January 25, 2026Color and character. Those were the first two elements the new owners of this Harlem townhouse told designer Crystal Sinclair they required for their reimagined home. And both were sorely lacking when her studio took on the project.
The house “was in the shape of a traditional brownstone, but someone knocked the original down years ago, and it was rebuilt builder-grade: all white and with zero moldings,” says Sinclair, whose Upstate New York–based studio, run with her husband, Ben, is known for bold gestures and rich palettes. The homeowners, she adds — an artist husband and attorney wife with a vast art collection and love of entertaining — “didn’t want even one wall that was white.”
What they did want were moldings aplenty, carved marble fireplaces and other evocative, even elaborate, architectural elements that would instill a sense of the past.
Sinclair very much agreed. So, with that call for color and character ringing in her ears, she looked for past-meets-present inspiration in contemporary Paris apartments housed in traditional, centuries-old buildings. She began her design work by introducing into the interiors classically inspired millwork, much of it used to define new openings from one room to the next in what had been a cavernous, and far-too-modern-feeling open space.
She then set about sourcing and commissioning furniture, lighting and accessories that would balance the historic character she’d re-created in the envelop with the clients’ desire for a contemporary atmosphere.
Unlike many designers, Sinclair doesn’t pull everything together for every room and then present it all at once to clients. Instead, she proceeds piecemeal, which she finds works better to ensure that the homeowners’ personality is represented in their finished home.
The first piece she sourced for the project, found through 1stDibs dealer Fenestella, was the living room’s statement-making sofa: a 1990s postmodern Corbeille couch, by Francesco Binfaré for Edra, whose eight overstuffed cushions ingeniously fit into a metal frame.
“I shared it with the clients, and they loved it,” Sinclair remembers, describing her process from there as sort of “choose your own adventure.” She presented the next two options she’d selected for the space — a pair of 1960s lounge chairs by Marco Zanuso for Arflex, from TK1stDibs dealer, and a custom steel coffee table — and then the next and the next, moving on to the adjacent dining room and then the kitchen, in each case only after all but completing the preceding room.
The home’s palette, a carefully composed mix of warm and cool hues, developed similarly, responding to the color decisions Sinclair made in the living room: a rich ocher for the mohair upholstering the sofa and a moody gray blue for the walls and heavily carved moldings.
The house’s decor needed to take something of a backseat to the couple’s extensive contemporary-art collection — an especially tricky feat, as the clients planned to rotate the works frequently, placing them themselves.
Since she couldn’t design in response to specific pieces, Sinclair crafted the rooms to be open to many possibilities. Not only did she provide lots of open wall space, but she also limited the number of colors in each room to just one or two and largely avoided patterns, instead using texture to create visual interest. “The spaces are definitely bold and not minimal in the least,” she says. “But at the same time, I made sure nothing would distract from the art.”
Here, she takes us on a tour.
Vestibule and Entry
Sinclair used Art Deco–inspired brass-framed ribbed-glass partitions to create a vestibule around the front door, dividing it from the living room. “It’s a very narrow area,” says the designer. “I thought metal would be a great way to save on space — walls have thickness, but metal has less of a thickness.” She sourced a custom ceiling fixture from 1stDibs dealer Orange Furniture to crown the vestibule and a Murano-glass chandelier from Artinlife for the entry area that opens out from it. There, a vintageCKing stool from 1stDibs dealer TK sits at a contemporary white-marble console, over which hangs a work by Arthur Jafa.
Living Room
Sinclair set a vintage Francesco Binfaré sofa and custom steel coffee table, plus a ceramic floor lamp by Nicholas Pourfard for ARJÉ and a side table made from a solid piece of stone, atop the living room’s goat-hair rug. The artwork is by Frida Orupabo.
Dining Room
Sinclair loves how the dining room’s vintage modernist dining chairs, by Gastone Rinaldi for RIMA, echo the lines of the Lambert Fils chandelier she hung above. She designed the upholstered banquette and the brass-legged table herself, choosing a light marble for the latter’s top, she says, to keep the moody, dark-hued space “from feeling too heavy.” The artwork hanging on the wall is by Todd Gray.
Stairs
Newly fitted with a brass railing that recalls the vestibule partition, the stairs climb one wall of the dining room. “We were trying to figure out a way to make the railing modern, unique and pass code — and still feel old,” Sinclair says. She installed shelves in the space under the steps to display sculptures created by the artist husband.
Kitchen
“This is, I think, my favorite room,” notes Sinclair. “I love the contrast of the stainless steel and the red Rosso Levanto marble. It’s something I had never seen before.” She worked with 1stDibs dealer Mobiliartdeco Fine Furniture to source the Deco-style Murano-glass chandelier, which plays into the antique character of the moldings and cabinet profiles. “And then,” she says, “the island was the modern piece.”
Primary Bedroom
“I knew I wanted this bedroom to be in contrast to the blues downstairs, to pick up more on the oranges,” Sinclair says of her selection of a golden-yellow hue for the couple’s second-story sleeping space. “And for being such a vibrant color, it’s surprisingly soothing.” She added texture with a mohair rug and custom channel-tufted headboard, as well as a 1980s Murano-glass palmette chandelier and leather Made Goods nightstands topped by handblown-glass lamps by Rodolfo Dordoni, from 1stDibs. The artwork over the bed is by Demetrius Wilson, and the lounge chair beside the fireplace is by Folke Ohlsson for Dux.
Primary Bath
A Barovier&Toso Murano-glass chandelier hangs over the soaking tub, while Duo sconces from Blueprint Lighting flank a trio of custom mirrors over the vanity. “We angled the two side mirrors a little bit,” Sinclair says, “so it creates a very sleek look.” The deep red tile cladding the wall of the shower alcove recalls the Rosso Levanto marble of the kitchen island.
Study
To sit in front of the BoConcept bookshelves in the home office, on the third floor, Sinclair designed a custom rift-cut white-oak desk, placing at it an Aluminum Group chair by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller and topping it with a French chrome lamp from the 1960s found on the 1stDibs storefront of TKseller.
Guest Bedroom
“I love a moody space,” says Sinclair of this dark-blue cocoon of a room, which shares the third floor with the home office. She chose a contemporary ceiling lamp from Gallery L7 and found the vintage Deco lamps through 1stDibs dealer TK. The artwork is by Baris Gokturk.
Sun Room
Sinclair returned to yellow-gold and orange hues for this loungey top-floor space, which opens to a roof deck from either side. She sourced the walnut Esko ottomans by Dagmar, a reissue of a 1960s design by Søren Nielsen, through 1stDibs. The artwork above the custom built-in banquette-style sofa is by Rick Lowe.
