Rita Konig’s Greenwich Village apartment: an exercise in English charm

Image credit: Mieke ten Have

When you reach the steps of Rita Konig’s apartment building, a stately 19th Century Edith Wharton-esque town house in Greenwich Village, you might expect to find the portal to a Victorian-decor reliquary awaiting you behind the large wood doors. In lieu of gilded age ambiance, however, the designer has thankfully channeled her English style sensibilities– an understated elegant simplicity, a nod to the whimsical, an appreciation for the unique– and created a haven of charm.

Konig, who is a decorator and writer for the New York Times T Magazine blog, The Paris Review, and contributor to Elle Decor is my former boss. She had just moved into her Village apartment shortly before I started working for her– it was such a distinctly wonderful experience to see her shape it into a home that reflects her aesthetic and vision.

Image credit: Mieke ten Have

The space has intimidatingly high ceilings- a rare attribute for a New York apartment, which might inspire nerves in a less experienced designer. What does one do with such hugely high windows? How does one manage an abundance of vertical wall space? Rita, however, knew just what to do. She arranged her artwork gallery style, incongruously meandering up each wall.  Instead of looking at her artwork thematically, she pieced the frames and canvases in shapes that fit well together– which draws the viewer’s eyes upward and across the entire space.

Image credit: Mieke ten Have

Inspired by Hamish Bowles’ Parisian apartment in the October issue of World of Interiors, Rita decided balloon shades would give her windows just enough of a dramatic flourish. The height of the windows ensured that her curtains wouldn’t end up looking like “granny’s old knickers”, as she speculated they might in a room of lesser proportions. She selected a curtain liner for the fabric– an insider tip if ever there were one for creating curtains that require a voluminous amount of yardage. They do more than justice to the very high ceilings the apartment affords her and seem to softly cradle the entire space– and her decision to put them in her living room and bedroom give it a sense of cohesion.

Image credit: Mieke ten Have

Her bedroom headboard, which is upholstered in Raoul Textiles’ fabric, plays with perspective– its arabesque shape is extremely high, playing against the rather diminutive size of the bedroom and the grandiose height, allowing it to feel larger than life. The wallpaper is from Twigs and climbs the walls in an ivy-like way. It strikes just the right chord of traditional Anglo-design and playfulness.

Image credit: Mieke ten Have

Rita is a master of the vignette, using her dresser as both a utilitarian and decorative tableau, displaying her often worn jewelry alongside a D. Porthault jewelry round and a shagreen box, while a lucite tray to the right holds lotions and other toiletries. This is a quality she also brings to her kitchen.

Image credit: Mieke ten Have

Her kitchen, notably, does well without the “built-in” look that is so prevalent– allowing her several console tables on which she displays her assortments of teas, blue ball jars containing coffee and sugar, and several indispensable appliances along with personal photographs and pieces from various antique silver services. Framed artwork makes the kitchen feel complete and unique– not just a forgotten room.

Image credit: Mieke ten Have

Rita, above, was telling me about how pleased she was when she decided to change the location of her bar from an antique wood spindle-leg side table to her white lacquer console. And that, really, is the story to Rita’s success as a designer. She is constantly renegotiating spaces in her head, reworking the seemingly obvious, and above all, searching for that elusive aha moment.

Image credit: Mieke ten Have