30 Years Later, This Editor Has Never Stopped Playing With Her Apartment Design

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Although she’s been a design editor for decades at publications like Elle Decor and House and Garden, Melissa Feldman still hasn’t pinned down her signature style. “My walls have been everything from Hermès orange to bright green,” she says of her apartment on New York City’s Upper West Side, the same one she has called home for nearly 30 years. Not that she minds; constant adding and subtracting—a side table here, a chair print there—has kept things interesting. “It’s been a process of editing,” she explains. “I’ve bought furniture and immediately taken it back so many times.”

wide shot of living room with red leather lounge chair.
Dining Table, Knoll; Rug, Maharam; Throw Pillow Fabric, Pierre Frey.

Since it’s her job to be ahead of the latest trends, Feldman is surrounded by every design style there is—boho modern, farmhouse, minimalist, you name it. It has been a difficult process to nail down what she’s drawn to personally rather than professionally. “I tried making my bedroom nautical themed for a while, but it never seemed to work,” she says. 

bathroom with blue walls and white pedestal sink.
bedroom with blue patchwork quilt.
Bed Frame, Crate & Barrel; Quilt, Thompson Street Studios.

Despite its seascape color palette, however, the bedroom has remained mostly untouched. “Especially in a city like New York, sleep is essential,” she explains. “And I wanted to create some calm where I could.” Yes, a Crate and Barrel upholstered bed recently took the place of an old brass frame, but the walls, a Benjamin Moore replica of an old Donald Kaufman swatch, have been the same for nearly 10 years. “I don’t think I’ll ever change the color,” she says. The softness of the sandy hue and the abundance of light Feldman gets from her windows offer a reprieve from daily collection previews and trade shows. On the bed, a Thompson Street quilt reminds Feldman of her mother’s textile collection. “I have a closetful of her quilts,” she says. “They’re a little loud for my taste, but the patterns are beautiful.”

open wood shelves with iron boat model on top.
Metal wire boat, Pottery Barn.

There are plenty of those elsewhere in the apartment. “I’ve always been fond of the modern aesthetic, but I can’t live in the all-beige world I write so much about,” Feldman admits. “I trained as a graphic designer; I need a bit of punch.” Bold shapes and shades aren’t kept to the artwork; Feldman has reupholstered almost every seat she owns, save a red, leather, Zanotta Genni chair that used to belong to her parents. “It was a piece that no one sat in,” she recalls, but now guests can’t get enough of the chrome frame. 

hallway with rubber tree and colorful bench.
Desk chair, Room & Board.

The hallway bench boasts a colorful Jim Thompson ikat, while the mid-century armchairs are covered in an red chevron by Madeline Weinrib that matches the rug Feldman scouted at NeoCon (a trade show) and couldn’t stop thinking about for a year afterward. Certain pieces, however, were simply on-site, instinctive purchases, like the Richard Sapper table lamp in her office. “It was the first design-y product I ever bought,” she remembers. “Before I ever knew I’d be an editor.” It now sits on an IKEA metal console in her office, in front of her favorite artwork, a Tom Otterness print

brown and orange graphic art print
Lamp, MoMA Design Store; Console, IKEA; Print, Tom Otterness.
wall of white bookcases
Bookcases, California Closets; Rug, Annie Selke.

Across the room, a custom set of California Closets bookcases houses Feldman’s expansive collection of design books and magazines. “It changed my relationship to the space,” she says of the storage she installed a few years ago. All of her bylines and reference materials are finally ordered and within easy reach of her desk—no longer in precarious piles on the floor. 

stove with silver kettle
shelves of blue and white porcelain plates.

These days, Feldman feels as though she’s finally hitting her decorating stride. She’s still debating selling her porcelain collection, and the artwork will be rearranged a few more times before she’s fully sated, but for now, this is home. “I don’t know if I’ll be living here for the rest of my life,” she says, “but certainly, while I am, I continue to play.” Why move when you’ve had four different apartments for the price of one?

portrait of woman in striped dress.
Melissa Feldman

The Goods

Tile Linen u0026 Cotton Patchwork Quilt

Thompson Street Studio
 grey patchwork quilt

Classic Tizio Task Lamp

MoMA Design Store
$620
 black metal task lamp

PS Cabinet

IKEA
$129
 metal locker console table

La toile du peintre

Pierre Frey
 multicolor abstract printed fabric

Kate McGregor

Writer/Editor

Kate McGregor covers everything related to the home, from design inspiration to IKEA hacks. She has been the market assistant at ELLE Decor where she focused on curating product for the print magazine’s market pages.