My Houzz: Colorful and Conservative Mingle in a Manhattan Apartment

Deby and Vivek Matthews faced a dilemma common to newlyweds: merging their stuff and their styles. Deby loves color and pattern, and Vivek leans more toward a conservative, masculine style. For help with their apartment, in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, they turned to designer Amanda Gorski of Homepolish. Gorski worked closely with the couple to create a space that each of them could love and feel at home in.

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Deby and Vivek Matthews and their cat, Penny
Location: East Village neighborhood of Manhattan
Size: 1,500 square feet (139 square meters); 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms

In the beginning stages of the design process, Gorski studied every detail about the couple to get a sense of what kind of space would work for them. “I tune in to every element I can, from the way they dress to the art, books and music they have in their homes.” she says. The Matthewses wanted a home that felt warm and cozy, yet chic and sophisticated. They told the designer they wanted “storage and color without it being overwhelming.”

The challenge in decorating the one large volume was maintaining the feeling of three separate spaces — a kitchen, living room and dining room.



To solve their storage dilemma, the couple installed a built-in wall unit where there was nothing before but a wall-mounted TV and some stools underneath. “This massive wall was screaming for attention,” says Gorski. The unit has closed storage underneath to hold electronics and DVDs, while a sliding library ladder allows easy access to things on the top shelves.



Before the wall unit was installed, Deby and Vivek had a lot of books, photographs and keepsakes but nowhere to display them.

The cabinet doors are accented with chestnut leather drawer pulls fitted with polished-nickel studs from Turnstyle Designs.

Paint: Bermuda Turquoise, Benjamin Moore


Since Deby and Vivek both have demanding jobs, they wanted their home to be an inviting space where they could relax after a long day of work. To make it calming and warm, they went with shades of blue in the living room. Benjamin Moore’s Night Train is painted on the walls to complement the deep blue (Benjamin Moore’s Bermuda Turquoise) accenting the back of the shelves.



The main living space is a great spot for entertaining because of the open floor plan; the space flows back and forth from the kitchen to the couch to the dining table. Deby and Vivek also love to have a quiet evening at home in this space.

Sectional: Crate & Barrel; Rustic Storage Coffee Table: West Elm


Deby has a background in fashion and loves to decorate with pops of color. Bright throw pillows accent the blue sectional; the wall above displays a vivid world map, which she divided into sections and mounted in frames.


The original wood floors were painted white and were in rough shape. To warm up the space, the couple swapped in Euro Oak floors from LV Wood, wire brushed with a matte finish.

“We loved this particular floor because it gave a slight hint of rustic character with the wire brushing, while maintaining a more clean and modern look with the oak species,” says Gorski. The couple was also really drawn to the color of these floors because they aren’t a typical dark brown or light yellow wood. They have a really beautiful muted mushroomy-cocoa color.


The dining area is wrapped in tall windows.

Chandelier: Arctic Pear, Ochre; chairs: Tobias, Ikea


The kitchen is original to the space and fit seamlessly with the design of the rest of the room. The bar stools were reupholstered in fabric from DecoratorsBest.



Deby and Vivek’s favorite part about their kitchen is how it’s open to the other spaces.

Countertop: Caesarstone; wall paint: Night Train, Benjamin Moore


Gorski added an eye-catching wallpaper (Ula, Prima from Eskayel) to the small entryway for visual impact. “It has a beautiful peacock blue in it that we used for the door and trim in the entryway, and then again in the back of the built-in unit.”

Wallpaper: Ula, Eskayel; rug: West Elm; door paint: Bermuda Turquoise, Benjamin Moore; console: custom, Etsy


For the master bedroom, the couple wanted a light and airy color palette to contrast the living room’s darker tones and to create a serene atmosphere. To incorporate Deby’s love for color, they brought in colorful artwork and keepsakes in shades of yellow and orange.


The wall behind the bed is lined with a Holly Hunt textured covering with a subtle herringbone pattern in a soft gray and blue color palette.

Wall paint: Half Moon Crest, Benjamin Moore


A leaning ladder shelf in the bedroom provides a stylish storage solution and a way to display some of the couple’s colorful keepsakes.

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