Decorating & Design

April 1, 2013

Candy-Coloured New York Townhouse

I didn’t dye any Easter eggs this weekend, but I’ve certainly been celebrating with various shades of candy. So in the spirit of the holiday, here’s a townhouse on New York’s Upper East Side decorated with egg-worthy pastels like lilac, teal and cotton-candy pink.

The home dates from 1860 and was briefly converted to a blacksmith shop at the turn of the 20th century. In the 1970s, it was chopped up into a four-unit apartment building before being restored to its original six-storey, single-family-housing self (supposedly by shoe magnate Steve Madden).

There are plenty of charming details left in the Italianate manse, like the fireplace, wood floors and large front windows. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of staircases left over from the building’s days as an apartment house, making the layout something of a maze.

The floor plan calls this the dining room, but it seems like any meals would have to be limited to the banquette lest they be interrupted by traffic from the stairway. Fortunately, according to the plans, there are two dining rooms and two kitchens, back-to-back, on this floor.

The principal bedroom is actually on the garden level and opens to a good-sized backyard. It could be re-worked into a living space, of course, but you’d also have to figure out how to re-configure the walk-in closets, dressing room and ensuite bathroom.

This is Manhattan, so don’t expect any fancy amenities — or more outdoor space — for your $9 million. If you’re dying to add your own media room, yoga studio or home office, you can always transform the basement or six bedrooms, or knock out a few of the 11 baths and half-baths for some extra square-footage.

What do you think? Would the pretty paint job convince you to take on a warren fit for the Easter bunny?

See more pastel rooms in our Colourful Spring Rooms photo gallery.

Photo credits:
1-5. Douglas Elliman Real Estate