Christian Siriano is a regular visitor to his TriBeCa neighbors’ door. But it’s not for a cup of sugar. His neighbor, a typical New Yorker, says that neither of them cooks. Siriano will often bring a vase or other interesting item from his home that he believes would work better in hers. After all, he did design her apartment. They have been close friends for 15 years. At one time, the client worked in Siriano’s fashion business. She says that they built a strong relationship, and she moved into his building. He can’t get me out of his building!
Siriano celebrated the fifteenth anniversary of his fashion label in September with a spectacular show at the Pierre Hotel, complete with Sia’s performance. It was a natural progression for Siriano to move into Interior Design. He began making custom fabrics after winning the season of Project Runway. He recalls, “I became obsessive with tapestries. “That’s when I fell in design. “As I grew older and began to collect art, I began to see furniture and other objects as investments.”
It all began with clients who wore Siriano’s clothes for many years and, of course, with his home design. He also has a home in Connecticut in addition to the Manhattan apartment. Siriano Interiors’ recent and ongoing projects include a 15-room hotel in Chagrin Falls, Ohio (jokingly called the Inn of Chagrin) to a $40 Million residence located in a Central Park tower.
He recalls: “I became obsessed with reupholstery and tapestries.”
Siriano’s friend wanted “something cool, beautiful, glamorous, and all of the other things” for his TriBeCa apartment. He’s a lover of French and Italian furniture from the 1930s to the 1960s. This appealed also to Siriano. She says, “I love how he can bring in vintage pieces that I incorporate into my fashion style.” The 1940s chairs in the dining room, for instance, are part of a 12-piece set that Siriano reupholstered with mohair. Some of the chairs ended up in Siriano’s guest suite. He says, “They were destroyed when I purchased them.” “Luckily, she liked them. “They look like tiny people dressed up.”
TOUR CHRISTIAN SIRIANO’S FIRST INTERIOR DESIGN PROJECT IN MANHATTAN
Kostas Upholstery, a Connecticut-based company, created a white curvaceous sofa for the living room as an homage to French 20th-century designer Jean Royere. Siriano has a network of vintage dealers, makers, and artists that extends beyond the tristate region but seems to be particularly loyal to Connecticut. Meighan Morrison’s large canvas in the living area is from Connecticut, as is Lisa Bagley, whose painting hangs on the dining room wall, and Dumais Made, the ceramics studio that crafted the kitchen lighting fixture. Siriano is a regular at the local Fairfield County antiques center and Greenwich Living Design, a gallery he loves. He says, “I’m a big shopper.” “I buy as many items as I can.” Then, hopefully, someone will like them.”
Siriano Interiors manufactures some pieces, like the Wave cocktail table in the living room. Siriano sewed the striped silk-blend bedding in the main bedroom at his fashion studio. Siriano says that the client wanted something very soft, so they made it for her. The lamps are from Siriano’s friend Athena Calderone Crate & Barrel’s collection. He says, “Athena’s so talented.” He adds that she is also stylish. “Every woman that we work with wants to look like Athena!”
Accents in orange tones are used throughout the apartment to honor the client’s favorite color. Siriano had to get out of his comfort zone, but it was worth it. The client said that Siriano was very good at choosing woods and browns with a more orange tone, which still had a neutral feel but also had the color scheme she wanted. She doesn’t care if she takes Siriano’s old clothes. She adds, “I love to steal his stuff.”
The project took about a full year to complete. Siriano made most of the final decisions, and the client was often on the road. It may seem like a compressed timeline for an interior job, but it is actually a very leisurely pace compared to the stress of creating a custom dress. Siriano says that a one-year deadline is a “dream.” “We’ve never seen that in fashion.”
