West Village Townhouse is Formal and Fun with a Bold Palette, Eclectic Furnishings – and Penguins

New York City is rich with buildings from another time, each offering a unique blend of period details, classic lines, and historical features. As a result, the homes within, as beautiful as they are, can sometimes seem a little, well, stuffy. Faced with the challenge of bringing a more modern aesthetic to their client’s West Village townhouse while respecting the home’s time-honored elegance, Brooklyn-based design firm The New Design Project incorporated a bold palette, eclectic furnishings, and a whimsical family of penguins to instill a fun atmosphere and give the space a younger feel.

The firm’s self-described work ethos of using “unconventional mixes of objects, influences, and flavors to deliver a richer and more joyous experience” is evident in the result.

While the bright pops of color are immediately noticable, what you may not appreciate until closer inspection is the masterful combination of pieces from different eras, all sourced from thrift shops, antique dealers, and custom-made orders (the hot pink lacquered coffee table is based on an original design by Abigail Ahern). And it all blends seamlessly within the home’s more traditional bones–a beautifully orchestrated mash-up of sorts.

The designers painted the majority of the period features in an effort to tone them down and then used their expertise in layering various styles and textures to give the space a new voice. Although muted, the original character of the home still shines through and plays the perfect host to the designer’s adventurous vision.

Wide-plank pine flooring, marble mantles and old-fashioned radiator covers mesh easily with both their turn-of-the century counterparts and pieces spanning the ’60s, ’70s, and beyond. We love designs like this, where every turn brings a discovery and a delight, and each element brought into the home has a clear purpose and a rightful place. Even those penguins.

To see more work from The New Design Project, visit here.

RELATED:

• The New Design Project’s Upper East Side Apartment Has a Downtown Industrial Vibe
• This Fort Greene Townhouse Looks All Grown Up, but Quirky Details Just for Kids Abound
• Rob Stuart Interiors Infuses Romantic, Turn-of-the-Century Charm into a Modern West Village Townhouse

Photos courtesy of The New Design Project