Come Si Dice NEW YORK?

In a Manhattan apartment, A-List designer David Netto tells an Italian story, full of all the rich plot twists and sophisticated drama such a tale deserves.

- DAVID NETTO

The dining room of an apartment in a 1929 building in Greenwich Village renovated by designer David Netto and Hottenroth +Joseph Architects. George IV mahogany table from Stair Galleries; chairs by India Mahdavi; vintage Murano chandelier; wallcovering by Zuber.

In a Manhattan apartment, A-List designer David Netto tells an Italian story, full of all the rich plot twists and sophisticated drama such a tale deserves. Can I let you in on a little secret? I struggle sometimes to get into character when I'm decorating. A design project needs a strong direction—a concept—to resonate with the person who lives there, or the person who looks at pictures of it, or the person who designs it. I was a bit stuck at the beginning here—“nice apartment on lower Fifth Avenue” is not a concept—but I wasn’t panicking yet.

The clock, however, was ticking. My wonderful clients had thus far listened to all the advice I offered them. They hired the right architect, David Hottenroth of Hottenroth + Joseph. They let me persuade them to do some unconventional things, opening up room-to-room connections I thought would make for a looser, more loftlike layout. (We were combining two apartments, and I thought we should have fewer and bigger rooms.) In other words, they believed in me. They listened, which, if you're a decorator, is the greatest compliment a client can pay you. Now it was my turn to start living up to the yesses and give them something great.

In the entry, Carlo Scarpa chairs complement an 18th-century cabinet from the collection of Henri Samuel. Mirror by Mike Diaz; artwork by Vik Muniz.