{"id":354321,"date":"2026-02-24T20:14:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/354321\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:14:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:14:14","slug":"everything-has-a-story-in-this-culinary-consultants-chelsea-aerie-even-the-molding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/354321\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything Has a Story in This Culinary Consultant’s Chelsea Aerie\u2014Even the Molding"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Your daily dose of home tours, design news, and style inspiration.<\/p>\n

Life in New York City requires a whole lot of schlepping\u2014trudging to and from the nearest subway station in the snow, ambling down the sidewalk carrying 30 pounds of groceries like kettle bells, heaving oneself up five flights of stairs just to see a friend or get home.<\/p>\n

Five flights is a lot\u2014a whole glute workout twice a day just to go anywhere. But when editor, culinary consultant, and woman-about-town Christine Muhlke<\/a> found herself staring down a 900-square-foot apartment on the top floor of a circa-1898 building in Manhattan\u2019s Chelsea neighborhood, all her inhibitions flew out the door. It was 2023, she\u2019d just moved back into the city after a Covid-era sojourn at her house upstate, and her temporary sublet in a nearby building was expiring soon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"livingShelving, Summerfield Fabrication<\/a>; Sofas, Chris Lehrecke<\/a> and vintage; Coffee table, vintage Michael McCarthy for Cassina<\/a>; Sconces, vintage Charlotte Perriand<\/a>, restored by Quittner<\/a>; fireplace mantel, Hudson Valley House Parts<\/a>; Artwork over fireplace, Elliott Puckette<\/a>; Lamp, Michael Anastassiades<\/a>. <\/p>\n

True, the space was in unlivable condition: destroyed floors, cramped ceilings, layers of crud. There was a distinct sense that not one thing had been updated over the several decades that the former tenant had lived there, and the rooms had just become a repository for stuff (indeed, the super told Muhlke that it took six months to move his personal effects out).\u00a0<\/p>\n

But Muhlke could see beyond the grime. \u201cI always say in real estate that if I can feel every hair on my head stand up, or I feel like I\u2019ve mainlined espresso, that\u2019s my spot,\u201d she adds. This place gave her both sensations. Plus, the price was right.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"kitchen\"Paint, Benjamin Moore Steam<\/a>; Cabinetry, Reform by Muller Van Severen<\/a>; Light fixture, Luceplan<\/a>; Shelves, Frama<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Among numerous friends she brought in to take so-called \u201cAm I crazy?\u201d tours was designer Lithe Sebesta<\/a>, an old pal trusted to give a no-nonsense assessment. Sebesta, who Muhlke says \u201chas the spatial equivalent of perfect timing,\u201d instantly saw the potential of the space. So Muhlke made her move, negotiating with the building owner on the purchase price. After closing, it took until 2024 for the board to approve the plans made with Sebesta and an interior architect. To finally get things moving, she bribed the then-board president with custom-curated travel guides, one of her specialties.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, having \u201cthat [added] time was really important because it allowed us to refine what we wanted,\u201d Muhlke remembers. \u201cThe main objective was a clean envelope with nice materials. We were able to add quiet details. My goal for this apartment was to have a calm atmosphere because the city is so crazy. I wanted a place with light and for my son Max to have a real bedroom.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"kitchen\"Flooring, Essex Coatings<\/a>; Countertops, Dekton<\/a>; Pantry millwork, Reform by Inga Semp\u00e9<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Sebesta\u2019s interiors prowess lies in her ability to subtly synthesize past and present. With Muhlke\u2019s apartment, she had to start nearly from scratch, but that allowed her to bring in other elements that would serve the owner better (and look like they\u2019d always been that way). She\u2019d introduce new touches that felt original, with a contemporary edge, plus serious storage\u2014Christmas ornaments, seasonal clothes, and suitcases weren\u2019t going to stash themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The duo got a little gift while installing new flooring. Sebesta rang up Muhlke to let her know that they were working with 1,100 square feet, not 900 as it had originally been listed. \u201cIt was one of those dreams of opening the medicine cabinet to find another apartment on the other side,\u201d she jokes. In turn, they needed extra flooring (not cheap considering they covered the apartment in engineered white oak.) Overhead, they were able to poke through the ceiling to gain another foot and a half of height. Then they decided to divide one of the rooms into a bedroom for Max and a private workspace for Muhlke.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"kitchen\"Radiator, Castrads<\/a>; Cafe table, Schoolhouse<\/a>; Banquette, Summerfield Fabrication<\/a>; Upholstery, Knoll Helios. <\/p>\n

Muhlke invited me over for afternoon tea recently, and I marveled at how the apartment naturally unfurled as I moved through it. A tiled entry gives way immediately to the serene kitchen, clad in Muller Van Severen\u2013 and Inge Semp\u00e9\u2013designed cabinetry that is home to Muhlke\u2019s extensive collection of ceramics and cookware. As someone who writes cookbooks, runs a culinary consultancy, and helped the iconic kitchenware brand Dansk<\/a> catalogue their archive, it\u2019s not surprising that this room is where she spends most of her time. The Dekton countertops are indestructible, she notes, allowing Max to experiment with his own budding recipe development without fear of stains, and adding in the wall-mounted pot filler was just the right amount of luxury. In the evenings, she prepares dinner while her son does his homework or friends chat at the banquette nearby. (If she could do it over, she\u2019d make room for a wine fridge.)<\/p>\n

\"diningDining chairs, Prouv\u00e9 Standard<\/a> and IKEA<\/a>; Pendant, Noguchi<\/a>; Tablecloth, Saffron Marigold<\/a>. <\/p>\n

In a previous life, this one unit had been two. Floor-to-ceiling cookbook shelving now lines a wall between the kitchen and dining area, once the corridor that connected the two original apartments. Above the dining table, Sebesta dropped the ceiling just so and chose to reorient the flooring in a different direction for a wink at transition. Instead of ornate, Parisian-esque adornment, she added handsome stepped molding and window trim, and applied the same style to baseboards throughout.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Christine-Muhlke-Home-Tour-Domino-06\"Paint, Benjamin Moore Dove Wing<\/a>; Wardrobe, Reform by Norm Architects<\/a>; Headboard upholstery, Chiarastella Cattana<\/a>; Bedding, Coyuchi<\/a>; Sconce, David Weeks<\/a>; Fan, Minka-Aire<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\"bathroom\"Paint, Farrow & Ball Wimborne White<\/a>; Tile, Zia<\/a>; Sink and fixtures, Kohler<\/a>; Vanity door, Reform<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The bedrooms stem from here. Muhlke likens hers to a cozy hotel room, thanks to the custom oversized headboard covered in Chiarastella Cattana fabric, a dressing area that\u2019s also home to her washer and dryer, and en suite bathroom. In the sizable, sophisticated living room, the walls are lined with custom millwork by Summerfield Fabrication<\/a> and art she has collected over the years; a grand window with elegantly-shaped panes looks out on the city\u2014a sliver of the Empire State Building in sight. \u201cI\u2019m just setting up all these little conversations around the apartment,\u201d she says. Around the corner is her office, outfitted with more shelving, a custom daybed so the room can double as guest quarters, and a beloved vintage Georg Jensen desk she inherited from a mentor (her fairy godmother, as she puts it).<\/p>\n

\"office\"Paint, Benjamin Moore Steam<\/a>; Desk and chair, vintage Georg Jensen; White table lamp, vintage Joe Colombo; Radiator, Castrads<\/a>; Shelving and daybed, Summerfield Fabrication<\/a>; Upholstery, Knoll Crossroad<\/a> and Chiarastella Cattana<\/a>; Orange table lamp, Fine Lumens<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat endures are the things that are really personal,\u201d Muhlke says, acknowledging items like her father\u2019s 1974 Bang & Olufsen receiver, a set of Agnes Martin prints, a vase from Bilbao, wood nesting bowls from Japan. \u201cEverything is here because I love it. I would rather have fewer things and have them be very important.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"livingMuhlke\u2019s collection of artwork spans photographs by Vivian Meier<\/a>, William Eggleston<\/a>, Lee Friedlander<\/a>, William Klein<\/a> and Eadweard Muybridge<\/a>; drawings by Elliott Puckette<\/a> and Hugo Guinness<\/a>; and a painting by Jamie Nares<\/a>. Everything was hung by ILevel<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Settling in after the years-long renovation took no time\u2014the apartment was home in an instant. Muhlke will stay as long as she can, but knows she\u2019ll eventually require something new. \u201cThis is not my forever apartment, because I\u2019m not going to be able to go up and down the stairs forever,\u201d she admits. \u201cBut I wanted to do it in a way that I was going to be happy with forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Samantha Weiss-Hills is the managing editor for Domino. She edits and writes home tours, shopping guides, and features, and she\u2019s the friend who everyone texts for glassware, sofa, and sheet recommendations. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Alex, and their beagle-corgi, Elsa.<\/p>\n

Belle is the in-house photographer and associate photo editor for Domino, capturing everything from home tours to gift guides, plus the occasional how-to project. She joined the photo team as an intern in 2018 and was brought on full time in January 2021.<\/p>\n

Naomi deMa\u00f1ana is a freelance stylist and editor who has worked in the publishing industry for the past 15 years.<\/p>\n

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