This West Village Apartment Exudes Modern-Day Carrie Bradshaw Vibes

There's a certain romance to Perry Street, one of the most iconic spots in New York's West Village. It's the famed address of Carrie Bradshaw's onscreen brownstone, it's stenciled with dappled light from rows of trees, and it exudes the kind of New York charm that only seems to exist in nostalgic romcoms. For interior designer Jessica Schuster, it's just home. "There's something so inviting about Perry Street with its cobblestone streets," she tells MyDomaine. "There's a quaint and quiet vibe you feel instantly when walking outside the door."

Schuster's postcode isn't the only thing she shares with Bradshaw. It only takes one glance at her two-bedroom apartment to draw parallels. For starters, there's the closet, a large walk-in jam-packed with designer shoes and bags. Then, there's the furniture, an eclectic mix that's as cool and curated as Schuster's sense of style. "My personal goal for this home was to do something adventurous and to create something that was emblematic of my personal style," she says. Staying true to character and styling with gut instinct have certainly paid off. Take a peek inside Schuster's layered, light-drenched home to see for yourself.

Schuster is used to working with high-end clients—her résumé includes Kelly Wearstler and Tui Pranich—so when she was able to design a room for herself, she let creativity flow. "I strived to be a little more daring than I would've been with a client," she says. "It was important to me to experiment with color, texture, and pattern and to really have fun with it."

This fluid approach means Schuster is always refining her style—she's not pinned to one particular look or period of design. "My design aesthetic is constantly changing and evolving, so it's hard to define it as any one thing," she tells us. "I'm always researching and being inspired by different designers and artists. With each project, there's always a new challenge that pushes my design aesthetic to grow."

While there isn't one hero color palette, Schuster said she originally designed the space around a pink coffee table. "I never use pink; however, I was so inspired by an Angelo Mangiarotti pink marble coffee table I found on a trip to Amsterdam that I designed the whole space around it. [It] definitely inspired me to choose a color scheme outside of my comfort zone," she says.

Unfortunately, the table never quite made it into her home. "It fell off the shipping crate and shattered right outside my building when it was being delivered! So, I improvised with pink and citron-colored accessories that I tied in throughout the space."

After the loss of the marble coffee table, she found a chrome alternative that turned out to be one of her favorite finds. "The alligator sculpture from Bergdorf Goodman I layered underneath it is also amazing. It adds a playful element to the otherwise formal living room."

The apartment is large by Manhattan standards, measuring 1521 square feet. As a result, Schuster says one of the biggest challenges was figuring out the best layout. "It's very long and narrow, and I wanted to break up the space in order to make it comfortable and inviting," she says. "I really focused on creating a separate living and dining area that still felt open and cohesive but functionally separate."

Schuster's walk-in closet wasn't the focus of the design project, but it certainly caught our eye. The large space has floor-to-ceiling shelves adorned with color-coded folded sweaters and tops. Chanel shoes and designer handbags hang on the far wall below a playful artwork that no doubt inspires her to dress creatively, too.

While Schuster had some existing pieces she couldn't part with, the design wasn't guided by those items. Instead, she searched for vintage and designer pieces to create a curated, layered look—something she learned from interior design pro Kelly Wearstler. "Kelly is really a trailblazer when it comes to being out there with mixing and layering unexpected pieces," she says. "She taught me to not be afraid to think outside the box and push the boundaries of my personal style, and I definitely channeled this lesson when styling my home." 

Those design lessons are clear when you look around her bedroom. Vintage rugs are expertly layered, leaning artwork speaks to her travels, and bursts of chartreuse punctuate the otherwise neutral décor. With views of the Hudson River and some of the best restaurants and boutiques right on her doorstep, this is one apartment we'd never want to leave.