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[Oznell]

This architect, Christopher Sale, was excited to move from a studio apartment, to a one-bedroom that is still small, under 800 square feet, but that he could make his own.   It's in the leafy "Tudor City" part of New York, which I had never heard of.  Apparently, it's across from the U.N. building, and is a tiny historical neighborhood that was established in 1925.

He was very happy to have a foyer for the first time, and he painted the beautiful park-like mural of trees, himself!  In one long weekend.

Here's a closer view of his lovely mural-- what a talent!

He got this handsome grandfather clock from puckish designer Garrow Kedigian, who amusingly, had it in his bathroom!   I love the pale blue closet doors with their white outline.  There are preppy touches like that throughout the space.

All these images had to be snatched from a Homeworthy video home tour, and little Connor,  a rescue terrier mix, was adorably omnipresent in the video.

In this particular case, tearing down walls made a more spacious feel througout.  Darling kitchen.

Here's the nightmarishly claustrophobic "before" kitchen, very teeny, prior to him opening it up:

Instead of a conventional island, he has a high polish metal one, which he hoped would look vaguely vintage.  To me, it does, in a Parisian bistro sort of way.

He described his style as " urban garden shed".   And indeed, the clever sconces either side of the big mirror are outdoor lanterns.   Further describing his style, he said he loves having sentimental, family things around him, and he loves having a sense of "place".   Clearly he also likes plants, which I find to be such a sprightly accent to his eclectic space.

He got the antique table from a writer friend who used it as her desk.  Can you see that one side is lighter, and distressed, where she used to work?   Love that detail.  The thriving fiddle leaf fig tree by the window is real.

The living room has the same pale blue on the walls, that we saw on the closet doors in the entry.

Attention must be paid, to certain devoted canines!  Love his classic bentwood cane chair.  

Looking back toward the kitchen from this end of the living room.  He wanted a few midcentury touches, like the burnt orange velvet chair, to pay tribute to the postwar vintage of the building.

To the left of the black hutch that you see above, he has hung very meaningful art pieces together.   He created this one of the Guggenheim museum below, when just a boy.

And his father did this black and white study, hung just below it, when HE was a boy:

The bedroom is big enough to accomodate a four poster, and sports soothing khaki walls.

Love the puppy portrait on the club chair pillow!  Christopher neatly tucked in his office desk by the bed.

The best bedroom accessory of all!   This is Connor's favorite spot, and it does look very comfy...  What a wistful expression, cuteness off the charts...

Tudor City looks like a great little neighborhood...

Residents enjoy parks and greenery.

I always say this, but truly,  you canNOT get the best sense of this from these still pictures.   The video is so much less choppy and has much more flow, with Christopher's charming commentary.  To watch the video,  just search:

House Tour:  A Cozy and Classic New York City Apartment Youtube  Homeworthy

Any New Yorkers on here, who are familiar with this neighborhood, would love to hear from you!

[Janey2]

@Oznell  you can google Tudor City and read about its history. It's been a long time since I was in that area of Manhattan, but it is an interesting area of the city.  It is like a little city within the city. If I remember correctly it has no through streets so it is a quiet part of the city. 

[icezeus]

It seems much larger then 800 feet after his redesign.  I really like it. 

That before picture of the kitchen was the stuff of nightmares. 

[luvzchiz]

Connor, his pup makes all look wonderful.  Thanks for posting.  

[spiderw]

What a lovely apartment!  The mural is beautiful, love the art work on the walls,  the foyer and the kitchen, so pretty, such a great look compared to the tiny former kitchen.  It is a warm inviting comfortable place and when you decorate with love and the decor you choose for yourself, it makes it even warmer.  As I have said many times, love NY and spent much of my younger life there.  This apartment is so appealing to me.

[DSD2]

Aesthetically beautiful. Loved the pale blue and all of the flowers.

A bit formal but warm and welcoming. He has excellent taste in decor and pups! What a sweet dog (I'm very partial to terriers).

The only thing I didn't quite understand was the large mirror.  It was distracting to me and oddly out of place. But the mural and so many carefully selected items all came together perfectly.

Thank you Oznell for all of these wonderful homes you share with us!

[phoenixbrd]

Love how he brought so much live and love into this small apartment. So many plants and the hand painted mural.....homage to this quaint historical neighborhood. He made an inviting home for himself and his beloved Connor.  Thanks for the lovely share.

[Magny]

I worked at Tudor City for five years,  converting it from rental to co-op, for a prominent NYC real estate owner.  It is a lovely area,

overlooking the UN, with plenty of good city views.  The gardens are lovely, but a lot of the units are small. There were at least  two fabulous penthouses, with massive terraces with gargoyles!  They needed work at the time, but the ceilings were very high & the windows enormous.  This was between 1985 & 1990.

[Oznell]

Ha, ha, you summed up the old kitchen perfectly, @icezeus !  It was made further impossible by the fact that he belongs to a dinner club, and could not imagine whipping up exotic feasts for his friends in that gruesome 'closet'.

@DSD2,  interesting about the mirror.  He mentioned the reason for that.   He said, since the kitchen and dining parts of the space were windowless, he hoped the mirror would bounce the light from the living room windows right into those areas.

Wow, @Magny ,  how neat that you actually worked in that capacity in the neighborhood.   Thanks for all that first-person info!

[DREAMON]

I really like this light and airy apartment. The only changes I would make...remove the plates from the wall in the Living Room and I don't care for the 4 post bed. Just a bed with no obstruction would give the room a more open feel. The posts hit me in the face and obstruct the flow of the small room.

The mural is lovely.