SHARED CANVAS

Exceptional art and a finely curated selection of mid-century pieces work beautifully in this New York apartment and give it a unique allure

- JULIET BENNING

Sensuality is not a word often associated with interiors, but it’s one Andre Mellone uses to describe his work. ‘I’ve been told there’s something sexy about it and I’m very proud of that,’ the Brazilian-born, New York-based interior designer says, smiling. True to his signature style, the stunning interiors he has created for a newly developed apartment in a late-19th-century building in Brooklyn are seductive, cosy and well-proportioned.

His clients, a husband and wife with several other properties in the US, were eager to be close to their family. ‘The apartment is only three quarters of a mile from where our grandchildren live. We wanted our New York home to be somewhere where we could entertain formally, but that would also suit all the generations of our family,’ the wife of the couple explains. ‘With such tall, large spaces we didn’t want the property to feel too cavernous. We were drawn to Andre because he has a special sense of spatial awareness. He also does these wonderful sketches that enabled us to visualise his ideas,’ she adds.