Who Darren and Kelli Novak, investment banker and psychotherapist Where New York City With a splash of color, Homepolish designer Jennifer Hallock took a family's Central Park West apartment to new heights of eclecticism. Photos by Nick Glimenakis. When you think about a “uniquely New York” space, what is it that makes it so connected to the city? Is it the cheetah-print carpeting? Perhaps the antiqued mirror in the entryway? The truth of the matter, and when you get to the core of the Big Apple style, is that it isn’t any one of those singular things. What makes a space “New Yorky” is a palpable sense of eccentricity. However, that curated sense of artful eclectic doesn’t come naturally. It is accumulated over time. For the Novak family, time had definitely passed. They had been in their 2-bedroom on Central Park West for over ten years, but it had yet to develop that urban sophistication. In fact, as Kelli describes it, “The living room walls were a yellow, and with our red couch, we felt a McDonald’s vibe taking over!”

Of course, that fast food vibe had to be replaced for more of a grown-up cocktailing feel. Homepolish designer Jennifer Hallock was brought on board to make that a reality. Right away, the Novaks expressed a love of midcentury modern design and RICH colors. Just look at the finished images–saturated purple walls, striped multicolored rug, red sofa, and a blue vinyl dinette set? It is an absolute wash of colors! And yet, thanks to Jennifer’s eye for curation, it all pulls together in a coherent story. Beyond the colors, pieces such as the detailed fireplace mantle, the Hans Wegner-esque dining chairs, the color-blocked artwork, or the George Nelson clock ensure that the home is full of character. It’s hardly a Whopper. See more in the slideshow! “” Jennifer was amazing. Her choices always included options that we both loved immediately and would never have been able to find ourselves. We had her select every detail, and she didn’t disappoint. Book Your Homepolish Commercial Designer!

Wood , Contemporary , Living Room Ample seating for all BY TOM HOEPF ABOVE: Pair of fine China Armchairs, model PP56, designed by Hans Wegner for Fritz Hansen circa 1944. herman miller chair wheelsPalm Beach Modern Auctions image.buy hanging egg chair adelaide Hans Wegner designed furniture for everyman, but the American public took notice when two future U.S. presidents sat in his chairs on national television.buy captain kirk chair Danish furniture was the rage among cosmopolitan Americans in 1960 when Sen. John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard M. Nixon met in the first presidential campaign debate. wicker chair rental atlanta

The sight of the candidates seated in the TV studio in chairs designed by Wegner affirmed the arrival of Danish Modern in mainstream America. Wegner’s furniture designs were already highly regarded. ikea high chair indonesiaInteriors magazine had proclaimed “the Round one,” as Wegner called it, “the world’s most beautiful chair” and featured it on a cover a decade earlier. second hand chairs bangaloreEver since its 1960 TV debut, the elegant classic has been called simply “The Chair.” Wegner died Jan. 26, 2007 in Copenhagen. The obituary in the New York Times, written by David Colman, stated that Wegner’s “Danish Modern furniture – most famously his chairs – helped change the course of design history in the 1950s and ’60s by sanding modernism’s sharp edges and giving aesthetes a comfortable seat.”

With more than 500 different chair designs to his credit, Wegner was the most prolific Danish designer. Like his Danish contemporaries Arne Jacobsen, Finn Juhl, Borge Mogensen and Poul Kjaerholm, Wegner took a sculptural and organic approach to furniture, combining high quality and traditional craftsmanship with modernist principles of simplicity and beauty. Above all, Wegner’s chairs are as comfortable as they are beautiful. Hans J. Wegner was born April 2, 1914 in Tønder in southern rural Denmark. The son of a cobbler, young Wegner often used his father’s hand tools to carve small wooden ships. Noting Hans’ predilection to wood, his father guided the boy toward a career as a carpenter. After working several years as a cabinetmaker, the 22-year-old went to Copenhagen in 1936 to study design at the School of Arts and Crafts. One of Wegner’s teachers recognized the young man’s talents and recommended him to famed architect Arne Jacobsen. From 1938 to 1942, Wegner worked for Erik Møller and Arne Jacobsen’s architectural practice designing furniture for the town hall they were creating in Aarhus, Denmark.

During this period Wegner perfected his own minimalist style, which was strongly influenced by Kaare Klint, considered the father of Danish design. When the project was completed Wegner opened a design studio and by the mid-1940s had created chair designs for the Fritz Hansen and Johannes Hansen furniture companies. Wegner’s first masterpiece was the Chinese Chair, inspired by old Chinese chair styles of simple construction. Made entirely of ash, the chair had a rounded, slender frame with a slightly bowed, reclining seat. The elegant design emphasized the structure and quality of the wood. Another early success was his J16 Rocking Chair, which has been described as a work of elegant simplicity and faultless ergonomics. This traditional spindle-back rocker with a woven cord seat has remained in production since its introduction in 1944. Our aim has always been to make things as simple and genuine as possible, to show what we could create with our hands… In 1947 Wegner relocated his studio to Copenhagen, where he also lectured at the School of Arts and Crafts.

That year he created the Peacock Chair, an updated Windsor chair whose slatted back fanned out to evoke a peacock’s plume. Wegner introduced his landmark Round Chair in 1949, bringing him international recognition. The strikingly modern design featured one continuous semicircle of wood that formed the arms and backrest. That year Wegner also designed his Folding Chair. He intended to create a chair that could easily be stowed away, but when hung on a wall it remained a work of art. Wegner’s designs have been described as understated sophistication. On the design of the Round Chair, Wegner said, “Many foreigners have asked me how we made the Danish style. And I’ve answered that it … was rather a continuous process of purification, and for me of simplification, to cut down to the simplest possible elements of four legs, a seat and combined top rail and armrest” Scandinavian design had its beginnings in the mid-1920s. With an emphasis on natural materials and organic shapes, the Scandinavian design followed the ideals of Arts and Crafts movement.

It contrasted to the severity and utilitarianism of Bauhaus designs of that era. Believing beautiful pieces should be available to buyers of every income, Wegner created simple harmonious designs that were still compatible with mass production. Wegner might be aghast at the high prices his furniture brings today. More often encountered is Wegner’s most popular design, the Wishbone Chair, also known at the Y Chair, which usually sells for several hundred dollars apiece. Designed in 1949, it is still made today by Carl Hansen and Son. Wegner’s favorite materials were solid oak, beech, teak, ash and maple. It has been written that Wegner had a deep understanding of the nature of wood, its possibilities as well as its limitations, and he demonstrated a fondness for making joints, particularly on the backrests, so beautiful they stood out and became a decorative part of the finished design. In the 1960s Wegner also worked with laminated wood and metal. A classic example of the latter is his upholstered leather Ox Chair, which is mounted on slender steel legs.