A coatrack and bench by Plain English define the entrance hall. Framed prints by Lucio Fontana.

Plastic Baroque Chair by James Shaw

Hadley reconfigured the space to include a generous main bedroom suite, a guest room and bath, and a large open space that would include the kitchen, dining area, and living room, a nod to loft life convention. Knowing that the millwork was being supplied by Plain English and the plumbing fixtures and fittings by Waterworks allowed me to focus on the decor and more personal additions to the overall design.

The main bath features a tub, fittings, and tile by Waterworks.

A framed Gunnera leaf by Kate Goodrich hangs above a cabinet decoupaged in 19th-century Japanese wood-block prints.

I set about to find furniture and play with fabrics that would make the space feel personal to me. I relished the opportunity to incorporate favorite influences from my Cutter Brooks world: a wicker pendant light from Atelier Vime, a silk velvet Provençal-style quilt that I designed, and my coveted Astier de Villatte ceramics. Other pieces came from another past life—a midcentury Danish bed and a Milo Baughman rosewood sofa (updated in a Robert Kime woven stripe) that had come from the North Fork, Long Island, house we sold years ago.

Looking from the main bedroom through the dressing room/study to the primary bath.

Rose Gunneraceae Cyanotype by Kate Goodrich

Pelican House Flos Woven Art

The Elder Statesman Stripe Super Soft Blanket

Le Monde Béryl Micro Wedge Thong Sandal

Perhaps the most personal pieces here are the artworks: some favorite paintings by my husband, Christopher, and other works by close friends Elliott Puckette, Peter McGough, and Adam Fuss; a Nan Goldin photograph given to me as a commission by Larry Gagosian during my gallerina days in the ’90s; and, my most prized material possession, a framed book of Cy Twombly’s sculptures lovingly inscribed to me by Cy himself, a favorite artist whom I was lucky to spend time with in my early 20s. I also chose a few new things—a large, framed Gunnera leaf by London artist Kate Goodrich and a botanical woven wall tapestry custom-made in India by Pelican House.

I got a bit crafty, too. Having received a hefty quote for made-to-order bedroom drapes, I went online and found that Pottery Barn had done a curtain collaboration with renowned Belgian linen company Libeco. So I ordered four panels to sew together and have hemmed at my local dry cleaner. I also set about to make my own version of a Josef Frank decoupage cabinet using 19th-century Japanese wood-block prints I bought at auction. And for the guest room, I sketched a plywood daybed that perfectly fit the room and asked my builders to put it together for me—total price: $180!

The guest bath features a sink of Imperial Danby marble from Bas Stone. The nickel-and-teak sink fittings and nickel-and-glass shelf are by Waterworks. The portrait of Brooks is by Peter McGough.

Sarazine Table Lamp by Jean-Michel Sarazin for Hermès

Tory Burch Mochaware Soup Bowls (Set of 4)

Atelier Vime Medici Sconce

Finally, I ordered a few special furniture pieces that feel like an evolution in my taste. I commissioned a Play-Doh-like plastic chair from English artist James Shaw that is the perfect combination of handmade and kitsch. A family friend in Palm Beach once told me that every tasteful house needs a piece that makes you pause and consider how and why it works in the space, and this piece fits that bill. I also ordered a floor light from Australia-based artist Lana Launay that I had seen on Instagram and fallen in love with the wood bead base and whipstitched craft-paper shade.

And so in February of this year, with my company put to bed and both of my adult children now living in Brooklyn, I left England behind for a little while and moved into the clean slate that was our new flat. I buried myself in the solitary bliss of arranging furniture, hanging pictures, sourcing accessories, and engaging in some arts and crafts projects that allowed me that quiet creative time I had been missing. Manhattan feels better than ever. They say you can never go home again, but I beg to differ.