Inside Basketball Star Kevin Love’s Waterfront Tribeca Apartment
Ariel Foxman
·5 min read
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“When I was 18 years old, I had written down in a notebook that I wanted to own an apartment and live in New York by the time I was 30,” says Kevin Love, the star forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers. “And yeah, I closed on and received the key to this apartment three months before my 30th birthday.” And yeah—Love’s stellar Tribeca off-season home can also be added to a roster of other checklist accomplishments: He is also a five-time All-Star player, an NBA championship winner, and a 2012 Olympics gold medalist.
And though New York City was always in his sights, Love took a long time before he found just the right place. Last spring, he moved into a majestic three-bedroom downtown apartment, in a brand-new waterfront construction. “I come from the Pacific Northwest, where we have all the elements,” he explains. “And I was drawn to this place. One of the last undeveloped Tribeca waterfront properties, it was a place where I knew I would be able to just look out the window and see the West Side Highway, the trees, the water, the cityscape across the river. I love being grounded, having that sight line with all the elements.”
More Inside Basketball Star Kevin Love’s Waterfront Tribeca Apartment
The original light floors were “too pretty” for Love’s taste and were switched out for this reclaimed oak flooring product from The Hudson Company. Exposed beams, which accommodate lighting and wiring, were added to up the industrial quotient. The Defiance piece is by Let There Be Neon.
Love had his heart set on a pair of Ralph Lauren Home CF1 lounge chairs for his living room. Made of carbon fiber, these pieces were then covered in RLH’s Telluride Earth fabric. Recalls Varnum, laughing, “I was asking them, saying these chairs have to be ready by this date. And they were like, Well, there is one person in front of you. And actually, that person is Mr. Lauren.” The coffee table and rug are by Restoration Hardware, and the couch is custom by Grant Trick, using a Mokum fabric. A Pendleton blanket is on hand for cozy nights. (Pendleton, like Love, hails from Portland, Oregon.) Renovations ensured an open plan that has the living room flowing into the dining area. Some of Love’s favorite pieces include a custom Kevin Manville dining table and art works by John Baldessari and Antony Gormley. A pocket door was added to connect the living room with a home office.
While Love and team made changes throughout the apartment—replacing floors, adding exposed beams, and much more—they left the bright and minimalist bathroom suite as is. Well, except for one thing. “We upgraded to a Toto toilet,” says Varnum. Adds Love, “When it comes to accommodations for tall people, you find the most discrepancies in the bathroom. We had to make sure the rain-shower shower head was just right. You know, NBA height.”
An investor as well as a philanthropist, the five-time All Star spends time off the court getting down to business. While most desks are 30 inches high, Love’s is custom-made at around 32 inches to better suit his six-foot-eight frame. Varnum married a walnut sawhorse by Cleveland-based Sawhorse Woodworks with a custom soapstone from Bradley Stone. A pair of vintage Arne Norell chairs complement an Avo cowhide rug that had been custom-painted olive green, one of Kevin’s favorite colors. After visiting artist Rashid Johnson’s studio, Love secured his own piece: the magnificent Untitled Anxious Audience, made of black soap and wax on ceramic tiles.
“One of the elements Kevin was dead set on bringing in to the bedroom was this reclaimed brick,” says Varnum. “He has something similar in a basement bar in his home in Cleveland.” The bed is custom by Wodarczyk Interiors Workroom, and the linens are custom as well, by Block Brothers. A Desiron bench was covered in Pendleton’s Spider Rock throw material. The overhead light is by Restoration Hardware. Love was also interested in bringing in some greenery, some nature into the bedroom, so Varnum introduced a low-maintenance living moss garden above his headboard.
Love is joined by longtime girlfriend (and Swimsuit Illustrated cover model) Kate Bock and their beloved vizsla Vestry. A huge music fan, Love collects vintage vinyl and was gifted his McIntosh turntable stereo for his birthday. Doug Aitken’s EXIT, a vibrant mirrored piece, makes one of the few bold color statements in the space.
“Kevin really likes bar seating,” says Varnum, who had a Cleveland-based blacksmith create a floating extension off the island to accommodate the athlete. Love and Varnum also added a custom window bench (complete with storage for dog bowls and treats). The bar stools are by Four Hands.
“The biggest luxury New York has is New Yorkers,” says Love. “I like the idea of not only being a basketball player, but also exposing myself to all walks of life, to every type of person. New York stokes the fire of my intellectual curiosity—without fear or prejudice.”
Love reached out to Kerry Varnum of Grey Designs to help customize the space and pretty much furnish “from scratch.” (The two had worked together on Love’s Cleveland home.) “Kevin had pulled a lot of images,” says Varnum, of her client’s clear aesthetic direction. “Very New York, very industrial.” Says Love, “I really wanted a mix of classic Tribeca and the American West. You’ll see some Navajo prints and you’ll see the cowboy in the art. I like that mystery, added in with the urban grit.”
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