A Tech Entrepreneur’s Cool Yet Practical New York Bachelor Pad

Jennifer Fernandez

New Yorkers have a reputation for restlessness, a stereotype exacerbated by the wealth of diversions available on every corner. But not everyone approaches the scene with reckless abandon. “I love taking advantage of all of the great dining options that New York City has to offer; the abundance of options is one of the reasons I think we all love living here,” says Jason Liebman, a native Manhattanite, former Google executive, and cofounder of Howcast, an instructional-video website where you can learn everything from how to dance like Beyoncé to how to cook salmon. “But I do think that it's important to be disciplined during the workweek and appreciate my routine of getting up early to go to the gym, which drives me to generally stay in and cook at home and try to get to bed as early as possible.”

The demands of his professional life not withstanding, his restraint may have just as much to do with the place he calls home, a classic SoHo loft in a 19th-century former department store building with soaring ceilings, expansive windows, and one very distinguishable characteristic: a 120-foot-long original brick wall that’s embellished with seven elegant arched niches. “I love living in a place that has history,” says Liebman, who immediately connected with the space and lived there for several months, the better to learn about his home’s nuances, before embarking on a renovation with designer James Huniford. “At the same time, I didn’t want it to feel like you were walking into a museum. It was important for me to have an apartment that feels really comfortable, where you can actually sit in every chair and not feel like it’s too perfect or precious.”

“I wanted something that wouldn’t be destroyed when friends come over,” says Liebman of his kitchen, where a concrete-inspired Caesarstone-topped shou sugi ban island complements the minimalist stainless-steel backsplash. Vintage Philips pendants from the 1950s complete the space.
“I wanted something that wouldn’t be destroyed when friends come over,” says Liebman of his kitchen, where a concrete-inspired Caesarstone-topped shou sugi ban island complements the minimalist stainless-steel backsplash. Vintage Philips pendants from the 1950s complete the space.

To rein in the volume of the space and improve its balance and flow, Huniford established islands of respite using arrangements of seating areas anchored by circular rugs and unexpected furniture pairings, then dialed up the coziness by employing a palette of sumptuous textures, from the earthy cork wall coverings in the guest bedroom to the crimson velvet upholstery on the dining chairs and benches. Both stylish and pragmatic, the scheme was not without its challenges. “Practicality can be a double-edged sword,” says Huniford. “If something is practical, it’s automatically assumed that it’s not attractive.”

One look at the custom sofa suspended from the ceiling in the living room, a piece that was paired with a Hans Wegner Papa Bear chair and a portrait of Grace Kelly by John Codling—or the metallic Andy Warhol–themed Mylar wallpaper in the powder room, where Liebman says guests retreat to take selfies—proves that’s decidedly not the case here. “There was no formula or attention paid to furnishings from specific periods,” says Huniford of the eclectic interplay of influences. “Jason knows his own sensibility and was open to a lot of different things, from French 1940s classicism to Italian midcentury modernism and Moroccan and Japanese accents. We just wanted something that didn’t feel mass-produced.”

A Tech Entrepreneur’s Cool Yet Practical New York Bachelor Pad

For former Google executive and Howcast founder Jason Liebman’s classic SoHo loft, New York designer James Huniford reined in the volume with carefully curated clusters of seating areas that exhibited a diversity of styles. “The vastness of the space was part of the beauty and the challenge,” says Huniford. The entry provides a window into the apartment’s eclecticism, thanks in part to a 1970s octagonal brass table designed by Romeo Rega set beneath a 1965 Luigi Caccia Dominioni chandelier and tufted leather ottomans by Huniford Design Studio.
In the living room, a portrait of Grace Kelly by John Codling becomes the focal point of a multifaceted seating area highlighted by a Papa Bear chair by Hans Wegner in Place Textiles mohair, a Huniford Design Studio chair covered in curly Tibetan lambswool by Dualoy, and a repurposed African stool and leather floor pillow.
A custom sectional finished in Fabricut velvet sits opposite Italian midcentury armchairs upholstered in a Pollack fabric in a second living room seating area. The vintage William Haynes cocktail table and Beauvais circular rug help break up the linearity.
A custom sectional finished in Fabricut velvet sits opposite Italian midcentury armchairs upholstered in a Pollack fabric in a second living room seating area. The vintage William Haynes cocktail table and Beauvais circular rug help break up the linearity.
“We didn’t want it to feel like a ballroom,” Huniford says of the group-friendly custom dining table by Demiurge outfitted with velvet-upholstered benches and vintage Gunlocke chairs. The Alvin Lustig for Lightolier chandelier imparts a romantic glow that sets the tone for Liebman’s low-key dinner parties, while artwork by Miriam Shapiro and a vintage highway mirror—hung on the apartment’s original brick wall—underscore the home’s eclecticism.
Adjacent to the kitchen is a custom backlit resin bar designed by Huniford topped with artwork by Sanford Biggers.
Adjacent to the kitchen is a custom backlit resin bar designed by Huniford topped with artwork by Sanford Biggers.
“I wanted something that wouldn’t be destroyed when friends come over,” says Liebman of his kitchen, where a cement-inspired Caesarstone-topped shou sugi ban island complements the minimalist stainless-steel backsplash. Vintage Philips pendants from the 1950s complete the space.
“I wanted something that wouldn’t be destroyed when friends come over,” says Liebman of his kitchen, where a cement-inspired Caesarstone-topped shou sugi ban island complements the minimalist stainless-steel backsplash. Vintage Philips pendants from the 1950s complete the space.
“It never fails that at every party people disappear into the powder room to take selfies,” says Liebman, a fact he attributes to Flavor Paper’s metallic Warhol-themed Mylar wall covering behind the vanity. It’s paired with a midcentury mirror by Veca and a table and iron wall divider found at an old cement factory.
“It never fails that at every party people disappear into the powder room to take selfies,” says Liebman, a fact he attributes to Flavor Paper’s metallic Warhol-themed Mylar wall covering behind the vanity. It’s paired with a midcentury mirror by Veca and a table and iron wall divider found at an old cement factory.
“There’s a pureness and sense of calm and gracefulness,” says Huniford of the space. In the study, he installed a Stark carpet and re-covered 19th-century club chairs with Donghia mohair velvet to create a cocoon-like feel. A vintage Moroccan ottoman and artwork by Robert Montgomery add subtle texture, ensuring that the room adheres to the designer’s conception of it as “an understatement.”
A cork wall covering establishes an earthy backdrop for a serene master bedroom. Huniford provided the vintage helicopter propeller blade and mica-hued lampshades.
A cork wall covering establishes an earthy backdrop for a serene master bedroom. Huniford provided the vintage helicopter propeller blade and mica-hued lampshades.
The matte finish of an Agape tub elevates the worn rusticity of a collection of vintage concrete sifters, which is complemented by the industrial edge of a metal chair in the master bath.
The matte finish of an Agape tub elevates the worn rusticity of a collection of vintage concrete sifters, which is complemented by the industrial edge of a metal chair in the master bath.
A vintage hanging light from John Salibello Antiques and a pair of Obsolete sconces illuminate a custom wood-and-concrete vanity.
A vintage hanging light from John Salibello Antiques and a pair of Obsolete sconces illuminate a custom wood-and-concrete vanity.
Huniford turned a tree-trunk-slice cocktail table into an unexpected objet in the guest bedroom, where artwork by Robert Rauschenberg hangs above the bed.
Huniford turned a tree-trunk-slice cocktail table into an unexpected objet in the guest bedroom, where artwork by Robert Rauschenberg hangs above the bed.

You can feel the originality on display in the 1970s Romeo Rega octagonal brass table that sits in the entry, or the 19th-century club chairs refinished in a Donghia mohair velvet in the study—pieces that straddle the tradition of the space and the modernity of its design, all the while paying respect to the kind of livability that Liebman craved. “I love rotating between the chairs because there are so many incredible places to sit, whether I’m on a business call or just reading a book,” Liebman says.

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He also enjoys cooking casual dinners for friends and family in his Caesarstone and stainless-steel kitchen—invalidating yet another New Yorker stereotype, that of the takeout junkie. Of course, not every gathering maintains the quiet serenity Liebman has come to value in his home—for that he can blame a custom cast-resin bar designed by Huniford that comes alive in the evening hours thanks to backlighting that imparts a fiery glow. “That was a really big risk, but it has so much energy, and people just gravitate toward it,” Liebman says. After all, sometimes the best bar in town is the one in your own living room.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest