Living Small: All in the Mix
Photograph by Kent Dayton
Rooms in Amanda Reid’s apartment will never have that straight-from-the-showroom feel. Instead, you might find a sculpture from her international travels on a modern end table next to an antique lamp. This blend of contemporary and vintage, of high- and low-end, “makes the place feel like it evolved over time, or that it’s lived in,” says Reid, the founder of interior design firm Mandarina Studio. “It’s just more interesting.” Because it’s a rental, Reid hasn’t renovated the bathroom or kitchen, but she’s managed to find other ways to put her stamp on the 1,000-square-foot space, painting all but one room, swapping out the light fixtures for eclectic chandeliers, and turning the second bedroom into a stunning office.
1. Reid commissioned this textured collage painting from Brooklyn artist Scott Faucheux. “I love that it’s layered,” she says.
2. The designer chose this velvet Barbara Barry ottoman for the way it played off the rectilinear sofa.
3. Reid found this pair of Chinese-rosewood horseshoe chairs on eBay (she also trolls 1stdibs.com for antiques). The cushions and bolsters were custom made.
4. After snagging a pair of vintage Murano-glass lamps on eBay, Reid had them rewired and outfitted with new shades.
5. A lithograph of the poem “Mangosteens” by Daniel Hall shares the mantel with glass vessels from Morocco.
Photograph by Kent Dayton
Reid often builds a room’s décor around one element. This patterned pillow, for example, inspired the living room’s color palette.