An ‘Old School’ ’80s Soho Loft Gets a Family-Friendly Makeover

Alvin Wayne played up the fireplace in a corner of the living room, painting the wall a dark gray and adding colored logs. The chairs are from Urban Outfitters. The still-life painting above is by Greg Griffith. Photo: David Land

We loved the apartment as we found it,” says Greg Griffith of this 4,500-square-foot “old-school ’80s loft” he and his partner bought in 2019, complete with an undulating glass-brick wall between the bedroom and the kitchen. “That made for interesting viewing for anyone eating a bagel at the kitchen counter,” he notes with a laugh.

It had previously been the home of conceptual painter Jennifer Bartlett, who died last year. “But with all our children,” Griffith says — a blended family of four kids ages 4 through 18 — “we needed to make it a bit more functional.”

In 2021, Griffith saw a segment on Open House NYC about designer Alvin Wayne, who gave a tour of his Long Island City one-bedroom apartment. “Not ashamed to admit we love watching NBC’s Open House,” Griffith says. “It’s part of our Sunday-morning routine. We reached out to him after that, assuming he wouldn’t have time, but he did.”

First to go was that glass-brick wall. The work progressed to include enlarging the family room and creating a music studio and more wall space for art. “I’m a musician and music producer by profession,” Griffith says, “but I took a few years off to really paint and start a gallery in Brooklyn. And I do love painting, so a lot of the art is my own or from amazing artists I met through the gallery.” (Established Gallery is located in Prospect Heights.)

“They really love color and pattern,” Wayne says of his clients. “They wanted it to feel designed but to keep the true essence of a Soho loft that matches their casual lifestyle.” It took more than a year of collaborative work between Wayne and Griffith to create a kid-friendly home where nothing is too precious and everything feels comfortable and fun.

“You want a place where the kids can run around or knock something over and no one is going to get angry because you’ve got a kid in the house,” Griffith says. “We want our house to be fun — and theirs.” And there’s enough room to roller-skate indoors.

Wayne added a wall with an arched entryway between the living room and hallway that leads to the children’s rooms. The vintage garden wallpaper on the far wall is from Belarte Studio, and the custom drop-leaf table is by Samuel Greg. The painting on the left wall is by Griffith. Photo: David Land

Wayne covered the kitchen walls in tile wallpaper from Rebel Walls and the stool seats in Schumacher Sedona fabric. Photo: David Land

A Marilyn Minter piece hangs in the dining nook adjacent to the kitchen. “We just got a great antique metal table,” Wayne says, “and did a wood banquette and kept it really simple.” Photo: David Land

In the living room, Wayne paired the Timothy Oulton Shabby sectional with an ottoman covered in Schumacher Tutsi fabric. The still life is by Griffith. Photo: David Land

A replica of a Mario Bellini couch, along with a textured Studio Anansi rug, invites curling-up and gathering in the family room. Photo: David Land

“The coffee table is a much less expensive copy of an Yves Klein,” Griffith says, “and is supposed to be filled with blue pigment powder, but then my partner had the genius idea to fill it with colorful Ping-Pong balls.” Photo: David Land

The primary bedroom with a painting by Griffith. Photo: David Land

“I want my projects to really be a reflection of the owner, but I want you to know that Alvin was here,” Wayne says.