Designer Ariane Goldman lives with her husband Max and their two young daughters, Charlie and Georgie, in downtown Manhattan. Their home is warm and bright, and the stucco walls make it feel like an Italian trullo. Here’s a peek inside, if you’d like to see…
On settling in: We moved here when I was eight months pregnant and had a toddler. It was crazy, but Max is super mellow, so he calmed me down. When it comes to decor, I always feel like you have to live in a place for a while before you know how things are going to roll out. We probably put the couch in three different places before we got it right.
On big windows: I love sitting on the couch in the living room, looking out both windows. Especially when it’s snowing. And I can’t wait until the cherry blossoms bloom. Just being able to look outside and feel peace in New York City is so rare, and the fact that I can find that in my home makes me so much more at ease now.
Couch: ABC Carpet & Home. Upholstered chairs: eBay. Low woven poufs: Ikea. Coffee table: Vintage, from Beale & Bell. Woven side table: Chairish. Furry stool: Desiron. Striped throw blanket: Calypso.
On decorating as a couple: Max is a cinematographer, so aesthetics are kind of his thing. He’s very picky; I’m usually the one who gives in. But we have a lot of pink tones in our home right now, and he’s actually cool with it. He owns it. I can’t go crazy with it, but having two girls has changed things.
On choosing art: I don’t know anything about art. For me, art is a visual smile. I like things that make me feel content when I’m in a room. My friend Gordon Harrison Hull is fantastic. I’ve been a fan of his work for so long. Keeping Gordon’s whimsy around the house makes me really happy.
On working at home: I rarely work from home, but when I do, I get my most work done there. I run two companies — HATCH and twobirds Bridesmaid — and our office is an open-floor plan, so if someone’s on the phone, I can’t help listening and chiming in. This little nook is incredibly important. It allows me to think.
On “surprise” decorating: Many little pieces in our home are just trinkets that Max and I pick out along with way. Sometimes we don’t tell each other. One of us will put something up and then later the other one will be like, “Where did that come from?” Max loves architecture so recently a little model building appeared on the shelf.
On favorite places to shop: For home decor, my favorite stores are ABC Carpet & Home and Ochre — they have a less expensive line called Canvas that’s amazing. For nursery decor, I like Ikea and Serena & Lily. I try to mix and match high-low.
Desk: Ochre. Chair: Organic Modernism.
On the stucco walls: At first, we were like, oh, this is interesting. I wasn’t sold on it. But the more we lived here, the more it started feeling Spanish or European, like we’re in this wonderful little sanctuary.
On how to unwind: In the evening, after the girls go to sleep at 8 p.m., my husband and I like to hang out in bed. We are bed dwellers. We watch our go-to shows — Max’s is SportsCenter and mine is Real Housewives, so we split the difference and call it HGTV. Right now our favorite show to watch together is Fixer Upper.
On family time: We also hang out a lot in our bed as a family. We have movie time or cartoon time. I love linen bedding, especially when it’s light pink, mauve and grey, the kind of colors you can pile on top of each other and just relax.
Mirror: eBay. Bedding: Matteo. Lamp: West Elm. Parsons table: Design Within Reach. Chair: One Kings Lane. Sheepskin throw: Serena & Lily.
On princesses: Right now, Charlie’s into anything pink and Frozen everything. I’ve tried hard to get her into other things, but she’s really this Disney princess kid. She loves pink and tiaras and tutus, and I think she loves having her own space where she can do her princess thing. I’m going to make Georgie be my little tomboy!
On playing together: Charlie and I do crafts. We make a lot of handmade necklaces with beads. I also asked her what she liked when we were decorating her room, because I think it’s important that she helps create her own space.
On choosing art for kids: I found the big hot air balloon photo on Etsy when I was pregnant with Charlie. I wanted to provide that levity of “anything is possible.”
On family photos: Max and I have been together for almost 12 years and married for eight. Our framed photos are from the era when people still printed photos! We scatter them across the house. Now that we have Charlie and Georgie, it’s especially important for them to know that he’s there, even when he’s traveling for work. Also, I’m in love with him, so I like seeing his face.
Hanging basket chair: Serena & Lily. String lights: La Case de Cousin Paul. Bed: Serena & Lily. Bedding: John Robshaw. Canopy: Restoration Hardware Kids. Desk and chair: Smallable.
GEORGIE’S NURSERY:
On choosing baby names: I love boys’ names for girls. I assumed I was having boys both times I was pregnant. I thought Charlie sounded like someone you wanted to be friends with. I had to sell Max on “Georgie.” It was going to be Sonny, for a boy or a girl, but then she just didn’t look like a Sonny. I was psyched he agreed for her to be Georgie.
On the wonders of white furniture: Since New York is so crazy, we prefer white furniture, since it makes our home feel like a retreat. All our white dressers are from Ikea. They’re clean and blend in. Then we can decorate with pops of color and change things easily with bedding.
On adjusting to a new baby: Charlie is handling it deliciously. She’s fantastic with her baby sister. It has brought us so much closer because she has helped me so much, and Georgie loves her. Charlie adores her so much, she can hug her and be super physical and Georgie’s neck isn’t fully in the right place. She wants to eat her. That’s the only thing I have to keep an eye on!
Crib: Serena & Lily. Feather print: Etsy. Mobile: ABC Home. Splatter print: Gordon Harrison Hull. Raffia side table: Serena & Lily. Rocking chair: ABC Carpet & Home. Elephant side table: Serena & Lily. Round mirror: Serena & Lily. Plush mounted animal heads: Serena & Lily. Leather animal bookends: Serena & Lily
Thank you so much, Ariane! Your home and family are beautiful.
P.S. More home tours, like a bohemian home in California and a colorful Brooklyn apartment.
(Photos by Alpha Smoot for Cup of Jo. Interview by Caroline Donofrio. Ariane’s dress is the HATCH Jersey Drape Dress)
Hey guys! I found the guy who made the print and convinced him to reopen his shop using a Google image search with a screenshot from the partial photo shown in the tour above *phew*
https://www.etsy.com/listing/56766769/ballooning-8×8-fine-art-photo-print-hot?campaign_label=shop_vacation_return_notification&utm_source=lifecycle&utm_campaign=shop_vacation_return_notification_123169_11008932026_0_0&utm_medium=email&utm_content=&email_sent=1432103702&euid=NABcOsQWKwswD_8SWwwt-RldQE8F&eaid=8500887515&x_eaid=79263dfaa8
oh my gosh, you’re amazing!!
YES!!!! thank you!!!
xxoo
What Etsy shop is the Hot Air balloon print from?
Absolutely adore this space! xx
Beautiful apartment and those big windows with all that light:)
Shame to cover them during winter.
I absolutely love how bright it is! I love the cream decor!
Absolutely beautiful home and family! Charlie & Georgie are wonderful names…they are so lucky to have each other. My sister has always been a treasure to me.
“Art is a visual smile”. I love that!
oh my goodness… this house is decorated so beautifully!
I love the girls’ names! Darling. And I don’t blame Charlie one bit for wanting to eat up Georgie. She is an adorable little baby. The natural lighting and the artwork are my favorite things about this lovely home.
I loved seeing the stucco walls. We had them in our apartment when we were growing up and I don’t think I’ve ever seen them anywhere else.
I adore this post. Beautiful home and beautiful thoughts, both!
My question is, where are her boots from?!
Seriously loving this house!! I would love to know where the hot air balloon print is from on Etsy as well!!
Hi Lauren. The Ballooning print is from my Etsy shop. Email or message me if you would like more details about purchasing the print.
yes, here’s the link! https://www.etsy.com/listing/56766769/ballooning-8×8-fine-art-photo-print-hot
It looks lovely
I enjoyed this post so much, especially Georgie’s room. I’ve been eyeballing those hanging rattan chairs for a while now wondering where I can squeeze on in our house. I’m glad to see a child’s size in relation to the chair, too. I also like how your work desk looks out the window–mine does, too, and gazing helps spur thinking! :)
Such a beautiful post! So much love and pretty things!!!
Rachel x
thehappybits.blogspot.com
Refreshing to see those stucco walls in an age where everything (especially in New York) is very clean lines and industrial. Really makes it look like a warm home!
Megan || http://www.ohheyblog.com
Can we please get the name of the Etsy shop for the hot air balloon print??
I love Charlie’s dress! Where is from ? I want a grown u version.
Could we please get the shop name for the hot air balloon print??
What a gorgeous comfortable home! And those little girls–just adorable! (Georgie has got some old soul in her for sure–look at those eyes!)
I’m always so intrigued by the curtain-less and shade-less windows–especially being so close to other buildings. I think that’s just part of NYC living. It definitely feels more airy and open.
I loved how real this apartment felt–it wasn’t PERFECT, but yet, it was perfect….ps–love the girls’ names :)
Absolutely LOVELY! It’s my absolute dream to own an apartment in Manhattan. This post made me all sorts of “heart-eye-emoji”. Too cute.
x, Joanna.
Such a great space. And I am in love with the elephant table.
My dream apartment! And Charlie has long been my preferred name for a little girl. So cute!
Beautiful place!
And those girls are too cute. The baby looking at the camera in the last photo? I melted.
I would also love to know if Ariane could pull the name of the Etsy shop with the balloon print!
I agree! I’ve spent WAY too much time today hunting on Etsy!
Hi. The Balloning print is from my Etsy shop http://www.elgarboart.etsy.com. Please contact me if for more details if you’re interested in purchasing the print.
Unclear if my comment went through the first time-the page just reloaded and I didn’t get a confirmation- so sorry if this is a repost…
Gorgeous space! I’ve been looking for a carpet exactly like the tan and white zig zag one in the living room area. Can you share where that is from?
Gorgeous space… Where is the tan and white zig-zag striped carpet in the living room area from? I’ve been looking for something exactly like that!
I am in love with those big windows! Living in basement suites for the past three years has definitely made me appreciate big, beautiful windows!
Kristi
http://www.beloverly.com
Soo beautiful! And now that I’m pregnant with my second, this gives me great ideas!
Thanks for sharing :)
Home tours are my favorite posts and this one is lovely + the art combinations in this house are brilliant! Thank you for sharing.
Beautiful house! Love, love the tour section of your blog!
Great bookshelf. Lovely apartment!
So lovely Ariane! XOX.
No kitchen or bathroom?! Even so, such a lovely space :) I’ll just dream up the other rooms in my mind…
What a beautiful space! I love the stucco walls. I find it so interesting how your location influences design choices. A lot of the New York apartments you have posted have been very white and minimal. I live in Houston, so while it is big city too, it has a totally different feel and climate than New York. My home is full of dark or bright colors, and I don’t have a single white wall. Because it’s basically like living on the surface of the sun here for much of the year, the darker colors feel cool and like a retreat, and the bright colors feel happy and appropriate for summer. I wonder if I would change my taste if I moved to New York?
Oooo, i would love to know what etsy shop the hot air balloon photo was purchased from! Love that!
What an absolutely gorgeous apartment. I normally don’t care for stucco, but I love it in there… I agree with you that it gives it such a different look. I think it makes it seem cozier, actually!
Great pics. Thanks for sharing!! :-)
“The Busy Brunette”
http://thebusybrunette.blogspot.com/
What a lovely place!! Such beautiful light everywhere! :)
I’m going to NY to celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday…any advice on where to stay?
love Cup of Jo’s new look! Congrats!
Best,
Anna
I misread that as “I love Cup of Jo’s new book!” and I got really excited. Hint, hint, Joanna ;)
I love your girl’s names Ariane! If I have a girl I want to name her Elliott! Your family has a beautiful home!
Her Heartland Soul
http://herheartlandsoul.com
What a beautiful apartment! I especially love the shelving unit in her office nook – is it possible to find out where it’s from? thanks!
Agree, love the modular shelving! Though, in California w/ earthquake considerations, that’s a lot of wall-tethering…
seconded! I’d love to know where the modular shelving is from.
This home is gorgeous, no question about it. I was tripped up by the comments about the color pink, though. Are we really not over the idea that pink is for girls? Does her husband really need to “own it”? These appear to make very intelligent choices (books galore!), so I’m surprised to read that they’d buy into the silly idea that colors represent our gender or sexuality.
I think most people do make these color-gender associations on some level. It is probably partly due to marketing, but I also hear a lot of Moms say that it is their kids’ choice, especially when it comes to girls and pink/red. A recent study published in Current Biology suggests there is a biological component to this preference. I do wonder whether that is true or not and if so what the limits are, especially when I consider that my husband loves to wear pink shirts and would probably decorate our house with a lot more pink if I agreed.
In any case, I took her comments to be a way to say that her husband is happy to have daughters :)
Wow, the bookshelf is glorious. Or is it a bookwall? :]
I love this playful, relaxed, and fun space!
Beautiful space.
Where is the little girl’s dress from? Thanks.
so beautiful! i love seeing the personal touches and hearing their stories on your apartment tours! such a relaxing escape!
Wow love everything about this apartment, especially the nursery decor!
❤ Rocky Mountain Decals – Baby, Kids & Home Wall Decals ❤
http://www.etsy.com/shop/rockymountaindecals