Go Inside Style Guru Arielle Charnas’s Inspired New York Apartment

Juliet Izon

June 19, 2019 at 7:55 AM

With 1.2 million followers on Instagram, a clothing line with Nordstrom that’s been the department store’s most successful launch ever, and two adorably sweet daughters, it’s no wonder Arielle Charnas has steadily risen to become one of the most well-known social media influencers in the world. It’s also no surprise, then, that her Flatiron-neighborhood apartment is equal parts enviable and approachable, much like her online persona.

Charnas moved into the four-bedroom, nearly 2,900-square-foot apartment with husband Brandon and daughters Ruby and Esme a little over two years ago. While the bones of the home itself are pretty jaw-dropping—impossibly high ceilings and generously sized rooms, for starters—it was the bird’s-eye view into Madison Square Park that ultimately clinched the deal. “We were obsessed with the apartment when we saw that view from the living room,” she recalls. “And we loved how open it was; there was really not much work to do to the home besides decorate it.”

Charnas, pictured here in her dining room, with daughters Ruby and Esme.

Charnas and her family weren’t the first owners of the apartment, but they were the first to actually live in it. The previous owners resided overseas and had bought it as a second home but never truly moved in. The space was essentially a brand-new, blank canvas.

To realize her vision of a traditional yet modern aesthetic, Charnas enlisted the help of her longtime friend and interior designer Hilary Matt. “She's incredible,” Charnas says of Matt. “She has such a great eye and she really made this whole process easy for me.” Matt was also able to push Charnas in the direction of more color instead of her favored neutral palette. “I'm a very beige person,” Charnas laughs. “She pushed me to add pops of color, like some really cool blues and teals. It meshed really nicely with all the beiges.” The dining room may be the best example of this color pairing, where a set of electric blue dining chairs by Milo Baughman and blue-green custom drapes from Carleton V stand out against the off-white walls.

Younger daughter Esme’s room was done mostly in a palette of grays and whites, with a pop of color in the leopard-print carpet. The crib and painting are both from RH.

Of course, the color scheme is more playful in her two daughters’ rooms. Three-year-old Ruby’s is a riot of rose. “She wanted pink and rainbows,” Charnas says of her toddler’s request. “I took it with a grain of salt; we made it subtle.” Ruby’s carpet is indeed rainbow, specifically a checked Missoni Mela print from Stark. And above her bed is neon sign—in bright pink, of course—spelling out Ruby Lou Lou, custom-made by Name Glo. One-year-old Esme may not have had much of a say in her decor, but her room, a mix of soft pinks and grays with a leopard-print carpet, will be just as chic for her teen years as babyhood.

Charnas’s master bedroom, however, eschews warm tones for bold grays, blacks, and whites. The centerpiece is a chrome four-poster bed from Bernhardt, outfitted minimally with linens from Parachute. A globe pendant light from Tom Dixon, also in chrome, amps up the modernist vibe. Designer Matt inserted a bit of color, however, with the velvet aqua drapes, which were made with custom fabric from Carleton V. The result is a space that Charnas professes never to leave. “It’s my favorite room,” she says. “I grew up in Long Island and it feels like it's part of the house where I grew up.”

Charnas’ favorite room in the apartment is her bedroom. The wallpaper is Phillip Jeffries and the bed is by Bernhardt. The sleek pendant over the bedside table is from Tom Dixon.

No story of Charnas’ home would be complete without mentioning her closets, however. As those who follow her on Instagram are aware, Charnas receives probably dozens of packages daily from brands that would love to collaborate with her. All the shoes, bags, sunglasses, and, of course, clothes she receives are stored between her master bedroom’s walk-in closet and the apartment’s fourth bedroom, which has been converted into a massive, organized storage and office space. Most striking is her shoe wall, which she estimates to hold close to 200 pairs: “I’m a big shoe person,” she notes. Helping her to keep track of everything is professional organizer Lisa Jacobs of Imagine It Done. “She was life-changing,” Charnas says.

A fashion influencer’s life is certainly more glamorous than most, but Charnas still values family above any other commitment. Every Friday night she invites her parents and two sisters over for a casual dinner. “All of us fit on that couch in the living room,” she says. “I love having them over and entertaining.”