2012-04-26

Hotel living is sure to conjure up images of little Eloise wreaking beautiful havoc at The Plaza in New York, but for this installment of APT with LSD, we find ourselves at The Pierre New York—and Eloise has nothing on our subject, Nicole Hanley Mellon, or the other people (including Elizabeth Taylor, Yves Saint Laurent, and Tory Burch) who have taken up residence here over the years. When Nicole and her husband, Matthew Mellon, moved into their new space, there was no time for construction as she was already six months pregnant with her first child. Ever industrious, the couple painted over wallpaper, installed new carpet (albeit a fabulously bold animal print from Beauvais), and merged their art collections. “We both have a weakness for art at the expense of forgoing some necessities,” Mellon, the newly appointed artistic director of Alvin Valley, admits. The couple then pulled some favorite pieces of leftover furniture from her parents basement and—voilà! The end result is just like the homeowners themselves: extremely refined and extremely eclectic. And, as things would have it, no sooner did they settle into their new home and life with a new baby before they received even more good news: A second baby is on the way. “The process of creating a home for my family has been joyful,” Hanley says. “And this is just the beginning!” It certainly is. Animal Instinct: “The penguin was a gift from my sister and her husband, which was apt because penguins are my favorite animal,” Mellon says of her son’s bedroom. “I hope Force likes them too, because he already has quite a budding collection.” The rug is from Beauvais, the furniture is from Duc Duc, and the shelf is Design Within Reach.