Colour and restraint converge in a Greenwich Village townhouse

A bar painted Benjamin Moore’s Dinner Party, a deep oxblood red that commands the space from ceiling to floorboard, demands a certain confidence. Yet step into the kitchen beyond it, and the designers reveal their sophistication: Calacatta Viola marble flows across worktops and backsplash, its pale ground and veining of burgundy and grey speaking a quieter language altogether, one of material and light rather than pigment.

This is the philosophy that moves through the entire 1830 townhouse in Greenwich Village, where Ashe Leandro worked with Barber Wilsons to anchor each room in its own distinct character without ever descending into excess. The dusky red bar gives way to deep yellow elsewhere, knotty pine to marble, each colour chosen not for fashion but for the architecture it inhabits and the feeling it creates.

Barber Wilsons’ polished nickel fixtures, including models R6475-19 and R1030-19, appear throughout the residence as elegant counterpoints to these bold choices. The warm, refined gleam of the nickel catches light against crimson walls and marble surfaces, providing the restraint that allows the colour to live rather than overwhelm. In the bar, they catch the glow of cocktails and conversation. In the kitchen, they fade into the background, letting Calacatta Viola command the eye.

The result, as featured in Architectural Digest, is a masterclass in the idea that colour and restraint are not opposing forces but complementary ones. Each room commits fully to itself, yet nowhere feels loud. That balance, achieved through considered material choices and hardware that knows when to shine and when to serve, defines the entire composition.

Imagery courtesy of Barber Wilsons (@barber_wilsons_uk).