Every time Lisa Brooke walks into her Upper East Side apartment, a two-word declarative message greets her at the foyer. She chose the statement, painted on velvet by the late artist Mel Bochner, because she considers it a positive message, one that still makes her, or any guest or her two grown children, smile whenever they read it. It says, in orange letters, set against a purple background: Enough Said.
Of Brooke’s recently completed two-bedroom home, whose interiors were designed by Penny Drue Baird, she references the painting, by saying: “There’s nothing else to say about this apartment—except that it’s perfect. I knew I could count on Penny to make it beautiful and my refuge from the outside world. Penny gets me.”
While Brooke, founder of HestiaLiving Everyday, a company that designs high-end items for the tabletop, claims that the last word(s) on her apartment have been uttered, she and Baird have much to say about the residence, the fifth Baird has designed for her. “Penny puts a theme together for a home, we work on it together, and then off she goes shopping, sometimes at the Paris puces, which I love.” Indeed, the New York–based Baird, who spends time at her other home in Paris, is a denizen of those French flea markets, able to spot amid the cacophony of goods, that particular vase or lamp or objet she knows is right for a client.
“I responded immediately to Lisa’s desire to have this home be like a jewel box,” says Baird. Among those moments in the apartment that now reflect that directive are pink marble casings that mark the entrance to the living room and another example that frames the kitchen. When asked why she chose that particular stone and used it where she has, Baird says, with her well-honed expertise and confidence, “I’m very partial to the marble. I don’t do anything often,” she adds, referencing that no two Baird projects are ever even remotely identical. “Each project involves some throwing of the dice, and this apartment, lovely as it was when she bought it, needed some individuality, some personality from the start.”
A bedroom features a bed by Bespoke by Luigi and a wall covering by Holly Hunt. The nightstand is also by Holly Hunt, and the floor lamp is from Apparatus.
In the entrance gallery, artwork by Mel Bochner hangs above a bench from Ralph Pucci.
Bespoke by Luigi chairs covered in a Pierre Frey fabric surround a table by Lorin Marsh in the dining room. Sconces from Apparatus flank artwork by Jorinde Voigt.
A ceiling fixture by Laura Gonzalez from La Galerie Paris hangs above an antique midcentury Italian coffee table in the living room. A Bespoke by Luigi sofa is covered in a Holland & Sherry fabric, and the cabinetry is custom by Penny Drue Baird of Dessins.
Another bedroom’s wall covering is by Fromental, and the lamp is from High Style Deco.
While the rooms are well proportioned and filled with sunlight from south-facing views to a row of matching townhouses, it was, ultimately, a brand-new apartment with few architectural elements to distinguish it. Now, however, there isn’t a moment inside that isn’t distinctive. Baird designed a floor-to-ceiling bar in the living room that not only serves its purpose but also works as a miniature showroom of some of the products Brooke manufactures for HestiaLiving Everyday, notably straw marquetry items, that age-old English craft where flattened woven straw is applied to surfaces. One of Brooke’s favorite creations, a long tray with a bronze edge, rests on a ledge.
For the dining area, Baird designed an upholstered bench for one side of the long table. “In smaller apartments,” Baird explains, “you save about two feet of space since you don’t need to walk around the backs of chairs. Also, you can shove more people at the table if you need to.”
The primary bedroom is a tranquil, rose, gold, and taupe-hued cove marked by a Fromental silk wallcovering depicting birds alit on budded branches—a real sight not uncommon from the windows. Meanwhile, the guest bedroom combines plum and gray hues, with twin beds set against a headboard upholstered with a textured Lori Weitzner quilted fabric and a pinstriped gray wallpaper. When Brooke’s children visit, they can keep the beds separated; when a couple stays over, the mattresses can be cleverly zipped together and pushed together via casters.
Adhering to the request for rooms that reference jewel tones, Baird fashioned a dazzling powder room papered with mother-of-pearl tiles from Maya Romanoff. For the vanity, she commissioned a faux painter to fool a viewer into thinking the veining of the marble carries seamlessly from one slab to the other. “Lisa likes things to be precise, and now that marble looks perfectly balanced,” Baird relates.
Of her client, who has become a friend, Baird says, “Lisa’s an interesting, creative person. I chose every item to make her happy, to make her look good in these rooms, and to make her feel good.” Enough said.
