Inside Rayman Boozer’s Colorful Tribeca Home
Photographs by Chinasa Cooper. This is an update of an article written by Bryan Mason in 2020.
Rayman Boozer is the founder and principal designer of Apartment 48 Interior Design, a Manhattan-based firm with a varied client list and a deep portfolio of impressive spaces to its credit. With clients ranging from major companies to individual residences, the firm provides Rayman ample opportunity to be creative with interiors. However, as this tour of his gorgeous home reveals, he may be keeping some of his most exciting ideas for himself.
When Rayman moved into this space it wasn’t by chance. He knew from the start what he was looking for. “I’m very influenced by what I’m designing at any given time,” he says, “and I was designing a lot of lofts.” What he found was an 1,800 square foot warehouse space that was little more than a “white box”, when he first saw it. A few weeks later the space was transformed into the home that he’d always wanted.
The living room exemplifies several of the unique design abilities that Rayman has become known for over his career. In this one room he shows off a unique color palette in the gray, green and yellow of the walls and rug, bold use of pattern on the sofa and the use of art - especially photography - as a finishing touch. Holding it all together are traditional design techniques, such as the subtle repetition of the leopard on the pillow and the tiger on the rug.
In every room of his home, Rayman proves that balance is the key to pulling off eclectic and innovative spaces - the busy pattern of the floral sofa is tempered by the structured brick wall as its backdrop. The rush of colors is countered by neutral elements - like the velvet throw pillows - so that things don’t feel too busy.
Walking around the loft, we can imagine the New York designer had said to himself: Why settle for one amazing living room when you can have two? Taking full advantage of his home’s layout, Rayman created this second living area to showcase his love of color. Here he takes the tightly condensed color and pattern of the living area at the front of the space and stretches it out across the rug, pillows and art of this larger room. At the center of it all is a stunning bookcase, a tribute to the designer’s favorite color. Drawing on his expertise and connections, he had the unit specially built in small sections so that they could be assembled quickly once in place.
Another of Rayman’s design strategies, he reveals, is the subtle but constant use of symmetry. On the coffee table, the trays on both sides of the centerpiece are identical; and while they are not filled with the same books and perhaps not too precisely the same height, they, nevertheless, provide a moment of balance and structure that helps to ground the space around them.
In the open plan space, a dining area that easily seats eight adds another colorful note in this interior. The mix of styles is engaging. A large farmhouse table sets the scene. Dining chairs have been upholstered in an eye-catching striped pattern, a color that mirrors the home’s bookcase. To top it off, a beautiful chandelier, a flea market find, adds a vintage touch to the space.
From the beginning of his house search, Rayman knew that he needed a space that he would not only live in, but that would serve as the hub of his design firm as well. In another life, Apartment 48 had seen an earlier incarnation as a design store, so Rayman is familiar with the experience of commercial rents in New York City. This time around, Apartment 48 is a company that lives where he lives, with a built-in office that comfortably houses the designer and his team of employees.
Like the dining room, the kitchen is designed to be a moment of visual respite, as well as a place for getting a snack. The extensive white cabinetry breaks away from the expert use of color and pattern throughout the home. The kitchen is not a complete outlier though, as pops of blue make their way in through two stunning bar stools upholstered in blue velvet.
Rayman would like to claim that the bedroom is his favorite room in the house, mostly because of the care he put into crafting the level of comfort it provides; but between the demands of the office and the time spent between living rooms, he's not sure it receives enough attention to make the cut. “All I do in it is sleep,” he confides. And yet there is nothing sleepy about this modern boudoir.
Texture is the name of the game in the bedroom. On the bed, pillows are piled high, making it the next best thing to sleeping on an actual cloud. The plush softness of the duvet is the direct opposite of the detailed tin ceiling above it. And behind the bed is a textured headboard sporting an upholstered pattern created by the designer himself.
At the core of Rayman’s design aesthetic is a combination of influences from many cultures, all brought together to create a coherent visual statement. In this bedroom nook, chinoiserie drapery depicts a series of Japanese scenes. A Greek bust sits atop a Chinese-style console table. And an armchair gets an update in fabric designed by Kelly Wearstler. All in all, the mastery of the mix is what makes everything work together so seamlessly in this visual kaleidoscope that Rayman Boozer calls home.
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