Collection by Marni Elyse Katz
Antonio Monserrat's Williamsburg Loft
A view from the sleeping space into the living area, where Ligne Roset sofas sit on an IKEA carpet under a vintage Lightolier chandelier. A custom curtain rod bends onto the adjacent wall so that the drapery does not obscure any of the window. "There is strong light and shadows in the apartment," Antonio says.
When architect Antonio Monserrat transformed an old 800-square-foot Brooklyn loft into his new home, he imbued his love of colorful, multifunctional design into an eye-catching renovation. Once used as a bakery in the early 20th century, the postindustrial space came with great bones—original exposed timber beams, 12-foot ceilings and large windows—that Monserrat used as a backdrop for his playful color choices, small-scale studio prototypes, and contemporary furnishings. From the emerald-green entryway with a hot-pink ceiling to the sunshine-yellow Kartell storage pieces, the Spanish architect’s loft beautifully blends creative inspiration with functionality.
An iconic First chair by Michele de Lucchi for Memphis sits under Antonio’s Rorschach paintings in the bedroom. "They're twins, made from an inkblot process," he says. When it came to buying the furniture he didn’t make, the architect thought about an adage from fashion designer Vivienne Westwood: "Buy less, choose well, and make it last."