Upper East Side Apartment by Studio Nicholas Obeid

Studio Nicholas Obeid has enriched the interiors of a New York City apartment through a thoughtful curation of furniture, lighting and artwork. Defined by an interplay of complementary textures and tropes, the space is now a supremely inviting refuge on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

Nicholas Obeid was engaged by his client, renowned make-up artist Mario Dedivanovic, to create a sophisticated yet youthful energy for this two-bedroom apartment. Drawing on his aptitude for colour and texture, Obeid has crafted a space that is both calming and visually interesting. “It’s neutral, but there are a lot of sumptuous colours, including about 20 different shades of green – from sea foam and chartreuse-y, golden hues to browns with green and yellow undertones.” He likens this lush rainbow of sorts to one of Dedivanovic’s eye shadow palettes.

“It’s neutral but there are a lot of sumptuous colours, including about 20 different shades of green – from sea foam and chartreuse-y, golden hues to browns with green and yellow undertones.”

Featuring a mix of vintage, contemporary and bespoke pieces – including custom sofas designed by Obeid and a ceramic mirror in the entry hall by Floris Wubben, commissioned through The Future Perfect – each room is as much a study of texture as it is of tone. This stems from a framework of sorts, adopted by Obeid for many of his projects. “In all my work, there’s metal in two shades, wood in two shades and upholstery in two shades, so there’s a mix of soft and hard and that is very much demonstrated here.”

His process is a culmination of many things, including following his “visceral reaction to furniture and the brief from the client.” Also, he always embraces an opportunity to “throw in a wildcard like the black leather armchair, but otherwise it’s inherently a formula.”

Obeid tends to explore scale and asymmetry, creating dynamic programs that bring infinite visual interest.

The play on dichotomies extends to geometry and compositions. Obeid tends to explore scale and asymmetry, creating dynamic programs that bring infinite visual interest. This is illustrated well in the living room, where a skinny table lamp with a delicate metal frame stands on a tall timber cabinet to one side of the room, and on the other, a shorter timber plinth houses a brutalist-esque sculpture beside a floor lamp with a weighty shade. A pair of vintage Pierre Legrain armchairs sourced from Formative Modern ground the space and a painting by Jean-Baptiste Besançon from Richeldis Fine Art – a pivotal piece that sets the tone for the space – catches the eye.

The juxtapositions continue, with the combination of the ornate, heritage fireplace and an ultra-contemporary, reflective, sculptural piece by Jan Maarten Voskuil from NL=US Art, and an endless palette of materials including hand-fired ceramic, parchment, walnut, steel and textiles travels from the entry hall to the main bedroom.

When asked how he would define the overarching atmosphere of this project, Obeid says, “I can’t quite put my nose on it. It’s elegant and very Upper East Side but also masculine and cool – not cool in a swanky, glam, Vegas way but in a stylish, painterly and moody way.” Simultaneously subdued and atmospheric, it certainly conveys a luscious quality through its multitude of considered layers.

Interior design by Studio Nicholas Obeid.