New York Style. How to Decorate a Space in This Style?

The New York style is characterized by opulent and elegant interiors. It’s becoming increasingly common in Polish homes. Find out what principles to follow to create timeless designs straight out of New York showrooms.

Designing an interior that exudes luxury and elegance isn’t easy. To achieve this, it’s best to follow proven methods and draw inspiration from styles that are immediately associated with these qualities. One of these is the New York style, which works perfectly in bright, spacious interiors. Spacious lofts, high ceilings, opulent chandeliers, a subdued color palette, and something to catch the eye in every room—these are the most distinctive features of the New York style. See if it’s a good fit for your home.

How to decorate an apartment in the New York style?

Truly luxurious interiors stand out at first glance. Above all, however, they’re characterized by restraint—a quality that isn’t always easy to achieve. If this is the effect you’re after, the New York style is the right choice for you. It’s characterized by muted colors, patterns, and 1920s-style accents. It works best in bright, spacious lofts, but any homeowner can follow its principles.

Where did the New York style come from?

The New York style has evolved alongside the city from which it originated. If we want to incorporate it into our interiors today, we can draw inspiration from any point in its history, achieving a more modern or more glamorous look. It’s up to you which direction you take. Regardless, the fundamentals of this style remain the same. They’re based on muted base colors, characterized by attention to detail and interesting accents.

Colors and Materials in the New York Style

When opting for the New York style in interiors, we primarily use white and beige as base colors. White walls, doors, and ceilings will help highlight the rest of the design. Furniture colors are primarily browns and grays, as well as powder pink, while accents and finishes are often seen in bottle green, deep purple, or muted yellow. Sofa sets will be upholstered in velvet and velour, while tables, side tables, and cabinets will be made of natural wood. Quilted patterns, geometric designs, and botanical motifs are also characteristic of the New York style.

A New York-Style Living Room

Interiors decorated in this style are elegant yet cozy. This is immediately apparent in the living room, which is filled not only with beautiful decorative elements but also with comfortable, soft surfaces. When planning the layout of this room, base your choices on neutral colors such as beiges, whites, and grays when selecting wall and furniture colors.

Furniture and Accessories in the Living Room

The sofa and armchairs will be among the most important elements in the living room. Make sure they look soft and comfortable at first glance, upholstered in velour or velvet. At the same time, be careful not to overwhelm the room with too many patterns and decorative moldings. If you have a small space, mirrors will make it appear larger.

The living room is a space where you should pay particular attention to accessories. You can place a Moroccan-style rug in it and hang tasteful works of art on the walls. Heavy, dark curtains in the living room will also be a perfect fit for the New York style.

New York-Style Bedroom

A New York-style bedroom must, above all, feature an impressive bed with an ornate headboard. Other elements found in most New York-style apartments in this room include a walk-in closet and a vanity with an ornate mirror.

When choosing furniture and accessories for the bedroom, think not only about their appearance but also about your comfort. Don’t forget that coziness is one of the hallmarks of this style. Decorative pillows and a quilted bedspread will look beautiful on your bed, but they’ll also let you take a comfortable nap on it.

Above all, prioritize sleep comfort

To design a bedroom in this style, focus first and foremost on a large bed, which will serve as the room’s focal point. In addition, the room should include nightstands and some form of additional lighting, such as wall sconces or table lamps. Lay a thick rug on the floor—you’ll look forward to stepping onto it barefoot every morning.

New York-Style Accessories

In the New York style, accessories are extremely important. They are what will actually give your interior that New York chic. This style draws inspiration from various cultures and historical periods, using unique accessories to achieve a stunning effect. When choosing them, focus on items that are not only beautiful but also functional. These will primarily include vases, lamps, and chandeliers. They will complement the symmetry of your interior. Various types of metal figurines and sculptures—whether abstract or featuring animal motifs—will also work well.

What sets the New York style apart?

A very important part of the New York style is the so-called focal point—the element of a room that draws our attention, its central point. When decorating a house or apartment, it’s worth taking a moment to identify this focal point in every room. How do you do that? Of course, it will depend on the layout and size of the rooms, but when arranging a space, we can usually rely on tried-and-true methods.

How do you find the focal point in each room?

It’s easiest to identify such a point in the bedroom, where the bed with a decorative headboard will naturally serve this role. In the living room, it could be a sofa and armchairs with a coffee table, and in the dining room—naturally—a table with chairs, perhaps with a chandelier hanging above them. It will be the hardest to find in the kitchen, especially if you don’t have room for an island. It could be, for example, a bold pop of color or an interesting pattern on the tiles or kitchen cabinets.

New York-Style Interior Design—The Most Important Rules

To create the interior every New Yorker dreams of:

1. Maintain symmetry;
2. Use primarily white, gray, and beige. To a lesser extent, use bottle green, dark purples, burgundy, and yellows;
3. Combine the old with the new, the exquisite with the simple. Hang a piece of contemporary art above a restored vintage dresser. A glass coffee table will look great next to a velvet sofa;
4. Choose a large bed—be sure it has a headboard;
5. Use materials such as velvet and velour, as well as real wood;
6. Draw inspiration from diversity to capture the New York vibe. Look to different places, cultures, and eras.

Barański Drzwi Products in the New York Style

In a New York-style interior, doors serve as a backdrop. However, this doesn’t mean their appearance isn’t important. Barański Drzwi offers products that will perfectly complement the style of your apartment, as if they came straight from Manhattan. The classic, elegant lines of the Baron and Barcelona collections are a perfect fit for this type of interior design. Not only do they look great, but they’re also high-end products that provide excellent sound insulation. The real wood finish perfectly aligns with the philosophy of this style.