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Room to Grow

A 500-square-foot studio in a postwar white brick building — redesigned little by little since 2001.

The kitchen. Photo: Kyle Knodell
The kitchen. Photo: Kyle Knodell

For many New Yorkers, their first apartment is but one step in the dream of upsizing over the years, but not for Edith Taichman. Her gold-standard CV includes working in marketing and communications at Peter Marino Architect, Oscar de la Renta, and Apparatus design studio, as well as pursuing communications and branding projects as an independent consultant — she’s also started her own website, LETS SAY. Taichman’s 500-square-foot studio has been all her heart has desired since the day she first walked in. Which is not to say that the space hasn’t grown with her; it’s undergone many design iterations, the most recent of which is seen here.

The kitchen received the most extreme makeover: The Benjamin Moore Kensington Blue paint on the cabinets inspired a more colorful wallpaper, Chromatic Stripe from Farrow & Ball. The new backsplash is white subway tile and the countertops are quartz. “I figured I would just kind of go nuts in here,” Taichman says. “Either I am all in or I am not doing it.”

Taichman gutted the apartment when she moved in, but since then the work has been mostly cosmetic. The entrance foyer and studio are painted in Farrow & Ball’s Pigeon. The light fixture on the wall is from Apparatus and the photograph is an outtake from the 1956 film Giant, with Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson, purchased at Wrong. The ceiling fixture is from Schoolhouse. Photo: Kyle Knodell
Edith repainted the credenza from Horseman Antiques with a Lobmeyr glass candy dish from Les Atelier Courbet and a black marble-and-brass urn from Apparatus. The painting is by Damon Shair. Photo: Kyle Knodell
“I never tried to disguise the fact that it was a studio,” Taichman says. “I have people come in here all the time and say, ‘Why don’t you put up a wall?’ For me, there just never seemed to be a point.” Keeping the space open allows light to stream into areas defined by different furniture arrangements. The sleeping area is contained at one end of the studio with bedding from Restoration Hardware and a low console bookshelf from West Elm with a bell lamp from Tom Dixon. The sofa is from ABC Carpet, the side tables are from DWR, and the wall candelabra is vintage, found at an estate sale in Seattle. Photo: Kyle Knodell
The last décor shake-up included getting rid of a dining area. “I created more of a seating area,” Taichman says. “I don’t do a lot of cooking here, so that’s sort of like an experiment. I’m going to live with that for a while and see how it goes.” The area rug is vintage, and the pair of Kodawood chairs were found on Chairish and reupholstered in Maharam black leather. The chair facing the window is Faye Toogood’s Roly Poly Chair for Driade. Photo: Kyle Knodell
The bathroom (along with the kitchen) got a renovation as well; the new vanity is from Restoration Hardware. Taichman has no plans to move; the décor keeps her busy, as it keeps changing as she grows. “Things are moving in, things are moving out,” she says. “There’s this thing when you are in a small space and you can’t shut the door … It’s like you are pulling a string: Once you change one thing, you need to change everything. So it’s sort of a slippery slope if you’re someone who likes projects.” Photo: Kyle Knodell

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A 500-Square-Foot Studio With Room to Grow