Designed by Rafael Viñoly and completed in 2015, 432 Park Avenue is notable for its bold, square windows. Set in a regular pattern across the 425.5m-tall tower’s slim volume, these openings are defined by their distinctive shape, oversized nature and long views; strolling within is like hovering between skyscrapers yet, at the same time, being in constant dialogue with the city, its roofscape unmistakable at every turn. Perched on its 65th floor, high above the bustling streets of Midtown Manhattan, an apartment created by interior designer Fernanda Dovigi for her and her family feels like a serene oasis, but with such a strong flavour for its setting, could anything possibly compete with those incredible views?
A pair of Rogan Gregory’s ‘Tufted Fungiidae Chaise’ sit below Untitled (Cowboy), 2016, by Richard Prince
Step inside 432 Park Avenue, and the Dovigi family's apartment in New York
For Dovigi, focusing on everyday life, a home’s needs and functionality, was central in tackling a challenge like this. ‘The starting point is always that I want it to be livable,’ she says. A confident and intuitive creative with training in business and marketing, she entered the world of design while planning her nuptials to Canadian businessman and former hockey player Patrick Dovigi in 2012.
A ‘Roger’ bed by Rodolfo Dordoni for Minotti in the guest bedroom lies between a pair of ‘Median Mono’ pendants by Apparatus underneath Untitled, (Zabriskie Point), Death Valley National Park, California, 2021, by Victoria Sambunaris
‘I come from a family of artists and I was always creative,’ she notes. ‘The property where my husband and I got married [the couple’s holiday house in Muskoka, Ontario] had a big impact on me. We would visit it while it was under construction, and that’s when I began to question the design choices. I found myself thinking about how I would have done it differently, how I could have made it more functional, more beautiful. It sparked a real interest in thoughtful, purposeful design.’
‘I’m not scared of colour, it makes the space feel vibrant, and it can be unexpected. It’s a home, you’d like to make it feel alive’
Fernanda Dovigi
Getting a taste of it through this experience led Dovigi to found her own design studio, through which she has worked on a number of commercial and residential projects, including this apartment, the family’s New York base, where they and their children spend time when in town.
With a cocooning green velvet backdrop in ‘Forgiving Sins’ by Holly Hunt, the family room features a ‘Freeman Duvet’ sofa by Rodolfo Dordoni for Minotti, ‘Time’ tables by Moss & Lam, an ‘Evasion’ chandelier from Atelier Alain Ellouz, a ‘Dolly’ sconce by Humbert & Poyet for Pouenat, a Karl Zahn Bower Bird, and Conversations, 2012, by George Condo
A green Brazilian quartz floor insert serves as a symbolic ‘rug’ in the entrance hall, where hangs Unit Filter GE, 1984, by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol. In the foreground, in the family room, is a ‘Surf Contemporary’ bench by Carol Egan from Maison Gerard
When the couple acquired the apartment in 2021, Dovigi immediately worked to make it their own. She has an architectural way of thinking about space, describing her approach as all about the large scale and items that occupy a space confidently, defining an interior with their presence, instead of focusing on smaller, decorative objects. This doesn’t necessarily mean an overuse of bold colours or unusual pieces, but colour does play a big part in her compositions. ‘I’m not scared of colour, it makes the space feel vibrant, and it can be unexpected,’ she says. ‘It’s a home, you’d like to make it feel alive.’
Fernanda Dovigi sat in her apartment with the New York cityscape as her backdrop
Untitled (1982) by Jean-Michel Basquiat sits above an Alexander Sofa, by Minotti, featuring gold silk throw pillows from Nickey Kehoe
True to this spirit, comfort and usage become pivotal drivers in Dovigi’s compositions, with every piece of furniture chosen for its functional qualities and the comfort and purpose it brings to a space. The deep green upholstered velvet panelling and leather-clad shelving that wrap the family room (designed to also serve as a TV room or a breakout area for a large party in the adjacent living space) help it feel cosy and cocooning yet, balanced by the large picture window, it doesn’t seem too dark or enclosed. A gem-like green Brazilian quartz floor insert serves as a symbolic ‘rug’ in the entrance hall, while an actual rug in the living room emulates the colours of the sky – ‘like being in the clouds,’ says Dovigi. Panelling and bespoke elements such as these abound throughout the apartment.
Claude Monet's Paysage, bord de la Seine, près de Jeufosse (Eure) (1884) is placed above an ‘N-1253 Console, Eros Series’, by Angelo Mangiarotti, from Bernd Goeckler. On it sits Gong-shi (Scholar Stone), China (19th century), from Throckmorton and Glazed Porcelain Bowl 2101, by Chris Gustin, from Donzella. As you enter the living room is Adaptation (2014) by Ayala Serfaty (b. 1962).
Mihla III, Port Edward (2020) by Zanele Muholi hangs above a Melting Plane Column Side Table by Bari Ziperstein. In the rear, a window nook features leopard print throw pillows, from Mecox Gardens, with a marble Vessel 14 from M Fisher next to it
Light-coloured, wire-brushed larch lines the walls in most rooms, apart from the main lounge, which is finished in crisp white plaster. Bespoke metal details – from the door frames to handles and hinges – pull it all together, making the whole look sharp and tailored, but also cohesive. Three bedrooms, including a specially designed bunk room for the children and an expansive his-and-hers suite, complete the floorplan. Everywhere, ideas around organic movement, the way the family lives, and their specific needs formed the basis for all decisions about placement and textures.
'Fertility Form' lighting fixture by Rogan Gregory, from R&Company. Behind it, No Title (Draw the Line) (2020) by Raymond Pettibon hangs above the ‘Evan’ table, by Emmemobili and ‘Sheru’ chairs by Eoos Design
A bedroom bathed in magical dusk light, featuring ‘Sumo’ lounge chair by Holly Hunt Studio, ‘Elemental Drink Table’ by Holly Hunt Studio, ‘Smoking Vessel’ by Apparatus, and red velvet throw pillows from Nickey Kehoe
Within this carefully orchestrated environment, a handful of curated, more expressive pieces, such as Bari Ziperstein’s Melting Plane Column Side Table in the primary suite or a set of Thierry Lemaire’s cloud-like ‘Koumac’ armchairs in the living space, bring a playfulness to the whole. ‘It goes without saying that we wanted it to be beautiful,’ notes Dovigi. ‘But functionality, I think, really makes the space feel like home.’
The bespoke children's room features Brown Locks, Blue Boy, Green Orange, Picnic, all by Sean Kratzert, vase, by Carl Halier for artist's own Triangle Studio, from BAC, and ‘Grand’ rug in Milano Green, from Nordic Knots
And then, of course, there is the art. The Dovigis are serious but instinctive collectors, and their Manhattan home is rich with artworks, much of it colourful and large-scale, by the likes of Andy Warhol, Ed Ruscha and Richard Prince. But then again, the art needed to be bold in order to stand up against those eyecatching New York vistas. ‘Some people might be afraid of large art pieces, but not me,’ Dovigi says. ‘I choose them intuitively. I need to get a feel for a space to see how a piece fits within it first. It’s about creating the best experience, but it all starts with the intention – what is this space for?’
A ‘Lariat’ pendant by Apparatus hangs above the ‘Oslo’ bedside table by Holly Hunt Studio in one of the bedrooms. Next to it sits a ‘Sublime’ king bed by Barbara Barry; Box Square 10 by M Fisher; ‘Moon’ jar from Nickey Kehoe; and red velvet throw pillows from Nickey Kehoe
In the living room, Empire, a 1983 painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat of a skyscraper, has no trouble holding its own next to views of the skyscrapers beyond the windows, as does another huge and colourful Basquiat, Untitled, which sits at the opposite end of the room in dialogue with the window on the side. Meanwhile, in the guest bedroom, a large print of an undulating rocky landscape by photographer Victoria Sambunaris makes for a calming counterpoint to the vertical intensity of the urban cityscape (according to Dovigi, it also provides a sense of ‘organic abstraction and openness’). Flanking it, two pendant lights by Apparatus gently, almost imperceptibly, sway. ‘It’s normal, it’s because of how high we are,’ says Dovigi, reminding us that grounded in reality as the design may be, this is still a home among the clouds.
@fernandadovigidesign
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