Online boutique The Line—purveyors of simple, soignee (and undeniably pricey) fashion, furniture, and even toothpaste—have opened The Apartment, a remodeled Soho loft furnished with the site's invitingly laid-back objects.
The collection and its club house are the work of star stylists and The Line co-founders Vanessa Traina, daughter of novelist Danielle Steele, and Morgan Wendelborn, who have masterfully translated today's yearning for authenticity and craftsmanship into a new buying experience. Collaborating with Andrea Steele of And Architects (who had a hand in the renovation of the nearby Donald Judd loft) and set designer Carl Sprague, they created a fully detailed living space in which no one is in residence and everything, down to the dish soap, happens to be for sale. Browsers are invited in—The Apartment is open Wednesdays and Saturdays, and by appointment—to play house, lounge on the velvet sofa, try on clothes in the lacquered dressing room, and perhaps come away with a pair of $1,850 silk pajamas, a Scandinavian blonde daybed, giant fur throw, and Mason Pearson hairbrush to recreate the scenario back home.
Photographs courtesy of The Line.
Above: The Apartment is located at 76 Greene Street, on the third floor of one of the great cast-iron industrial buildings that originally inspired artists to colonize Soho.
Above: The loft is accessorized down to the Carl Aubock coat hooks (and coats themselves) in the entry—all are for sale (but so as not to kill the vibe, extra inventory is kept out of sight).
Above: Vanessa Traina and Morgan Wendelborn envisioned the loft as belonging to a woman with a taste for what they call "storied objects." The first such objects selected were this set of five handblown glass lights—the Neverending Glory Collection by Czech designers Jan Plechác and Henry Wielgus for Lasvit—that are silhouettes of chandeliers from the world's great opera houses; $1,760 each. They hang over a 10-foot-long marble dining table table with brushed steel legs that can be made to order in any size.
Above: A ledge for casually displaying objects runs alongside the dining table.
Above: In classic loft style, the Apartment's living area is open to the entry and kitchen/dining setup. It's anchored by a Las Venus sofa, the Ludlow in navy velvet, a custom adaptation of a 1970s design. It's draped in an outsized Fox Fur Throw by Area ID that's lined with wool cashmere. The shaggy rug is a hand-knotted Turkish Yatak.
Above: The living room's side chairs are the PK 22 in steel and natural canvas from Fritz Hansen of Denmark; a 1957 design by Poul Kjaerholm, they're a modern take on the ancient Greek klismos chair and are available to order for $4,024. This one is topped with the Carlyle Knit Pillow by Armand Diradourian in a wool cashmere; $440.
Above: Positioned to take in the expansive street views from the living room, a Cast Plaster Resin Armchair—a vintage garden piece set on casters—is paired with a black and white Petrified Wood Side Table by Andrianna Shamaris. The stork-like light is the Dino Floor Lamp from Flair; $1,200.
Above: The PK 80 Daybed, another 1957 Poul Kjaerholm classic from Fritz Hansen, is layered with a brown-gray Christophe Lemaire Yak Shawl—yes, yak wool, said to be lighter, softer, and stronger than cashmere—and a Striped Throw in gray and cream cashmere by Armand Diradourian.
Above: Glassware at The Apartment is designed by Hudson Valley artist Deborah Ehrlich, whose designs are handblown of Swedish non-lead crystal (and can be seen at Blue Hill restaurant). Shown here, Ehrlich's Water Glass, $55, of which she has said, "I'm looking for a certain silence, a quiet."
Above: PK 71 Nesting Tables, Poul Kjaerholm's 1957 design in brushed stainless steel and acrylic, are sold in nesting sets of three; $2,197. They're artfully stacked here with a Las Venus Mirrored Cube Table and Andrianna Shamaris Small Wood Cube.
Above: The PK 71 works well on its own as a small display table.
Above: A glam dressing room divides the loft's living area from the bedroom, and is the place to browse and try on clothes by Reed Krackoff, Vince, and JW Anderson, among others. The Line recently debuted a line of pared-down, well-cut staples called Protagonist (we can't help but wonder if Danielle Steele came up with the name). The Moroccan Rug is by Creel and Gow.
Above: The loft is detailed like a movie set, down to its books, some of which came from Vanessa and Morgan's own collections, but most of which are for sale.
Above: The bedroom showcases the Line's bedding by Remodelista favorite Olatz, paired with Armand Diradourian wool cashmere Carlyle Knit Pillows and a Fox Fur throw by Area ID. The Apartment's Icelandic Sheepskins are sourced by architect Bryce Gracey; $245 each. Vanessa's own PP225 Flaglinestolen Chair by Hans Wegner for PP Mobler is a modern classic. The handmade slippers are the Alice Split Sole by LA company Newbark.
Above: The bedroom's clawfoot bathtub is stocked with The Line's global collection of beauty products. The metal wall unit is the 4G Shelf, made of wax-polished aluminum by Chicago designer Jonathan Nesci.
Above: The Line's skin products are Vanessa and Morgan's bonafide favorites, and range from the rarefied to health food store staple Skin Trip Coconut Soap and moisturizer made in Boulder, Colorado. They rest on a Teak and Resin Cube by Andrianna Shamaris. The fringed towel is a Scents and Feel Fouta handwoven in Tunisia; $77.
Further evidence that The Apartment is the creation of two stylists. Above L: A still life with Black Ceramic Pear by Creel and Gow—currently sold out; for more ideas, see 10 Decorative Pears (Partridge Not Included). The Horn and Chromed Brass Lighter is by Flair. Above R: KPM Berlin Egg Cups and KPM Gravy Boat on Architect Made Turning Trays by Danish architect Finn Juhl designed in 1956.
Above: A Speckled Ostrich Egg inside a Glass Cloche with Wooden Base and other curiosities. See the full collection at The Line, where you can read background stories on many of the objects.
Browse our photo gallery of loft spaces for more inspiration. More browsing? See Remodelista and Gardenista Shopper's Diary posts.