In her latest commission, Brooklyn-based interior designer Holly Waterfield was faced with a unique challenge: having to compete with perfectly framed, sweeping views of the surrounding landscape – or cityscape, as is the case with this Manhattan pied-à-terre, located in architect Renzo Piano's first residential building in New York, the 30-storey residential tower 565 Broome Soho.
Step inside this Holly Waterfield interior
The apartment was designed by Waterfield and her team, who specialise in creating perfect layouts and happy, welcoming spaces, for entrepreneurs John Finn and Sara Sandler, and his two daughters. Apart from letting the views take centre stage, the very specific brief involved turning the brand-new 15th-floor condo into a luxurious yet low-maintenance space, but without using any wood or wood-tone furniture.
To do so, Waterfield kept the interiors neutral with earthy tones, natural materials and soft textures, and furnished the home with low-slung pieces to avoid impeding the floor-to-ceiling views. She also used layers of fabrics – including mohair velvet, wool flannel and cashmere drapery – to soften the rooms and add a sense of warmth similar to that traditionally created by wooden elements.
Known for her talent for creating warm yet polished interiors, Waterfield was inspired by her visit to the Renzo Piano-designed wing in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the architect’s ability to connect the old with the new. Her intuitive approach to the design has resulted in a light-filled space offering a sense of calm and openness despite being located in the heart of the city.
The choice of fixtures and finishes is often connected to the surrounding cityscape: for example, a sculptural ‘Gaia’ pendant light in the dining room features a blackened nickel that recalls the cast-iron buildings of SoHo. Meanwhile, a large round mirror in the entrance actually reflects the skyline view from across the room, and cleverly brings more light into the hall.
One of Waterfield’s favourite pieces in this project is an oversized sheepskin rug from Australian label Tigmi Trading, which links the entryway to the kitchen and dining areas with its asymmetrical curved shape. Other finds include black leather ‘Caribou’ stools from Ochre that add an edginess to the minimalist kitchen, and velvet olive armchairs by Soho Home that bring a touch of hotel luxury to the home.
In contrast to the rest of the home, one of the daughters’ bedrooms embraces pops of colour with a golden yellow chair and floral-patterned bedding. The room is also full of more playful pieces, such as a rattan bed and scallop wall sconces by Nickey Kehoe.
-
Eight questions for Bianca Censori, as she unveils her debut performanceBianca Censori has presented her first exhibition and performance, BIO POP, in Seoul, South Korea
-
How to elevate a rental with minimal interventions? Charu Gandhi has nailed it with her London homeFocus on key spaces, work with inherited details, and go big on colour and texture, says Gandhi, an interior designer set on beautifying her tired rental
-
These fashion books, all released in 2025, are the perfect gift for style fansChosen by the Wallpaper* style editors to inspire, intrigue and delight, these visually enticing tomes for your fashion library span from lush surveys on Loewe and Louis Vuitton to the rebellious style of Rick Owens and Jean Paul Gaultier
-
Step inside this resilient, river-facing cabin for a life with ‘less stuff’A tough little cabin designed by architects Wittman Estes, with a big view of the Pacific Northwest's Wenatchee River, is the perfect cosy retreat
-
Remembering Robert A.M. Stern, an architect who discovered possibility in the pastIt's easy to dismiss the late architect as a traditionalist. But Stern was, in fact, a design rebel whose buildings were as distinctly grand and buttoned-up as his chalk-striped suits
-
Own an early John Lautner, perched in LA’s Echo Park hillsThe restored and updated Jules Salkin Residence by John Lautner is a unique piece of Californian design heritage, an early private house by the Frank Lloyd Wright acolyte that points to his future iconic status
-
The Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s houses of the monthFrom wineries-turned-music studios to fire-resistant holiday homes, these are the properties that have most impressed the Wallpaper* editors this month
-
The Stahl House – an icon of mid-century modernism – is for sale in Los AngelesAfter 65 years in the hands of the same family, the home, also known as Case Study House #22, has been listed for $25 million
-
Houston's Ismaili Centre is the most dazzling new building in America. Here's a look insideLondon-based architect Farshid Moussavi designed a new building open to all – and in the process, has created a gleaming new monument
-
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fountainhead will be opened to the public for the first timeThe home, a defining example of the architect’s vision for American design, has been acquired by the Mississippi Museum of Art, which will open it to the public, giving visitors the chance to experience Frank Lloyd Wright’s genius firsthand
-
Clad in terracotta, these new Williamsburg homes blend loft living and an organic feelThe Williamsburg homes inside 103 Grand Street, designed by Brooklyn-based architects Of Possible, bring together elegant interiors and dramatic outdoor space in a slick, stacked volume
