An NYC Apartment on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue designed by the Australian-born Emma Jane Pilkington for her mother, Carolyn. The widower had had a long career on Wall Street and an even longer first marriage during which he and his first wife had amassed a spectacular art collection, including some excellent works by several of the mid-20th century’s great Abstractionists. He wanted to make sure that the new apartment was a warm and unpretentious setting for the contemporary art pieces.

The place had not been maintained by the previous owner, there was not much worth saving. And the couple had no need for the original three bedrooms or a large, open kitchen. The flat is now a burnished setting for colorful canvases and strong contemporary art sculpture, plus a relaxed and comfortable haven. Unlike many Fifth Avenue apartments, there is no grand foyer, just a good-sized architectural curve once you enter from the private landing, which leads either to the living room with a luxury design or to a hallway hung with a huge contemporary art painting by Lee Krasner.

In an apartment flooded with light that bounces off the nearby reservoir in Central Park, creating a setting for contemporary art was no easy feat. It involved taking a sophisticated approach to color, texture, and scale. The palette interacts in a lively fashion with the carefully chosen upholstered contemporary furniture and art pieces.