-Vis Paris, further emphasizing the home’s commitment to artisanal craftsmanship and tactile luxury.
Analysis of Impact and Implications
The completion of Brandolini’s Sutton Place residence comes at a time when the interior design industry is seeing a resurgence in "maximalist-sophistication"—a style that favors personal narrative and high-end craftsmanship over the minimalist trends of the previous decade. Brandolini’s work in this apartment highlights several key shifts in the luxury real estate and design sectors:
- The Value of Artisanal Customization: The heavy reliance on custom-developed fabrics from India and bespoke furniture pieces from European artisans underscores a growing demand for unique, non-reproducible interiors in the ultra-high-net-worth market.
- Historical Preservation through Transformation: By maintaining the structural integrity and paneling of a Rosario Candela building while completely overwriting the previous "English" aesthetic, Brandolini demonstrates a method of historical preservation that allows for radical stylistic evolution.
- The Synthesis of Global Influences: The apartment’s successful integration of Vietnamese, Portuguese, French, and Swedish elements suggests a more globalized approach to "New York style," moving away from strictly American or European traditions toward a more eclectic, personal synthesis.
Muriel Brandolini’s move to Sutton Place represents the culmination of a career built on self-taught expertise and a refusal to follow established rules. By turning a historic Manhattan apartment into a mysterious, light-filled floating world, she has solidified her position as a designer capable of creating spaces that are both deeply personal and universally resonant within the world of high design.
