Explore how Shaker style turns a Manhattan apartment into a warm, modern home with TAPIS Studio rugs and timeless design.
When a young family moved into a stunning high-rise apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, they knew they wanted a home that not only reflected their modern lifestyle but also provided a sense of warmth and comfort. The sleek, modernist architecture of the new building posed a challenge—how could they blend the minimalist feel of their new space with the coziness and timeless charm of Shaker style?
Enter the design duo, Heide Hendricks and Rafe Churchill of Hendricks Churchill. Known for their unique approach that blends Shaker style with a contemporary twist, this husband-and-wife team was the perfect choice for transforming the family’s new apartment into a welcoming haven. With a keen eye for creating spaces that embrace both beauty and function, the designers faced the challenge head-on, and the result is a breathtaking home that marries Shaker-inspired elements with Manhattan’s modern skyline.
The Charm of Shaker Style: Timeless, Functional, and Beautiful
Shaker style, with its roots in 19th-century American craftsmanship, is all about simplicity, functionality, and understated elegance. Known for its clean lines, natural materials, and a focus on practicality, Shaker design lends itself perfectly to modern living, making it a sought-after aesthetic in contemporary interior design.
Hendricks and Churchill have mastered the art of Shaker style, infusing it with a modern sensibility that works seamlessly in a high-rise apartment. For the family, this meant creating a space that felt grounded, warm, and welcoming while embracing the open, airy atmosphere of a city apartment. The result is a home that exudes both comfort and sophistication, blending Shaker style with the high-tech features of a modern building.
Creating a Welcoming Home for a Growing Family
The family of five had spent the pandemic in a monochromatic apartment in Lower Manhattan, feeling disconnected from the warmth they longed for in a home. When they found their dream apartment in a luxury tower in Carnegie Hill, they were drawn to its brightness and cutting-edge features. However, the space felt far from cozy. As soon as they moved in, they reached out to Hendricks and Churchill for help.
“We wanted a home that felt like us,” the husband explains. “We had worked with designers before, but Heide really took the time to understand our family and create a space that was both beautiful and functional.”
A Family-Centered Design: Spaces That Flow
One of the defining features of this apartment is the flow of the spaces. Each room is thoughtfully designed to promote interaction and connection. The living room, the heart of the home, is where the family spends most of their time together. The wife plays her piano while their daughters sometimes join in with their toy flutes, creating an atmosphere of togetherness and creativity.
To help create a space that felt cohesive and connected, Hendricks and Churchill ensured that the living room opened into the dining room and kitchen, forming an expansive, welcoming area where the family could gather, cook, eat, and relax together. The layout was designed with family life in mind, providing plenty of open space for both relaxation and play.
In the study, where the husband works, tambour paneling was used to create a visually striking wall treatment that also serves a functional purpose—sound insulation. The paneling helps keep his voice from traveling through the rest of the apartment, ensuring that the family’s shared spaces remain peaceful and quiet, all while embracing the warmth and simplicity of Shaker style.
A Cohesive Color Palette: Soft, Inviting Tones
The designers opted for a warm color palette that grounds the apartment despite its soaring heights. Soft hues of apricot, pink, and mauve fill the space, creating a feeling of comfort and serenity. Hendricks incorporated a clever trick to create the illusion of more space: the baseboards were elongated and painted in dusty lilac, which helps to visually anchor the rooms.
A perfect example of the designers’ ability to create warmth in a modern space is found in the entryway, where the statement TAPIS Studio Shaped 24 rug adds both visual interest and comfort. The rug’s bold, geometric design in muted tones perfectly complements the soft color palette while adding texture and depth to the space. Its unique shape makes it an eye-catching focal point, inviting guests to step into the warmth and charm of the home from the moment they enter.
This design decision, like many others throughout the apartment, underscores the integration of Shaker style principles—using natural materials, simplicity, and functionality to create a space that feels both timeless and modern.
Florals, Botanical Patterns, and Natural Materials
Floral and botanical patterns play a significant role in the design, bringing a sense of nature and beauty to the apartment. In the primary bedroom, Chinese landscape-inspired wallpaper creates an elegant and serene backdrop, while the fabric behind the beds in the daughters’ room adds a playful, whimsical touch.
The kitchen, too, embraces nature, with a strawberry vine wallcovering wrapping the walls and bringing the outdoors inside. The combination of botanical prints and natural materials, including marble countertops, ensures the space feels connected to the natural world, offering a refreshing contrast to the building’s modern architecture.
A Mix of Vintage and Custom Furnishings
The furniture throughout the apartment blends custom designs with carefully curated vintage pieces, creating a unique, personalized feel. The living room features a sectional sofa alongside a vintage Italian armchair upholstered in rich, luxurious fabric. The eclectic mix of furnishings ensures that the apartment feels both sophisticated and inviting, with each piece carefully chosen to reflect the family’s style.
In the breakfast nook, a midcentury Danish sofa sits alongside a bleached-maple table, creating a cozy and welcoming space where the family can enjoy their meals. The vintage chairs and artwork complete the space, giving it a unique, artistic flair—all the while staying true to the simplicity and functionality of Shaker style.
Bringing Shaker Style to the Sky
What makes this apartment truly special is how Shaker style has been elevated and adapted to fit the modern context of a Manhattan high-rise. The clean lines, functional layouts, and natural materials typically associated with Shaker design have been combined with luxurious elements, making the home feel both timeless and contemporary.
The designers’ ability to balance modern architecture with traditional design proves that great design is all about understanding how to make a space work for its inhabitants. In this case, the marriage of Shaker style with the city’s cutting-edge architecture has resulted in a home that feels grounded, warm, and deeply personal.
From the stunning TAPIS Studio Shaped 24 rug in the entryway to the custom furniture and floral patterns throughout, every element of the apartment was carefully chosen to create a space that is both beautiful and functional for a growing family. This is the true essence of Shaker style: a commitment to simplicity, functionality, and beauty that endures across generations, even in the heart of New York City.
Discover the beauty and timeless elegance of TAPIS Studio rugs to enhance your own home. Whether you’re drawn to bold geometric designs like the Shaped 24 rug or prefer something more subtle, TAPIS Studio’s collection offers high-quality, luxurious pieces that bring warmth, texture, and style to any space. Explore our collection today and transform your home into a sanctuary of comfort and sophistication, featuring the elegance of Shaker-inspired design.
