Tim Gunn’s New York apartment and terrace garden reflect theProject Runwayhost’s classic style.
“I’m obsessed with architecture.
I always have been,” says this Socrates of style.
Credit: John Bessler
“When I was 9, I went to Monticello and was enthralled.
I scraped together my pennies to buy a book of Thomas Jefferson’s architectural drawings.
When I got home, I built some of the rooms with Legos.
Credit: John Bessler
The Legos are gone, but I still have that architecture book.”
Classic Living Room
“Certainly, I’m a classicist.
“I’m very slow and plodding when it comes to furniture arranging andhanging paintings,” he says.
Credit: John Bessler
“But when it comes to color, there’s no hesitation.”
“The ochre color was inspired by a trip to Bath, England,” Tim says.
“It’s such a warm color, and itlooks great with rich woodsand traditional paintings.
Credit: John Bessler
I like a soothing canvas.”
An architectural model by Timothy Richards takes center stage on the dining table.
Tim has a dozen of Richards’s pieces, this one a miniature of an English estate house.
Credit: John Bessler
The oval-back Louis XVI chairs and chandelier are from Ballard Designs.
“These things mean something to me,” Tim says.
“I love history, and objects with a story to tell.”
Credit: John Bessler
The Pottery Barn bed is dressed in sage toile and topped with pillows made from antique tapestries.
An antique rug brings in deeper green underfoot.
“I started to think, ‘This is ridiculous.
Credit: John Bessler
I can’t go on like this.’
When it came to designing the terrace, it was one of the few times I felt disabled.
It’s just not what I’m used to.”
Credit: John Bessler
A mirror framed in hammered metal pairs beautifully with a marble-top antique console.
“I love putting a mirror in an outdoor space,” Parrotta says.
“It’s unexpected, and the reflected images of the garden are wonderful.”
Credit: John Bessler
Your terrace can’t look like that.'”
Instead, Parrotta convinced Tim that the outdoor area should be an extension of his interiors.
Parrotta created intimate seating niches screened by verdant potted plants.
Credit: John Bessler
One cozy nook pairs an ornate botantist’s bench with a clean-lined concrete table by Currey & Company.
Garden Accents
Turns out, Parrotta nailed it.
I started sending Tony pictures of things I loved there," Tim says.
Credit: John Bessler
Antiques inspired by Roman gardens layer rich character into the terrace.
Tim found the Apollo statue and the obelisk on 1stdibs.
New pieces with great patina also are part of the mix in the outdoor space.
Credit: John Bessler
Terrace Dining
Parrotta delivered.
He was already channeling Rome, transforming the slab of concrete into a layered European-style garden.
Plants are connected to a drip irrigation system for easy care.
Credit: John Bessler
A hand-forged table with a Carrara marble top offers a convivial alfresco dining spot for six.
End chairs are from JANUS et Cie; side chairs are from Palecek.
Copper lanterns by Vaughan Designs keep the party going after dark.
Fashion Mentor Tim Gunn
“It’s incredible,” Tim, pictured here, says.
“In New York, having this terrace and this apartment is a true luxury.
I’m a nester by nature.
It feels amazing for me to be able to come home every night and shut the front door.”
