A Touch of Hollywood Regency in Park Slope

The Living Room: The walls have been painted “Light Pistachio” from Benjamin Moore. The custom valances are covered in Jim Thompson fabric with Kravet tassel trim. Photo: Michael Granacki

I don’t have a very good sense of style,” product manager Anna Turner says. Which isn’t to say she doesn’t know what she likes, it’s just that, left on her own devices, she tends to choose something practical. She’d been living in a rental in the East Village where “I just went for the most functional thing, so a lot of my stuff was Ikea, shove-a-shelf -into-a-corner-that-works,” she says. But “I wasn’t happy with how it looked.”

When she bought her first apartment, a two-bedroom in Park Slope, she found herself admiring the exuberant work of legendary California designer Tony Duquette on Pinterest. “I wanted eclectic, maximalist,” Turner says, “but I wanted it to be livable and functional as much as possible.”

She found designer Tara McCauley on a neighborhood Facebook group, liked what she saw on her website, and reached out. It was the first solo job for McCauley, who had worked with designer Nick Olsen for eight years. McCauley kept Duquette in mind but kept her scheme for the apartment modern and pared down, befitting a young professional living with her black Lab mix, Tippy, and two cats. She also incorporated pieces which Turner had collected during her childhood living in Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Serbia, and Croatia when her parents worked in the State Department.

“Anna’s directive to source only things with a story behind them was a dream come true,” says McCauley.

The color scheme in the open living/dining kitchen was inspired by Duquette. “We both loved the ‘Adrian Green’ walls in the drawing room at Dawnridge” (Duquette’s residence in Beverly Hills), McCauley notes, “but I wanted something a bit fresher and energizing in the living/dining room.” She landed on what she calls “Prada green” and had her painter try to match the familiar pale mint color of the brand, ending up with Benjamin Moore’s “Light Pistachio.”

Turner wanted to keep the original solar shades in the living room, so McCauley suggested custom valances (a Duquette signature) using a Jim Thompson cotton woven stripe fabric.

“I feel like I finally see my personality expressed in my surroundings,” Turner says. “Working with a design professional like Tara has enabled me to surrender my poorer design instincts. Left to my own devices, everything would be functional and a neutral color.”

The Hallway: “The blue and green wallpaper, inspired by Portuguese azulejo tiles was the perfect thing to connect the living room to the guest bedroom/office,” McCauley says of the Hygge & West paper designed by Tilton Fenwick. The runner is from ABC Carpet. Photo: Michael Granacki

The Dining Area: “Anna loves to host dinner parties,” McCauley says, “since her parents live overseas, she hosted a large Friendsgiving in the apartment. The dining area needed to be comfortable enough to host dinner parties and durable enough for Tippy to hang out in so the bench and chair cushions are upholstered in strie-patterned indoor/outdoor fabric from Kravet. The antique lighting fixture over the dining table might be my favorite thing in the apartment, we won it at the Kamelot Auctions in Philadelphia.” Photo: Michael Granacki

Turner kept the kitchen’s original blue-painted cabinetry. The mirror is from Furnish Green in Chelsea. Photo: Michael Granacki

The Primary Bedroom: “Anna requested a lush bedroom, so I incorporated a variety of textures and tried to make things feel layered and luxurious.” McCauley says. “We won this 1950s Hollywood Regency mirrored vanity at Kamelot Auctions in Philadelphia.” Photo: Michael Granacki

The headboard is upholstered in a pleated silk georgette. Wall-sconce lighting was used instead of side table lights due to the small space. The Rococo wood mirror above the bed was won at Hayloft Auctions. Photo: Michael Granacki

The Guest Bedroom and Office: The rug and wall hanging are from Turner’s collection from Pakistan. The walls have been painted “Deep Ocean” from Benjamin Moore. The daybed from CB2 folds out into a full-size bed. Photo: Michael Granacki

WFH Nook: “We transformed the closet in the guest bedroom into a dramatic little work from home nook,” McCauley says, “the floor to ceiling curtains cover the entire wall and conceal an unattractive tiny window looking into an air shaft.” Styled by Anthony Amiano. Photo: Michael Granacki

Tippy on Her Dog Bed: McCauley designed Tippy’s dog bed using an indoor/outdoor version of Brunschwig & Fils signature “Les Touches” fabric. Photo: Tara McCauley