Perpetual motion

IN GREENWICH VILLAGE, NYC, THE HOME OF A CREATIVE COUPLE WHO CONSTANTLY CHANGES THE FURNISHINGS AND COLORS.

Potter always and looking multi-talented for fresh challenges. designer Jonathan Yet both he Adler and is his a restless husband, spirit, author Simon Doonan, have grown more than attached to their apartment in Greenwich Village over the past twenty-plus years. Maybe because they often reinvent the place. In 1994 Doonan bought half of the apartment on the fourth floor of a pre-war building, and seven years later they acquired the flat next door, combining the two. Adler then embarked on a process he calls “musical chairs”. He has filled the rooms with a mixture of his own furniture, textiles and ceramics, mixed with mid-century treasures. Recent entries include quin Eye Adler’s Cocktail new Table Harle- in the living room, floating on a checkerboard rug alongside one of two curvaceous vintage Vladimir Kagan sofas. For both Adler and Doonan, one of the high points of the apartment is the large master bedroom suite. The bedroom itself is spacious enough for a private lounge area, flanked by a dressing room and a new bathroom with underfloor heating. Another key room was Simon’s study, once the master bedroom. Dotted with Union Jack pillows amidst collections of art and ceramics, this is his personal writing retreat. His many books include his childhood memoir Beautiful People, set in suburban Reading, which became a Bbc series. His latest project is titled Drag: The Complete Story, published this autumn. «Jonathan just charged ahead with the redesign and I trust him», says Doonan. «He has made a sophisticated, glamorous space, but with loads of humor and panache. I will be carried out of this place in a box». Adler, however, sounds a little more equivocal about the future. When asked if he might ever be tempted to move the answer is “yes but no.” In any case, for the moment Adler and Doonan can sit back and enjoy their remarkable home.