Inspiration

In her spacious kitchen, Mahnaz Fashandi prepares for Persian New Year with her brother Mohsen and her parents Mohammad and Azam.

Four-year-old Ian plays in the courtyard, which is the center of family life in warmer months.

In the flat’s living room, midcentury modern art and furniture harmonize with the rich floor tiles, opulent molded ceilings. and original pine wood doors. Prints by Gordon Matta-Clark line the wall near a 1950s Danish dining table that’s paired with Eames chairs. A painting by Kuuti Lavonen hangs above a pink chair and ottoman by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec.

“When we bought it, the apartment felt rather uninspired and confined, but it had such great potential,” resident Bart says. The building, on Sixth Avenue, is part of the Ladies' Mile Historic District, which once housed the city’s most famous department stores. The building was commissioned by Irish merchant Hugh O’Neill to house his dry-goods emporium. It now houses a mix of commerce and condos.