abbijane schifrin

Abbijane's Townhouse, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates

Sometimes when exuberance trumps elegance it can be delightful. Case in point the New York City townhouse belonging to the late designer Abbijane Schifrin. The NY Times Big Deal column reports that Schifrin loved her Gramercy Park townhouse and held fashion shows there as well as drawing her designs on the kitchen table. The townhouse was built in the mid 19th century and rebuilt in 1910 and 1911 by Frederick J. Sterner. Much of his work including oak paneling, stone and brick fireplaces and Arts-and-Crafts style leaded windows is still preserved in the home. Details include a latticework of oak on the dining room ceiling, a barrel-ceilinged living room and a small formal rear garden.

The home is vibrantly colorful on the upper floors including an otherworldly blue bathroom and a hot pink bedroom that another designer, Betsy Johnson, might go mad for. The single-family house was turned into a two-unit condominium six years ago and the upper two stories were sold off. Now Schifrin's heirs and her upstairs neighbor are putting it on the market as a single home. It is listed at $8.75 million.

Gallery: Abbijane's Townhouse