Her elegant boutiques offer but a soupcon of Tory Burch’s decorative tastes. The fashion and lifestyle empress reveals a glimpse into her personal space, her 10-bedroom New York apartment on the Upper East Side, and what she adores about it.
“I love everything about this apartment, especially the view. It looks out over Central Park, one of my favourite places in the city. We saw the space for the first time in autumn, when the leaves on the trees were changing. The colours were extraordinary — and inspired the design of my library.
I live here with my three boys, our two dogs and an assortment of tropical fish. It’s where I spend most of my time, when I am not at the office or travelling. I worked on this 9,000sqft apartment with my friend Daniel Romualdez, an architect and interior designer. He knows what I like and he is a master at taking people’s taste and making it better.
The decor is constantly evolving. I am always searching for interesting pieces when I travel — in flea markets, antique fairs and bazaars. I have many family photographs that I love, as well as favourite books and objects: baskets from Haiti, armour from Japan, my collection of porcelain stirrup cups... Another favourite item is the Yves Klein gold foil table — it’s a piece of furniture and a work of art.
Each room is unique, but my love of colour and print carries through from one to the next. When I was thinking about the interiors, I kept coming back to rooms David Hicks designed — geometric prints and bold colours mixed with pieces from his travels to places like Morocco.
Kitchen
“The heart of the kitchen is an oversized island that also serves as a table. Everyone always gathers around it and we talk for hours.”
Sitting room
“The room has become affectionately known as the Blue Room. I kept coming back to this signature Billy Baldwin cotton fabric wall covering that was inspired by Matisse, my favourite artist.”
Living room
“The Yves Klein table in my living room was inspired by gold Buddha statues in Japan from the early 1950s. I like the mix of different elements in this table — gold against green-and-white parrot tulips or a deconstructed classical vase by artist Francesca DiMattio.”
Library
“We live in this room. It’s where we read, watch movies, play board games, hang out. It’s a happy, cosy room, and great for entertaining. My design team and I watch inspiration movies here, and company brainstorming meetings have taken place around the coffee table. People feel they can come in and put their feet up. I love that.”
Our kitchen is blue and white, one of my favourite colour combinations. It’s a classic pairing with so many positive associations for me. We spend a lot of time there, whether it’s reading the morning papers at breakfast or catching up on the day over dinner.
If I had to describe my home in a word, it’d be ‘welcoming’. I entertain fairly often, whether it’s a casual lunch or a cocktail party. I like to have a tray with a signature drink — the classic Southside or margaritas — when my guests arrive. My mother’s divine salmon spread recipe makes for the perfect hors d’oeuvre. Family dinners are a tradition. There are a lot of us so even intimate gatherings include many people.
I also have my team over for work. Balancing work and family has always been my greatest challenge. It is something I work on every day — some days more successfully than others. No matter what, my boys come first. If I weren’t a good mum, I wouldn’t be a good CEO.”
Images: Noa Griffel.