Daniel Ian Smith spent October 29, 2012 racing to get his prized furniture to higher ground. As Superstorm Sandy bore down on New York, Smith, who lives in a garden apartment near the Hudson River, lugged Noguchi lamps, a Panton coffee table, and other collectibles to safety in upstairs neighbors’ units.

While some said he was overreacting to the news warnings, it turned out Smith was right to take precautions. When the storm hit, his home filled with several feet of water, wreaking havoc on the walls, fixtures, ceiling, masonry, flooring, heating, and electric. Anything that wasn’t instantly soaked eventually sprouted mold. Not only was his ground-floor unit affected by the flooding, but 32 other tenants of his co-op reported damage also.

After the storm clouds cleared, Smith had a chance to repay their earlier neighborliness. As an architectural designer, he was invited to sit on the co-op board to figure out how to navigate construction codes and rebuild more resiliently. Smith recommended common-sense fixes, like relocating through-the-wall air-conditioners higher off the floor, and connected other residents with his preferred contractor, MZZ Construction.

Only after the others’ apartments were on the road to recovery did Smith turn his attention to his own home. He had lived in the building for decades, but never renovated before. “In a sense, I was really lucky I hadn’t done any work,” he says. “I had a really clear vision of what I would do if I could gut the entire apartment.”

Smith took his stroke of bad luck as a blessing and redesigned the apartment as a vibrant showcase for his eclectic collection. Accent walls and different color tile enliven the 650-square-foot space, which doubles as the office for his practice, Village West Design. It’s an appropriate showcase for his collection of midcentury furniture and curios inherited from his great aunt, which has at long last been restored to its place.