New York apartments are notorious for their proportions, and this one—barely 200 square feet—wears its “shoebox” status with a wink. The challenge was quintessentially New York: to transform an all-white studio into a livable work of art.

The owner—a scholar and art-history enthusiast—wanted each surface to tell a story, so the design became a miniature museum. We installed custom millwork, framing a mural by 18th-century British master Joshua Reynolds, while sliding cabinet doors in the kitchenette feature a charming 19th-century courtship scene. Even the refrigerator doubles as canvas.

To keep the classical references from feeling stodgy, playful touches punctuate the space: Hay linens in carnival stripes, and two cherry-red lanterns flanking the bed—an irreverent nod to the crimson hunting coats in a vintage lithograph hanging above. The result is a jewel box of intellect and whimsy, a room where scholarship and delight coexist.