Cover The green ballroom of this Fifth Avenue mansion viewed from the far end, its purple sofas and gilt-framed windows doubled in the room’s facing mirrors.
The green ballroom of this Fifth Avenue mansion viewed from the far end, its purple sofas and gilt-framed windows doubled in the room’s facing mirrors.
1 / 1
A 1910 Stanford White-designed mansion on Fifth Avenue is reimagined by Stages to Sell with contemporary furnishings and art set against its original architectural detail, softening a Gilded Age interior for modern living
On the Upper East Side’s Cook Block, where zoning has long limited buildings to six stories or fewer, a limestone mansion designed by Stanford White has an Italian Renaissance palazzo facade, its upper floors offering views toward Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Completed in 1910, the house spans 16,000 square feet across seven levels, with 25 feet of Fifth Avenue frontage, 11 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, 3 powder rooms, and 4 kitchens.
Above A carved oak door with a bronze lion's-head knocker opens onto the entry hall
Above Jason Saft, founder of Staged to Sell Home
A carved oak door with a bronze lion's-head knocker opens onto the entry hall
1 / 2
A wide view of the entry room, with its carved fireplace, sculptural busts, and a rust-colored sofa visible through the archway beyond
1 / 4
The house had been on the market for four years, shown by two successive brokerage teams under the same interior design. When new agents took on the listing, they brought in Jason Saft, founder of the staging and styling firm Staged to Sell Home, to rework the interiors. “Trying and radically reapproaching the interior design of such an iconic house, while also staying true to the home’s pedigree, was a bit nerve-wracking,” Saft said.
See also: Set architecture: the real castles behind ‘House of the Dragon’
Above A wrought-iron balustrade curves along the mansion’s staircase, its treads carpeted in green.
Above On the staircase landing, a Charles Dudouyt cabinet from Antik Brooklyn is topped with a bronze bust.
A wrought-iron balustrade curves along the mansion’s staircase, its treads carpeted in green.
1 / 2
Above A carved wooden cabinet, topped with a bust and an owl figurine, stands beneath the staircase’s wrought-iron railing
Above A spiral staircase, its treads carpeted in green, winds beneath a glass-paned oculus
A carved wooden cabinet, topped with a bust and an owl figurine, stands beneath the staircase’s wrought-iron railing
1 / 2
The work was completed in about 30 days, with the family still living in the house and some construction underway. “We had to work around the family, and there was some minor construction going on, so it was a daily game of moving and switching from space to space so that we could complete the refresh of the home,” Saft said.
Don’t miss: Built in bamboo: 5 fantastical resorts by architects around the world
A gilt mirror doubles the reflection of a crystal chandelier in one of the mansion’s green-paneled rooms.
1 / 3
Above A terracotta bust and a carved marble orb rest on the mantel of the green ballroom's black marble fireplace
Above An antique giltwood armchair and a mahogany dresser sit against the green ballroom’s painted panelling
A terracotta bust and a carved marble orb rest on the mantel of the green ballroom's black marble fireplace
1 / 2
“Feedback on decorating historic homes often highlights two extremes: overly traditional spaces that feel dated and museum-like, or modern furnishings that clash with the architecture and ignore proper scale,” Saft said. His response was to bring in furnishings, art and decor that were largely contemporary, set against a colour palette he kept mostly neutral to offset the antique wallpaper and fabric wall coverings the owners had already sourced for several rooms. “I softened the rooms to make them more approachable,” he said. “I played with juxtaposing colours and time periods to create spaces that felt timeless but also liveable.”
Read more: Indonesian architect Andra Matin and the art of noticing things
Above A totem-like painted sculpture stands in a doorway leading into the green ballroom, its gilded ceiling visible beyond
Above A vaulted, coffered ceiling runs the length of a corridor connecting the mansion’s reception rooms, with a sculptural sheep visible in a sitting room beyond
A totem-like painted sculpture stands in a doorway leading into the green ballroom, its gilded ceiling visible beyond
1 / 2
The dining room in full, its long table set beneath a Murano chandelier and hand-painted mural panels
1 / 4
The green ballroom carries the clearest example of that juxtaposition. Dark purple sofas from Athena Calderone’s Raffine line for Crate & Barrel sit low against the room’s existing rug, with a mushroom-shaped poof upholstered in Beata Heuman fabric for Forsyth Art nearby and Calderone’s burlwood Coquette chairs, in yellow, set off to one side. “My favourite pairing is the Athena Calderone dark purple sofas for Crate & Barrel in the green ballroom,” Saft said. “They added a weight the room needed and their lush tactile quality added some much-needed cosiness.”
Above The kitchen’s white cabinetry and marble counters sit beneath a run of copper cookware shelving and a bank of factory-style pendant lights
The kitchen’s white cabinetry and marble counters sit beneath a run of copper cookware shelving and a bank of factory-style pendant lights
1 / 1
Above Vintage Murano lamps from Hedge flank a figurative painting above a Honore console by Athena Calderone for Crate & Barrel
Above A coral-framed mirror hangs above a giltwood console table topped with a mushroom-shaped lamp
Vintage Murano lamps from Hedge flank a figurative painting above a Honore console by Athena Calderone for Crate & Barrel
1 / 2
That same instinct carries into the entry foyer, where a steel-and-metal table from CB2 stands beneath a black wall sculpture from Gillian Bryce Gallery, with a Ripple chair by Sarah Sherman Samuels for Lulu & Georgia offering a place to sit. On the staircase landing, a Charles Dudouyt cabinet from Antik Brooklyn stands near a Coquette chair by Calderone.
The dining room pairs CB2’s Dormio lacquer tables with Lula chairs designed by Christian Siriano. In the green bedroom, a camel-colored Diana bed by Ross Cassidy for CB2 sits on a rug patterned in muted tans, with a vintage Togo chair pulled up nearby.
Don’t miss: Monumental museums: 7 recently opened and forthcoming institutions redefining cultural architecture
A wood-panelled sitting room holds bouclé sofas, a riveted metal trunk, and a large-scale painting of a goat, beneath a Murano glass chandelier
1 / 2
The primary bedroom feels older and more layered, with vintage Murano lamps from Hedge in Palm Springs set on a Honore console by Calderone, and a Curtis Jere brass console set against a Persian rug from Restoration Hardware.
Saft has worked in home staging for more than two decades. “Many of the room designs were completely revamped while leaving all the glorious architectural elements and original detail fully intact and more centrally focused,” he said. “Some areas were stripped of overly decorative flourishes to allow for the original details to shine through and take centre stage.”
Read more: How six hotel brands built design-led hotels in Bhutan
A guest bedroom in emerald green pairs a bouclé bed with a green leather Togo chair beneath a brass chandelier and gilt mirror
1 / 3
Above A primary bedroom in dusty pink, its tufted chairs flanking a marble mantel beneath a Murano chandelier and a framed photograph
Above A pair of ceramic parrots and a marble mantel share a corner with an antique chest of drawers and a taxidermy ram figure
A primary bedroom in dusty pink, its tufted chairs flanking a marble mantel beneath a Murano chandelier and a framed photograph
1 / 2
Saft spent the winter holidays in Paris and Vienna while the work was underway. “I spent an entire day wandering around the flea markets in Paris and taking inspiration and ideas from all the galleries,” he said. “In Vienna we toured many castles and museums as well as some gorgeous retail stores that also helped give me a new outlook on the space for when I got home and finished it.”
Within two weeks of completing the redesign, the house went into contract. “I’m beyond proud of the results that were achieved in part from the redesign,” Saft concludes.
NOW READ
A life in pattern: Claud Gurney’s journey into the world of elegant wallpapers
From formal to barefoot: the new philosophy of luxury yacht design at Azimut
Jennifer Choo is Regional Managing Editor of Tatler Homes, covering architecture, interior design, and art across Asia. Based in Malaysia, she oversees regional content on luxury residential design and contemporary art collections. Legally trained but choosing to pursue her passion for design, she previously led notable design publications and worked as an interior stylist and art consultant for property developers, design firms, and private clients.
