Coats of Polish

Alexa Hampton updates a Manhattan nail salon into an office fit for design royalty

- MICHAEL BOODRO

1. ALEXA HAMPTON'S NEW YORK CITY OFFICE IS A SHOWCASE FOR TRADITIONAL DECORATING SAVVY, WITH CUSTOM MILLWORK, HAND-FINISHED FLOORS, AND NEOCLASSICAL FURNISHINGS.

To entice employees who have become all too comfortable working remotely, companies are now radically rethinking their offices, bringing the comforts of home into the workplace. On this, as with so much else, designer Alexa Hampton is way ahead of the game.

Recently, the Manhattan-based AD100 Hall of Famer moved herself and her six-person team into new Upper East Side quarters, in what had previously been a nail salon. “It was totally empty, save for two mani-pedi chairs,” Hampton recalls with a laugh. Her yearlong renovation included the addition of custom millwork, wide-plank flooring, and air-conditioning necessitated by the huge south-facing window that floods the space with sunlight. “That window is the greatest thing that has happened to me,” says Hampton, settling onto the cranberry velvet sofa beneath it.

2. THE DESIGNER.