A Tale of Grace: Paris, New York Style

I love Paris (which, of course, you already know from here). I love Manhattan (if you know me you know that already). I love Lonny Magazine. So when I saw this article in Lonny last week, mon coeur skipped a beat! Designer Lynn Nigro created a chic, elegant, yet relaxed Parisian inspired retreat in Manhattan. I'm not a fan of exclusively modern decor (it leaves me feeling cold), so Nigro's choice to incorporate classic design with antiques and contemporary finishes left me wishing this was my very own pied-à-terre. Take a look...

I love this room - it's so bright and airy. She ran normal hospital tracks along the ceiling so that the curtains wouldn't interfere with the radiators along the walls. {I never saw that done before until we moved into our current apartment - thankfully they thought of that here and it makes all the difference.} And I just love that couch.

That amazing '50s replica of a 19th Century Parisian map would be the perfect addition to my Parisian decor. It's amazing and perfect for that space. I love the turquoise touches throughout the apartment and the white, barely-there baby grand Steinway in the corner.

The bedroom, I love it.

Oh hello there, tufted bench and zebra rug, would you like to come home with me?

The closet. Did I mention the closet? Lucite drawers - stylish and very functional. Endless shoe shelves. Plenty of hanging space and storage above. Perfect!

Oh leopard coat, how I wish you were mine!

She shares my love of Dyptique candles. They're in almost every room.

I have always loved built in bookshelves. They add instant warmth to a room and are so functional as well as decorative. I love that hers are not perfectly arranged. It gives the room a warm and lived-in feel, which I think is sometimes hard to achieve in a room with a lot of antique pieces.

As this apartment is a rental (I know, seriously), they were unable to paint the dark wood cabinets. However I think the turquoise toile wallpaper provides a lovely feminine balance to the strong masculinity of the dark cabinetry. And I want that range right now!

Here are a few high street pieces, inspired by this apartment, that I think lend a little Parisian chic to any space (now if only they all shipped to Ireland):