ALL IN THE EDIT Juniper Tedhams blends antique pieces with her own designs in her minimalist Manhattan townhouse

Designer Juniper Tedhams celebrates her own brand of chic minimalism in Manhattan

When it comes to the objects displayed in her home, designer Juniper Tedhams is both a collector and, by her own admission, ‘a ruthless editor’. ‘I like to have space around things,’ she explains. This instinct to strip back rather than endlessly add has served her well in this Manhattan townhouse, where she lives with her husband, lighting designer Sean O’connor. Within its walls, she has drawn together influences from different stages in her life, including gritty reclamation finds from London, refined furniture by Charlotte

Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret, contemporary art and her own perfectly balanced designs.

Juniper bought this 1850s home with her sister 22 years ago and took the upper ground parlour floor and the lower ground floor. Over time, Juniper says, her style here has evolved. ‘In one iteration, I painted all the rooms in moody blues and greens and the upholstery was dark, too,’ she recalls.

Today, the scheme is far lighter with monochromes, neutrals and walls skimmed in Venetian plaster. ‘I limited the palette and tried to create depth and variation with texture,’ she says. ‘That said, I’m already dreaming of re-covering the large black sofa in a patchwork of peach and melon…’

Juniper did a degree and then an MA in fine art but combined her studies with working for a Chicago antiques and salvage dealer and went on to open her own eponymous furniture store in New York.

Her taste has also been informed by spending time in London in the late 1990s, where she forged friendships with dealers at the Core One collective in Chelsea, where Will Fisher from Jamb also started out. ‘I still have pieces I bought then, including a 19th century saddle bench, so perhaps I’m not entirely ruthless,’ she smiles. The cream of mid-century European design is her favourite style for its ‘simplicity of form’.

However, to make the scale and shape of the townhouse rooms work, Juniper also used her own furniture designs. ‘The townhouse layout can be a challenge,’ she says. ‘Much like the British Victorian home, it’s essentially a long narrow run of connected spaces, with no side windows. In order to get light in, rooms need to be as open-plan as possible.’ In Juniper and Sean’s home, sliding doors between the sitting room and study remain open during the day so there is a front-to-back flow of light. This can make the spaces feel rather exposed, so Juniper’s solution was to design high-sided sofas that wrap around the sitter. ‘The velvet sofa, in particular, is so deep that it acts as a “shelter”, so you can read or watch TV without being completely visible to the rest of the floor,’ she says.

Above this sofa, a ceiling mural in earthy, natural shades adds originality. ‘The inspiration was some fragments of an art-deco rug that I found,’ says Juniper, who collaborated with artist Dean Barger to create the mural. ‘I knew I wanted that melon colour and the almost black “cola” shade and I showed him the predominant motifs. Dean improvised from there,’ she says.

Juniper’s love of surfaces that surprise continues downstairs. During her time in London, she bought a large batch of vintage cattle-yard bricks – dark, terracotta blocks studded with Duplo-like cobbles – and she’s laid them in the bathroom and guest bedroom. ‘I’d never seen anything like them and I thought they were just magical,’ she says. ‘Down here, where there is less architectural ornamentation, their heft makes sense.’ It’s Juniper’s talent for seeing the beauty in rough and ready bricks alongside iconic furniture that cements her unique townhouse style.

Juniper Tedhams, junipertedhams.com

INSIDER INSIGHT

Juniper Tedhams shares her style vision and loves SECRET ADDRESS Magen H Gallery (magenxxcentury.com) in New York. There’s nowhere better for mid-century French design. GREATEST INDULGENCE The large kitchen and the shower that opens onto the garden. FAVOURITE MUSEUM The Natural History Museum in London.

YOUR STYLE IN THREE WORDS Warm, minimal, unexpected.

DESIGN HEROES Andrée Putman and Jacques Grange.

WHAT’S ON YOUR COFFEE TABLE

A photographic book by Andrew Kidman, an old Sotheby’s auction catalogue for Karl Lagerfeld’s art deco collection and a book on 1970s Italian style.

WORDS JO LEEVERS PHOTOGRAPHY NOE DEWITT/OTTO KITCHEN-DINER Beneath the waxed plaster ceiling, cabinets finished in dulled bronze make a sharp statement. ‘I love surfaces that surprise,’ says Juniper. Kitchen by Juniper Tedhams, with Belgian Bluestone worktops. Find similar worktops at Natural Stone Installers

DINING SPACE Alongside a set of mid-century chairs, a sculptural table has an elegant solidity. Table, Juniper Tedhams. Chairs, vintage Pierre Jeanneret; similar available at 1stdibs. Photograph, Corey Mccorkle

STUDY The ceiling mural animates the room. The lamp is one of Juniper’s favourites. ‘I’ve used the design in several projects,’ she says. Mural, Dean Barger Studios for Juniper Tedhams. Akari floor lamp, Isamu Noguchi

STUDY ‘I call this a “shelter sofa”,’ says Juniper. ‘It’s so deep that it almost feels like a room inside a room.’ Sofa, Juniper Tedhams. Elm coffee table, vintage Pierre Chapo. Photographic artwork, Anna Gaskell

SITTING ROOM A handsome work area overlooks the Manhattan street. Keeping things pared back allows the beauty of each piece to shine. ‘I like to have space around things,’ says Juniper. Chair, vintage Pierre Jeanneret. Desk, vintage Charlotte Perriand. Wall sculpture, Juniper Tedhams

MASTER BEDROOM A wrap-around bed design has a cosseting feel. Blank walls add to the calm mood. Bed, Erik Gustafson for Juniper Tedhams. Walls in Chemise, Farrow & Ball

BATHROOM Cattle-yard tiles add an unexpectedly rustic texture. ‘The heft of them makes sense in this space as it doesn’t have architectural ornamentation,’ Juniper explains. Reclaimed cattle-yard bricks and stone trough, try Lassco for similar