After nearly a decade working for blue-chip interior design firms, the kind that regularly land their large-scale residential projects on the pages of Architectural Digest and Elle Decor, Matt McKay officially struck out on his own last year. He still works in the same high-end milieus—Tribeca, the West Village, Greenwich, CT, and the like—but now he has the freedom to also take on projects that are smaller.
And more personal. Recently, he was hired by two longtime friends, now married with a dog, to do the interior design for their compact West Village townhouse. What was initially conceived to be “quick and easy,” he says, turned out to be a bit longer and more complex as the scope grew. “The next thing we knew, the entire house was being renovated inside.”
“We worked with a combination of new artisan-made pieces, collectible design, and custom-fabricated pieces to suit the space, along with a considered assortment of vintage finds,” shares Matt, who brought on friend and fellow Sawyer Berson alum Allen Robinson to help with the drawing, permitting, and coordination of the project. “I really wanted to pay respect to the origin of the house, neighborhood, and my two friends who would inhabit it.”
That translates into modern interpretations of Old New York, like interior shutters reimagined with circle cutouts and herringbone brick flooring elevated with terracotta tiles from Clé. Below, Matt walks us through all of his smart design choices for this refined and chic townhouse.
Photography by Joshua McHugh, styling by Andrew Stewart/Crying Coyote, courtesy of McKay.
![the kitchen is on the garden floor of the townhouse and was inspired, matt says 17](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/matt-mckay-barrow-street-townhouse-kitchen-733x489.jpg)
![the custom millwork continues in the adjacent dining area, with a banquette fea 18](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/matt-mckay-barrow-street-townhouse-banquette-733x1026.jpg)
![on the parlor floor, the cozy living room. aside from the camaleonda sofa from 19](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/matt-mckay-barrow-street-townhouse-living-room1-733x489.jpg)
![another prized find: a tile topped vintage roger capron coffee table. 20](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/matt-mckay-barrow-street-townhouse-living-room2-733x1026.jpg)
![inspired by jean prouvé\2\17;s porthole doors, matt designed hole p 21](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/matt-mckay-barrow-street-townhouse-living-room-733x1026.jpg)
![the sun filled conservatory is just off the living room, floating above the kit 22](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/matt-mckay-barrow-street-townhouse-bath-sun-room-733x1026.jpg)
![in an echo of the kitchen, oak millwork and slate make an appearance in the pri 23](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/matt-mckay-barrow-street-townhouse-bedroom2-733x489.jpg)
![both the upholstered headboard and the coverlet were custom fabricated with zak 24](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/matt-mckay-barrow-street-townhouse-bedroom-733x1026.jpg)
![more porthole shutters in the en suite bathroom. the floor here features &# 25](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/matt-mckay-barrow-street-townhouse-shutters-733x1026.jpg)
![the faucet is from studio ore. note the cool earthenware sconce from workstead. 26](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/matt-mckay-barrow-street-townhouse-bath-733x1026.jpg)
![the top level, with a table, bench, and chairs all from another country, &# 27](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/matt-mckay-barrow-street-townhouse-dining-733x1026.jpg)
![the exterior of the townhouse needed nothing more than some paint and cleanup. 28](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/matt-mckay-barrow-street-townhouse-exterior-733x1026.jpg)
For more New York City homes, see:
- Layers of History—and Color—in an Artist Couple’s 1828 Manhattan Townhouse
- An 1890 Brooklyn Townhouse, Reinvented for Modern Times
- Quiet, Please: A Stylish Apartment in Bustling Jackson Heights, Queens
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