Interior designer Justin Charette saw the listing for his Manhattan apartment on StreetEasy and jumped at the chance to make it his own. It’s in the tree lined Gramercy Park neighborhood, and Justin was drawn to the abundance of natural light, thanks to triple exposures of the apartment, a rare feature in smaller New York City apartments. The designer and his husband, Alexander Atkins, senior social media director at Tata Harper Skincare, moved in and got to work transforming the space.

“I wanted to keep the apartment neutral and sleek while still being fairly high impact,” Justin shares. “I achieved this through the use of black and white. As I designer I’m always coming across new pieces, and I wanted a base palette that can be changed should I wish to add meaningful touches of color.”

The biggest must have in the apartment was a Calico Ombre accent wall in the living room. “I typically prefer avoiding accent walls but thought this added needed interest to an expansive wall, and broke up the white box feeling that’s often present in NYC apartments,” he explains. This room is grounded by a rug from Stark, and features a slate grey Bassam Fellows sectional with a print from Richard Phipps hanging above. A 9 foot long custom Desiron Credenza adds contrast and warmth.

In the bedroom, a DWR bed takes up much of the space. “I used a lot of leather in our home,” Justin says. “I enjoy the material and find it’s always a good low maintenance solution for busy New Yorkers.” The cuboid Bower Studios mirror finishes off the space. 

Though most of his work is client-facing, designing for his own home was a relatively similar process. “I’m a very decisive person so in a sense it’s easier to do for myself,” he explains. “While some clients share my decisive nature, others need to see many options before landing on a decision. In either case it’s always fun to explore and create a design that reflects the homeowner, be it myself or client.”

See more design details in the slideshow.