Step Inside an Interior Designer's Strikingly Modern NYC Loft

Designing a space that's both family-friendly and aesthetically pleasing can be extremely challenging. Do you splurge on that beautifully upholstered sofa that you'll love for years to come? Or do you opt for a budget-friendly buy that's kid-friendly only to replace it in a few years? Needless to say, striking a balance between functionality and style can be difficult for design-conscious parents—and even interior designers with little ones aren't exempt from the conundrum.

When sought-after interior designer Tali Roth decided to revamp her family's New York City loft, her goal was to create a space that felt authentic to her personal style, her family's lifestyle, and their budget. "I really tried to create a grown-up space that mixed custom, high-end boutique finds and vintage pieces with accessible, high-street options (think West Elm, CB2, and IKEA)," she told MyDomaine. "Anything new in the space I accessed according to the following criteria: Do I genuinely love it? Will I love it in a decade? Does it fit in my budget? Does its scale fit the space?" As you'll see, the talented Homepolish designer's keen eye for mixing vintage finds with modern buys lends a lived-in authenticity to the space that truly showcases her family's personality.

Keep scrolling to take a virtual tour of the interior designer's striking space. Complete with a curated gallery wall, we're predicting this modern loft tour will make art lovers swoon. 

The 2200-square-foot loft boasts two bedrooms, a small office, and two bathrooms. "The building was built in 1910," Roth told MyDomaine. "There are Art Deco qualities, but the apartments are modern loft spaces with very little architectural details," she said. It's part of the reason I loved it (blank slate), but also why I had to put a lot of energy into it."

One of the loft's bedrooms is an über-stylish kid's room Roth designed specifically for her son, who is almost 3 years old. 

Roth reupholstered two vintage chairs she found on Etsy in blue velvet, a color that perfectly complements the calming neutral wall color in her son's sun-drenched room.

In the other bedroom, Roth and her husband's room, the couple made use of items they already loved. "The art we had above our bed previously, and the rug was our previous living room rug," she revealed.

"I love our bedroom because it's so calming and dreamy," said Roth. "I wanted it to be pared back, as that style works best for my husband and me," she explained.

"Those geometric green and orange art pieces were an awesome find from the flea market in Flatiron," confessed Roth. "I LOVE them, and they are in the original framing from 1970."

In fact, most of Roth's favorite pieces in the space are vintage. "I think the Rudolf Wolf Dining Chairs were a wonderful find," she told MyDomaine. "It was hard to find two sets of four, to be honest—there isn't a lot in circulation!"

According to the interior designer, one of the biggest challenges was "to be clever with our budget." Roth explained that she and her husband wanted to ensure that they weren't buying inflexible pieces that wouldn't move with them to their next space. "It was hard to avoid," she confessed, "but I think we spent less on the larger scaled items that we were concerned didn't have longevity."

One of Roth's favorite rooms in the family loft is hands down the living room. "I love how the living room has multiple seating options, and it feels very communal," she explained. "It's a shame everyone is too worried about staining the rug to actually enjoy it," she laughed.

"It's really challenging to design a space for yourself and for your family and not be too much of a perfectionist and too aesthetically driven," Roth explained.

When it came to deciding on a color scheme, "I felt strongly that I had to go with a warmer taupe gray," explained Roth. "The space is so vast and large, and the extent of large white walls with only dim natural light didn't look chic," she said. "I layered grays and silvers on top of one another, which added lots of luxury qualities to the styling."

The Croft House sofas were one of the first items Roth purchased for the space. "I knew I wanted to line that long wall of windows with banquette-style seating," she explained. "Once I priced it out, it made more sense to purchase two armless sofas that I could use separately rather than create a built-in," she added. "I chose a taupe velvet from Robert Allen to upholster it in!"

The statement-making gray marble coffee table boasts a curated collection of stylish coffee table books.

"I love the gallery wall," gushed Roth. "I took old pieces and new pieces and threw in some prints and vintage finds," she explained. "It has so much personality, and I think it will age so well!"

A mixture of larger-scale and smaller-scale artwork lends a layer of dimension to the space.

We think the well-curated collection makes a strong case for the gallery wall, don't you agree?

Roth, who describes her style as "linear, organized chaos, restrained, textured, chunky, and modernist," filled her family's home with vintage finds. "The rattan chair was actually a piece from a charity auction," she explained. "So I bought it at less than 50% retail and I was able to contribute to an important cause!"