Sanchez + Coleman Refreshes a Tired Manhattan Apartment With Tropical Vibes

“Having long been a fan of color, I’m learning to work with white,” confesses designer Christopher Coleman. That’s not to say he has abandoned his characteristic saturated palette altogether. Tasked with refreshing this four-bedroom pied-à-terre on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Coleman combined his new chromatic restraint with a touch of his old flamboyance, creating a predominantly white shell to which he added feverish electric-blue and lemon-yellow accents.

The project is the first for Sanchez + Coleman studio, a new venture that formalizes Coleman’s longtime collaboration with Venezuelan fashion designer Angel Sanchez. The dynamic duo teamed up to work for a young jet-setting couple who toggle between New York and Florida. The clients were looking for a luxury kitchen, great kids’ bedrooms, and the latest smart-home features (something the tech-savvy designer was pleased to provide) as essential elements in rejuvenating the tired 1980s apartment.

As for the aesthetics? “Since the clients’ roots are South American, we thought of the design as tropical,” says Coleman, who went for a sleek, Miami-chic look replete with vibrant Latin American and Japanese art. The characterful furnishings include midcentury icons juxtaposed with decidedly contemporary pieces such as a dramatic Tom Dixon dining table with a steel-rod base inspired by power pylons.

Design Principals: Christopher Coleman; Angel Sanchez