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Designer builds character, serenity into New York apartment

March 6, 2000
Web posted at: 4:36 p.m. EST (2136 GMT)

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A box-shaped apartment in a New York high-rise may seem an unlikely home for an interior designer with neoclassical tastes, but that's just what designer Michael La Rocca wanted.

After years in a dark, 19th century town house, says La Rocca, he was ready for a change -- a challenge, too. He got both.

"What I had to do was to try and build in some character in the apartment because it was just a white box," he says. "I ripped out the two-and-a-half bathrooms; ripped out the kitchen; built in all the cabinetry (and) air conditioning units; added crown molding and base boards; and stripped all the popcorn off the ceiling."

The furnishings are an elegant mix of Italian, Austrian, French and Russian pieces. "I wanted to create an atmosphere that was a mix of contemporary and traditional," La Rocca says. "They are just things that I've collected, and I really enjoy living with."

La Rocca says he also likes furniture with personality and a sense of humor, and offers his dining room as an example. "It was designed by a British sculptor in the '50s," he says. "The top is 18th century marble, and the base consists of seashells and semiprecious stones."

The den is the only room painted a rich color, a deep cranberry red. The rest of the walls are neutral. The living room, for instance, has a vanilla glaze.

"Things really do stand out against it," he says. "It's a very lush color, and yet it's really almost a noncolor."

Smoke and mirrors

With a couple of decorating tricks, La Rocca makes the rooms look larger. In the bedroom he uses over-sized furniture. In the kitchen and bathrooms, he hangs mirrors to reflect light.

The mood throughout the apartment is one of serenity -- a word, La Rocca says, that's often used to describe his work.

"I do tend to infuse my projects with that feeling, because the world is such a crazy place that the idea of serenity or zen-like environment is very much appreciated," he says. "That doesn't mean that you can't use color, pattern and some wonderful elements. Serenity does not mean boring."

La Rocca groups his furniture into pairs to prove his point. "When you have that balance, it adds to the serenity," he says. "There's a restfulness to the mind and to the eye when you have balance."

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