Justin Charette used to live in black and white. The New York City–based interior designer was never against color per se—he is covered in a rainbow of tattoos, after all—but his former Gramercy apartment was completely devoid of it. When he and his husband, lifestyle photographer Alexander Atkins, got an offer for their home that they couldn’t refuse, they moved to a different unit in their building and rethought their limited palette.
“I just wanted to try something that feels more cheerful,” Justin, an AD Pro Directory member, explains. “And we don’t have a great view, so I think it’s interesting to have more to look at and to have more energy within the space. But I still wanted something that’s neutral enough that we could switch directions again at some point if we decided to.”
To strike this balance, Justin used classic, natural materials for anything permanent, like the oak hardwood flooring he installed to replace the engineered wood. Likewise, he opted for timeless finishes like Nero Marquina marble, white subway tile, and walnut slatted paneling in the newly updated and expanded bathroom.
Justin also stuck to his tried-and-true white wall paint Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace nearly everywhere except the kitchen ceiling, which received a coat of cotton candy pink for festive flair, and an accent wall in the living area, which he covered in a black-to-white ombré Calico Wallpaper mural for visual interest.
“Once you start adding so much paint color and wallpaper, you’re kind of pigeonholed into that one aesthetic unless you do a ton of work to change it,” he reasons. “And I always think, especially as a designer, it’s fun to be able to discover a fabric or something else that inspires a completely different look.”
