Spare Change

The living room. Photo: Sharon Radisch

Designer Lucy Harris needed to think lean but bold, and serene but not uniform, for clients who were done with all that stuff you collect and rearrange over 15 years of raising three kids, in a 10,000-square-foot Colonial with six bedrooms and nine bathrooms, including rooms they admit they never used, not to mention lots of closets that just beg for stuff. In 2015, they took the plunge: Sold the house and moved to New York to be “in the center of the greatest city in the world.” They longed for a peaceful oasis, free of clutter and easy to keep neat and tidy, hence very few things. They moved into a new building overlooking Madison Square Park.

In the face of minimal décor, Harris thought about pattern and color and enlisted decorative painter Caroline Lizarraga to paint a pale-agate stone pattern in the entry hall, seen here. The sconces are by Gio Ponti, and the credenza is from Cappellini. The blue-green silk rug is by Mark Nelson. Photo: Sharon Radisch

“They wanted a fresh, bright space that had luxurious finishes but minimalist lines,” Harris says. So she custom-designed the lacquer-topped table to reflect the natural light and a leather banquette with channel ribbing. The chandelier is from Jason Koharik. The Beetle dining chairs are by Gubi. Photo: Sharon Radisch

“We had Caroline Lizarraga paint a whimsical pattern on the walls in the powder room,” Harris notes. The custom Corian sink sports a black fixture from Zucchetti, and the sconces from Allied Maker flank a vintage mirror. Photo: Sharon Radisch

The master bedroom has the addition of a comfy vintage chaise covered in nubby boucle fabric, “the one concession to the husband,” Harris notes, “for afternoon naps after long business trips.” The hanging light fixture is by Pinch. Photo: Sharon Radisch

The sleek master bedroom has a custom-designed bed with a blue-velvet-covered, wall-to-wall headboard. The bedside tables by Lawson-Fenning have been lacquered to match. The pendant lights are by Lee Broom. Photo: Sharon Radisch

Harris left the open kitchen alone save for the addition of the Maru Globe pendants by Ladies and Gentlemen Studio and stools from Suite New York. Her clients are very happy in their new minimalist digs. “We walk everywhere, “ her client says. “And never need to buy mulch by the truck load anymore!” Photo: Sharon Radisch