West Side Story

The apartment walls are painted white, but we used four shades of white to suggest subtle shifts of mood. Against this calming palette, punctuation points of color show up in the apartment, often to delineate a specific activity such as reading or dining.

A red accent wall demarcates this nook as a library. After careful measuring and a lengthy hunt, we installed Kartell's modular bookcase, which fits the space so well it looks like an expensive built-in. We couldn't resist upholstering Oly's Hanna chair in a to-the-trade fabric from Schumacher; visit your local design center to purchase it. The Oly lamp (with a shade from Oriental Lamp Shade Company) was spray-painted teal to complement the fabric.

The side table and Barbara Barry ceramics are from Baker Furniture; the books, from Strand Book Store.