{Interiors} An “Empty Nest” NYC Apartment Makeover


When we put a call out this past August for an FOF in need of a home makeover, we got hundreds of responses. But the message from Sharon Nord was particularly compelling:

“I recently followed my grown children to The Big Apple. I brought two end tables and some pictures with me,” wrote Sharon. “I am completely changing my style, my address and my attitude. Please help me be FOF and not BOF (boring over fifty).”

We were curious as to what precipitated this major move. Turns out, four years ago, Sharon and her husband separated. “It wasn’t in my plans, it was a total life change,” says Sharon.

Sharon moved from an 11,000-square-foot house in Atlanta, Georgia, to an 1,100 square foot apartment in New York City’s Wall Street neighborhood.

“I really loved Atlanta, but I really wanted to be near my family. That’s more important than a big house and lots of furniture,” says Sharon. “It was a huge adjustment especially at my age (us FOFs are not so into adjusting) but I’m really learning to love it.”

This empty-nester’s new nest, a 2-bedroom apartment, was in fact… empty. The rental had beautiful views of the Financial District but looked more like a sterile office space than an inviting FOF home. Interior designer Jennifer Levy, of CAVDesign and The One-Day Design Solution™, helped Sharon warm up her downtown digs in a way that suited Sharon’s personality and new lifestyle.

“Using a palette of citrus, eggplant and mixed materials such as wood and marble, we created a comfortable, homey feel,” says Jennifer.




“My life has changed. I’m single, and I’ve never done something like this by myself or for myself,” says Sharon. “But I love what Jennifer did, all the clean lines and no-fuss decorations. I’ll go to unpack a box of stuff from my old life and then put it away saying, ‘No, no, I don’t need the clutter.’”

Resources

Images by Jennifer Levy

0 Responses to “{Interiors} An “Empty Nest” NYC Apartment Makeover”

  1. Rockrose Development says:

    I really love the makeover you did on this Financial District apartments. The rug in the hallway was a great idea, and the warm and neutral tones really make the space more inviting.

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  2. Cathy B says:

    The apartment’s structural interior is lovely…as much as one can surmise from the photos…HOWEVER…the interior designs are cold, chairs look quite uncomfortable…almost nothing to cozy into, except for eggplant color, other colors are mediocre to cold, uninspiring, nonvibrant, uninteresting, nothing in the apt. with punch…artwork is non0bjective and unthinking, and NO BOOKS, NO INTEREST, a place where some woman lives who looks as though she lives in an office. Decorator is quite uncreative and cold.

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  3. maxie says:

    Fabulous makeover. I would love to have a kitchen makeover. Come in and do what you like. Change is good.

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  4. Cathy says:

    Amazing! I am so happy for this brave FOF 🙂
    The apartment looks so warm and inviting and young.
    Great work!

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  5. Cynthia says:

    I love most of this space – and it is REALLY small! The institutional dining chairs don’t work for me, but it’s not my space. If Sharon loves it, that’s all that matters! The colors in the bedroom are great – clean and warm at the same time. P.S. Sharon use the clutter in those unpacked boxes to make money at a resale shop or borrow space in someone’s sidewalk sale!

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  6. Jill Malek says:

    The makeover was a SUCCESS! And I concur that the choice to hang our wallpaper with wooden dowels was a great decision..it’s a way to invite art into your home. Jill Malek

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  7. DigiPix.Us says:

    We were so happy to be a small part of this makeover. Jennifer Levy did a great job! We certainly hope that Sharon enjoys her dragonfly print. Jennifer did such a great job with the colors in the bedroom that it doesn’t matter that she couldn’t paint the walls she made the room pop anyway.

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  8. pat pedergnana says:

    WOW what a transformation! Love the colors and spacing of different areas. Great idea with the wallpaper. A great apt, not just for FOF

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