french connection

Jesse Carrier and Mara Miller turn a TriBeCa loft into a family home with Parisian flair.

The rich hues of an abstract painting underscore the living room’s bold prints and textiles.

In the entry hall, Gustavian chairs flank an antique commode.

Carrier and Miller enjoy a rare moment of repose.

Since 2005, the husband-and-wife design duo Jesse Carrier and Mara Miller, founders of the Manhattan firm Carrier and Company, have been decorating the interiors of New York City’s fashion elite. Recently, the pair—who met as students at the Fashion Institute of Technology—took on a stylish young family’s downtown apartment, with the daunting goal of making it both cosmopolitan and kid friendly. Carrier and Miller began by devising a strategic layout for the loft-style space, reserving plenty of room for entertaining guests and children. “We wanted to make the home feel open and inviting,” says Miller, “so that the owners would never have to sacrifice in-home hosting in order to keep it family oriented.”

FLOOR LAMP Forest Park by Arterior’s Home $1,080 domino.com/fall15 ILLOWS (sofa) custom, radishmoon.com SOFA Hampton by Cobble Hill $4,500 abchome.com OOK “Carrier and Company: Positively Chic Interiors” $60 vendomepress.com TTOMAN custom, naulaworkshop.com FABRIC (chair and ottoman) Maroc in Fez, osbourneandlittle.com

The classic lines of a Louis XVI chair, boasting its original upholstery, contribute a vintage vibe to the living room.

These vintage dining chairs were childproofed in stain-resistant tweed. CHANDELIER Ventana oval $995 j onathanadler.com  BINET Arcadia $4,025 lawsonfenning.com INING TABLE by Walter of Wabash, ragoarts.com FABRIC (dining chairs) Sinclair in tuxedo (K15556) $53/yard, knoll.com

The designers’ most challenging task, however, came in paring down the couple’s considerable collections of antiques and decorative accessories—without diluting the influence of either partner’s taste. This required ruthlessly editing possessions to merge the wife’s modern pieces with the husband’s fine French furnishings. The end result is a careful curation of eclectic contemporary accessories and textiles with traditional European elements such as 18th-century gilded barometers, bergères, and nesting tables. “The antiques don’t date the place or make it feel fussy,” observes Carrier. “There’s a refined mix of old and new, so the loft reads fresh and worldly at once.”

A custom canopy bed accentuates the bedroom’s high walls. PHOTOGRAPH “Girl in the Woods” by Adam Golfer LAMPS Sultan, bungalow5.com BED Curator canopy bed, custom, calvinklein.com BENCH Colette $799 crateandbarrel.com ABRIC (bench) Lido in cypress (LD7), peterfasano.com PILLOWS (bed) $80 each, radishmoon.com