Tour Ballerina Misty Copeland's NYC Home
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Ballerina Misty Copeland invited fans into her New York City apartment that she lives in with her lawyer husband Olu Evans during her home tour with Architectural Digest. It's located on the Upper West Side, and was reimagined by interior designer Brigette Romanek with some work done by architect Jeffery Povero. It took a lot of effort, she told the magazine. "There are things we just cannot do on our own, and we realized how necessary it was to have a professional team," Copeland shared. "I did not comprehend how many layers there are to creating a beautiful home that feels organic." It is the first place she has lived with her spouse, so she was happy to bring "the love" into their nest.
The home oozes sophisticated comfort with a blue velvet sofa and matching side chairs in the living room, a long wood dining table, an inviting king-sized bed in the primary bedroom with eye-catching gold nightstands, a blue-and-white themed guest bedroom, and a dressing room with a center island that any fashionista would drool over. There are several fun spaces, too, like the mini bar built into the wall by the living room, the gold-themed guest bathroom, and the wine cellar tucked under a cabinet near the kitchen. And everywhere one looks there is art. Nearly every wall is accented by a colorful painting or photograph that has meaning to the dancer, and there are dozens of books on fashion, art, history, and, yes, also ballet. Take a peek inside below!
The living room is cozy
After a long day of rehearsals, Misty Copeland — the first Black female principal dancer for the American Ballet Theatre in its 75-year history — needs a place where she can unwind in front of the TV, and her living room is just the place. There is a wall to wall walnut wood entertainment unit with backlighting that holds her widescreen TV. There are also books, personal photos, and art pieces by people she respects on the bookshelf. But the room's highlights are the Castlery Madison blue sofa and Etta Avenue Josie upholstered armchairs.
"Bringing in pops of color was outside my comfort zone," she said during her home tour, but she has grown to love the pieces. "This gives us a lot of color and inspiration," she said. A great way to get dashes of color into a living room is by adding bright throw pillows, as per Hadley Court. And another way is by adding a rug with color woven in, which not only adds different tones to the room but also helps minimize the appearance of stains. And for those who really want to go the extra mile, they can reupholster older furniture with canary or fuchsia colored fabric for a modern feel.
The dining room has an airy, light feel
So often, New York City dining rooms are small with dark hardwood panels on the walls and limited lighting from mini wall sconces. But Copeland has gone the other way. Her dining room is full of bright light, and one of the ways she achieved this look is with a crystal chandelier. "The chandelier is a dream, I love the mix of the elegance with the chandelier and the texture in the mirror," the ballerina said of her fixture.
It is always good to shake up an older home with a fresher-looking chandelier: "If you have a beautiful old Georgian-style home and throw a modern chandelier in there, it will feel fresh and exciting," Toronto-based designer Karl Lohnes told HGTV. But he warned, "In five years, you might want to change it." Lohnes also said that French-style chandeliers in dark gold or bronze are the hottest design trend these days. You can also put the chandelier on a dimmer switch so you can decide exactly how much light you want in the dining room.
There is a bar in the hallway
Having a mini bar in your home is the new way to say you have made it, and it also screams that you don't mind enjoying some of the simple pleasures in life, like a cocktail. Copeland's home has a bar, and though it is small, it is big in style. It's a built-in light gray bar with glass shelves and a lit-up marble backdrop. There is also a small silver tray with Japanese whisky (Hibiki Japanese Harmony Whisky) and glass tumblers, as well as tiny long stemmed snifter glasses and a petite glass bowl for ice. It is her husband's "favorite part" of the home. He was the one that dreamt up the look, shared his design, and made sure it came out just right, said the star during her tour.
It also takes up little to no space, since it's nestled in a wall between the hallway and dining room. But there are plenty of other options for those who do not wish to build a bar into their wall, which could be costly. "A lot of homes don't have permanent bars set up; my house included. Just about anything can be turned into a bar," entertaining expert Rebecca Lang told Martha Stewart as she suggested adding bottles and glasses to pieces of furniture you already own. "An antique armoire or TV cabinet can be refitted and become dreamy as a bar. The doors can be closed to hide the bar on regular days."
The kitchen is bright white
Most people in New York City don't cook or step inside their kitchens, as restaurants are a big deal in the city that never sleeps. But Copeland is not your average New Yorker. (She was actually born in Kansas City, Missouri.) Not only does she cook, but she has shared her very own recipes in her 2017 book "Ballerina Body." So she is clearly very adept with a skillet. "I cook a lot," Copeland said, adding she "practically lives in here," so she wanted the space to be comfortable. And comfortable it is.
Once you step inside the kitchen, you notice it is decorated in a cool white hue, with white counters and white cabinets that are nicely accented with gold pulls. There is also a fancy gold faucet that can't be missed. And there is a small window that allows some light to stream in, which is rare in Manhattan. The backsplash is solid chunks of marble, which breaks up the white monotony. Overall, the space is very bright and functional for a busy couple. According to Veranda, you can't go wrong with an all-white kitchen, as mixing and matching other tones into the look is easy. For example, you can add light brown wood stools or light red brick walls. Some designers even bring in blue and white urns and vases to add a splash of color.
There is a very small wine cellar
For people living in mansions in Kentucky — where there is plenty of cheap land — it is easy to build a home big enough to house a wine cellar. But in New York City, everything must be kept almost dorm-room-small because the price per square foot is absurd. (According to StreetEasy, it costs $1,600 per square foot in Manhattan.) But Copeland found a way to add a small wine cellar inside her cute home. There is an entryway before the kitchen, which has just enough room to store her bottles of wine. Inside there is a small wine cabinet from the French company EuroCave. The cellar can stack at least three dozen bottles of wine and has temperature control, according to the EuroCave website. She said during her home tour that she loads it up with wine, prosecco, and champagne.
New York Magazine claims the best wine cellar is the Wine Enthusiast 32-Bottle Dual Zone MAX Compressor Wine Cooler, which costs almost $500 and can hold 32 bottles in its 33.4" x 19.6" x 16.9" capacity. Another good option is the very slender Ivation 12 Bottle Thermoelectric Red and White Wine Cooler, which costs less than $300. For those with more space, there are bigger options as well, like the EuroCave Premiere L Wine Cellar, which fits 178 bottles and costs almost $4,000.
She collects art
Copeland is not only interested in ballet, but she also has a penchant for paintings and photography. During her home tour, she proudly showed off her mini art collection. Impressive statements can be seen all over her home. One of her favorite pieces is a black and white photo of the late New York dancer Merce Cunningham's hands by her "dear friend," celebrity photographer Marc Seliger. "There is so much story and history in his skin and in his hands; it's one of my favorite pieces," she told AD during her home tour. Seliger actually sells his photographs of celebrities — such as singer Lenny Kravitz — online, so you can copy Copeland's art collection if you wish.
Also in the apartment is a painting of a woman with a blonde coif blowing a light pink bubble while wearing gold glasses by artist Dede Mathiel. Other pieces are by Ndidi Emefiele, her husband's cousin Shane Evans, Jake Mangakahia, Deborah Roberts, Lorna Simpson, Nathaniel Mary Quinn, and Chibuike Uzoma. It can be intimidating to start your own art collection, but Art Business says there is one thing you always have to keep in mind: Stay true to your taste. That means you should buy something that appeals to you. In other words, don't fret over the piece being an investment, but rather follow your heart. After all, you have to live with the look.
Her dressing room is incredible
It is every girl's dream to have a big, fancy dressing room to call her own, and Copeland was not going to miss out on that opportunity. "My dressing room was my number-one priority," Copeland told AD. So she dedicated one of the bedrooms in her apartment to her fancy designer duds, purses, and heels. It is so big there is an island with a marble top in the middle, and a gold chair in case she needs to rest those ballerina feet. There is a fancy "Hollywood, glamorous" feel, said the star on her tour. She created that look with "champagne pink tones," she stated. A crystal chandelier and gold tinted padded walls add even more bling. She has a white ballerina tutu by Reem Acra that she wore to her wedding reception hanging in the center of the room because she said she's a girl who likes lacy things. And she loves the vintage glass mirror on the wall that looks like it has crystals. "It's representative of old vintage Hollywood glamour," she said.
Copeland loves having this space all to herself, which is from California Closets, so she can play "dress up." Home Stratosphere shared that the essentials inside the best walk-in closets are a chest of drawers, an island, and a chair. Plus, built-in shelves are always better than free-standing ones.
She has dozens of books
Copeland loves books. There are coffee table books sprinkled all over her home. In the hallway is a big blue bookshelf with books like "Chanel: The Complete Collections" By Patrick Mauriès, Adélia Sabatini, and Giovanni Gastel. In her living room, wood shelves hold books on painter Matisse as well as smaller books about Louis Vuitton and Yves Saint Laurent. Even in her bedroom, there are books on the nightstands, like "The Power Broker." And she has written a few books, too, like the best-selling memoir "Life In Motion."
Vogue says books are still in fashion, and there's nothing better than to flip through one with gorgeous illustrations as you sip on something warm. The publication suggests that some of the best interior design books to have around the living room include "Positively Chic Interiors" by Carrier and Company, which has a foreword from Vogue's editor Anna Wintour; and "Beautiful: All-American Decorating and Timeless Style" by Mark D. Sikes, who specializes in designing with a blue and white theme. Cafe Mom added that bookshelves should have books in them and a mix and match of statues, baskets, potted plants, and framed photos.
The walls are an ode to Mariah Carey
Most spaces inside high-rise apartment buildings are painted a basic matte white to make the small rooms look larger. But Copeland did not go for the ordinary when she snapped up her dream Big Apple pad. She chose shiny light gray walls, and said it was an ode to songbird Mariah Carey. She noticed the singer had shiny walls in her home when she watched "MTV Cribs" as a kid. Copeland wanted that same look someday for her own home. Well, she got it.
The walls in her New York City home have a slick, polished look just like the" Always Be My Baby" hitmaker's mansion. High gloss walls have become popular with those with an eye for modern trends, stated House Beautiful. The walls create a lot of reflection and are very easy to clean. Other bonuses? The high gloss walls are very durable and are good for high moisture areas because they seal out water. Another plus of having these shiny gray walls? Whenever she has guests over, Copeland has a good story to tell about watching "Cribs" in the year 2000 when she was only 17-years-old and a big fan of Carey's.
The guest bathroom has a metallic theme
Copeland has a small guest bathroom in her hallway that could have been decorated straightforwardly with beige and white tones to please the masses. But she wanted the room to dazzle. That is why she added plenty of metallic colors to the space. There are textured pale gold wallpaper that looks rich and expensive, and in the shower, there are gold mirrored walls with a George Jetsons style design. But that is not where the gold ends. There is also a shiny gold sink that complements the chrome faucet and gold cabinet knobs. Even the frame of the painting by Deborah Roberts, which stands out for its "textures," said Copeland, is gold.
Gone are the days when bathrooms were all white and chrome, as gold accents have become the look du jour. Home Design Lover suggests many ways to incorporate gold into your bathroom, like gold pulls, gold sinks, gold accents on the vanity doors, gold wall sconces, and even gold tiles. And for those with a whimsical design style, gold wall decals are also on the list.
The guest bedroom has charm
Her guests certainly are lucky because Copeland has a very inviting spare bedroom for her loved ones. The room's overall tone is gold with light beige walls, gold wall sconces, gold-yellow nightstands, a gold throw on the bed, and a gold and beige rug by Kelly Wearstler for The Rug Company. But what the dancer likes the most about the room is the wall's blue, black, and gray painting. "Clearly, the star of this room is this amazing work of art by Asuka Agaway. I mean, it's an unbelievable piece," she said of a woman smoking with a candle in her hand. She said it was a "powerful statement."
She also likes the small space so much that she sleeps there once in a while. "It's so beautiful," she said, adding that it's "simple" but "rich." Most guests would be happy with just a bed and nightstand when crashing for the night, but Country Living suggests several additional ways to make a friend feel welcome. You can create a workstation, add an amenity basket with a spare toothbrush and bar of soap, and place a tray of bottled water and glasses in the room. And for the very ambitious, cleaning out a closet and chest of drawers is a way to go the extra mile. But keep in mind, if you make the guest room too inviting, the guest may never leave!
The primary bedroom is bright
Bedrooms in big cities can often be small and dark. But Copeland has plenty of light in her primary bedroom. Two side-by-side windows light up the room with beige padded walls and a large white bed with gold nightstands and gold wall sconces above. There is a black and white photo of men taken by her cousin-in-law on the wall above the bed; the frame is also white and flush with the wall, which is unusual. She added "pops of color here and there," she said on her home tour, like the blue throw on her bed and the blue rug underneath. Gray and white drapes add a calming effect as they are not too loud.
She said she wanted the primary bedroom to be "serene and relaxing" for her and her husband after running around all day. Adding gold nightstands to the pale room was definitely a savvy move. Homedit advises there are many ways to add that extra gold sparkle. If you want your room to have some of that golden touch, add gold lamps, gold framed mirrors, or gold candleholders to the space. But too much gold can be a bad thing (think Liberace's Palm Springs vacation home,) so keep the gold accents to a minimum.
The rugs speak for themselves
With a home full of hardwood floors, cozy rugs are certainly needed to warm up the place. And Copeland was not afraid to use color. She has an olive and lime green rug in her kitchen, a blue and white one in the primary bedroom, a purple, red, and gold one in the dining room, and a golden beige rug in her living room by Kelly Wearstler for The Rug Company.
The Today show shared ideas on how to pick colorful rugs for your home. One suggestion was to match the room's color to the room's accessories. And it is also a good idea to go monochrome. Wearstler told House & Home not to be afraid to go with bold statements. "We use carpet in almost every room of a house that we design, so I'm looking at what stories look nice together. All of those carpets work really well together," the designer shared of her creations for Rug Company. She said to go with your own gut when picking a rug: "You have to believe in what you're doing and do it. You do! The people who are successful are the people who don't take everyone else's opinions and try to form something out of some kind of consensus."
It's really a love nest
The home is really a love nest for Copeland and her husband, lawyer Olu Evans, whom she wed in 2016 in Laguna Beach, California, in front of 100 guests after dating for several years. During her tour, the star said that this New York City dwelling in the first place they had lived together. And she shared that she was happy to bring "the love" into their little abode. Her designer Romanek said she wanted to start the project by "bringing the beautiful love of Misty and Olu into the apartment." The designer added that they are "a fantastic couple, they make each other better." So the pad had to be "functional and full of color and life." Romanek also shared: "I envision them coming home after an incredible performance, after creating a thing of beauty, and being in the next beautiful thing."
Apartment Therapy said there is an easy way to marry styles: simply mix and match. "Consider how you both want to feel when you are inside each room, and try to find the common ground between your feelings," designer Payton Cosell Turner told the site. "Maybe it's a sense of calm you're after, but your partner prefers to feel invigorated. What about using calm colors in the room alongside books about travel or art? Simple solutions can be found if you exercise patience and a little bit of creative thinking."