FAMILY STYLE

At the hands of designer Rafael de Cárdenas, a New York City apartment gets a sophisticated yet kid-friendly makeover

- DAN RUBINSTEIN

Still only in his 40s, designer Rafael de Cárdenas has already amassed an impressive and slick portfolio that includes a Madison Avenue flagship for Baccarat, an English estate's soaring pool pavilion with a pair of corkscrew waterslides (AD, November 2017), and an ultrahip showroom for boho-chic fashion designer Ulla Johnson. But could de Cárdenas devise a stylish yet livable apartment for a growing family?

"Many of the projects we're associated with aren't super family-friendly," de Cárdenas admits. But his work on the SoHo apartment of Jonathan Perrelli, who works in NYC real estate, and Yasmina Jacobs, an entrepreneur and marketing professional, plus their three young daughters-not to mention two dogs-shows his firm was up to the task. "Here, first and foremost," he says, "the family-friendliness dictated everything to a strong degree."

The resulting three-bedroom, 3,500-square-foot home accomplishes the ultimate Manhattan balancing act: It's a residence that utilizes every square inch of functionality while also achieving a polished, sophisticated glow. "They didn't want anything formal," says de Cárdenas, "but we buttoned up everything else as much as possible."