Tour a Serene, 500-Square-Foot 'Urban Treehouse' in New York City

The job of an interior designer is one of constant reinterpretation. Rarely does a designer work from their own tastes, preferences or cultural background alone — they blend them with those of the client to create a space that best suits their tastes and preferences while meeting their needs. For the last 12 years, New York interior designer Nina Barnieh-Blair has become an unquestioned expert in the art and process of collaboration with her clients. To each client, Nina brings a full background of design influences starting with her native Ghana, through her British upbringing and design education at Parsons School of Design. So when her client, a clinical psychologist in Manhattan’s West Village, wanted to turn her 522-square-foot, prewar apartment into an “urban treehouse,” she found herself in incredibly good hands.

Agreeing on the design concept was the easy part. The apartment, which the client has lived in since 2004, was in a condition that Nina referred to simply as “faded.” Bringing new life into the space would require a complete renovation, including opening the walls to rearrange the aging pipes. “We had to move pretty much all the plumbing and fixtures, which in a prewar building, where you never quite know how anything works until you open it up, is always an interesting process.”

With only 522-square-feet to work with, it was imperative that Nina not only make every square inch count, but that every square inch work together harmoniously to create a feeling that was bigger than the physical space. A firm believer that all great rooms begin with art, Nina worked with her client on her first art purchase for the space, "Monika. Warsaw" by photographer Alec Soth. The colors of the work set the palette for the room, a colorful yet serene arrangement championed by the inviting pink sofa from Ligne Roset.

Nina kept the furniture in the living room intentionally sparse, both to create the feeling of serene minimalism that permeates and opens the space, and to accommodate her client’s active yoga practice. But when every piece in a room makes a statement, you really don’t need that much. Further emphasizing this point is the gorgeous Peca's Rima Credenza from 1stDibs. Coupled with the eye-catching woven art piece, Hiroko Takeda’s Yellowbird IV, it’s a combination that skillfully adds color, texture and pattern to the space, while deepening its relaxed and meditative feel.