FAMILY MEN

With the help of longtime collaborator Stephen Sills, Carolina Herrera creative director Wes Gordon and glassblower Paul Arnhold craft a home filled with art and heirlooms for themselves and their young children

- MIGUEL FLORES-VIANNA

“No room is off-limits,” says Paul Arnhold, leaning back on a butterscotch-gingham silk taffeta sofa, of the Upper East Side apartment that he shares with his husband, fashion designer Wes Gordon, and their two young children.

“The kids know that there are nice things here, but those things were made by people with a lot of love. And we treat things that were made with love with love.” Sitting side-by-side in the sunken living room, Gordon, creative director of Carolina Herrera, and Arnhold, founder of an acclaimed glassware company, share the backstory of finding and designing the home over the cheerful din of an active household. Elsewhere in the apartment, their son, Henry, four, is having a chess lesson while their daughter, Georgia, two, is playing with Arnhold’s dad, John. The beloved family dog, Bird, 13, is holding court below an Aaron Garber-Maikovska canvas in the gallery.

Given the extent of museum-grade art and decor populating the abode, which the pair crafted with their longtime creative collaborator, AD100 designer Stephen Sills, declarations of everyday utility and humble reverence might ring hollow. Yet, after spending time with the couple, it becomes clear that they have achieved their goal of creating a true family home. After more than a decade living in various neighborhoods, the couple started looking for a new place uptown, where Arnhold grew up. After an exhaustive search, they fell for this full-floor unit in a classic 1920s edifice. To celebrate on closing day, the couple purchased a pair of 17th-century Dutch leather screens—previously sourced by Renzo Mongiardino for the dancer Rudolf Nureyev, and now in their living room—which set the level of discernment that was then applied throughout the entire home, yielding an environment that feels as charming and personal as it does sumptuous.