This Chic Tribeca Home Was Once Raw Warehouse Space

See how designer Rayman Boozer transformed an 1800-square-foot white box into a personal, stylish haven.

October 08, 2019

By: Felicia Feaster

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Open-Plan Paradise

When New York City-based interior designer Rayman Boozer first saw this home five years ago, he knew from the start it was ideal. "I’m very influenced by what I’m designing at any given time," he says, “and I was designing a lot of lofts." What he found was an 1,800 square foot warehouse space that was little more than a "white box," when he first saw it. A few weeks later the space was transformed into the home that he’d always wanted.

A New York Design Star

Rayman Boozer is the founder and principal designer of Apartment 48 Interior Design, a Manhattan-based firm with a varied client list and a deep portfolio of impressive spaces to its credit. With clients ranging from major companies to individual residences, the firm provides Rayman ample opportunity to be creative with interiors. But as a tour of his gorgeous home reveals, he may be keeping some of his most exciting ideas to himself.

Twice as Nice

Why settle for one amazing living room when you can have two? Taking full advantage of his home’s layout, Rayman created this second living area to showcase his love of color. Here he takes the tightly condensed color and pattern of the living area at the front of the space and stretches it out across the rug, pillows and art of this larger room. At the center of it all is a stunning bookcase, a tribute to the designer’s favorite color. Drawing on his expertise and connections, he had the unit custom built in small sections so that they could be assembled quickly once in place.

Design Tricks

This second living room exemplifies several of Rayman's unique design superpowers. In this one room he shows off a unique color palette in the gray, green and yellow of the walls and rug, married to a bold use of pattern on the sofa. His incorporation of artwork — especially photography — is a nice finishing touch. Holding it all together are subtle design tricks like the repetition of an animal motif in the leopard pillow and the tiger rug.

Balancing Act

Rayman maintains that balance is the key to pulling off eclectic and innovative spaces. In this small vignette, the busy pattern of the floral sofa is tempered by the uniformally painted brick wall as its backdrop.

Taking Your Work Home With You

From the beginning of his home search, Rayman knew that he needed a space that he would not only live in, but that would serve as the hub of his design firm, Apartment 48. His built-in home office comfortably houses the designer and his team of employees.

Bohemian Dreams

Rayman would like to claim that the bedroom is his favorite room in the house, mostly because of the care he put into making it exceedingly comfortable. But between the demands of the office and time spent in his living room, he's not sure it receives enough attention to make the cut. "All I do in it is sleep," he confides, about his modern boudoir.

Plush Trappings

Texture is the name of the game in the bedroom where pillows are piled high and a textured headboard sports an upholstered pattern created by the designer himself.

Global Design in Every Room

At the core of Rayman’s design aesthetic are an array of cultural influences, combined into a coherent visual statement. In this bedroom nook, Chinoiserie drapery depicts a series of Asian tableaux. A Greek bust sits atop a Chinese-style console table. And an armchair gets an update in fabric designed by Kelly Wearstler. Mastery of the mix is what makes everything work together seamlessly.

Food for Thought

In the open-plan space, a living area that easily seats eight adds another colorful note to this interior. A large farmhouse table means there is plenty of room for guests. Dining chairs have been upholstered in an eye-catching pattern, in a color that mirrors the home’s bookcase. To top it off, a beautiful flea market-sourced chandelier adds a vintage touch to the space.

Get in Sync

Another of Rayman’s design strategies is the subtle but constant use of symmetry. On the coffee table, the trays on both sides of the centerpiece are identical; and while they are not filled with the same books and perhaps not staged to precisely the same height, they nevertheless provide a moment of balance and structure that helps to ground the space around them.

Snack Break

With its white cabinets, this kitchen is designed to be a visual respite from the intense colors in the rest of Rayman's home. The kitchen is not a complete outlier though, as pops of blue make their way in through two stunning bar stools upholstered in blue velvet.