See the Transformation of This 850-Square-Foot West Village Apartment | Architectural Digest

Sebastian’s love of guiding his clients through the process of becoming almost collectors starts to make sense when you consider his journey to becoming a designer himself. The Miami native grew up in an all-Argentinian family, and fondly remembers visits numerous times per year to Buenos Aires to see his grandmother, a stylish and prominent psychologist. He idolized her home and art collection at the time, which included pieces by Julio Le Parc. “She had an Afghan Hound and smoked cigarettes out of a long cigarette holder,” he says. “She was literally Cruella de Vil.” And his mom was a decorator in Miami to boot, occasionally bringing him on shopping trips as a child. Oddly enough, it was his early passion for DJ’ing that drops the most hints about his future career. Even at 18, he was working the clubs in Miami. “I was always obsessed with control and composing, adding and subtracting, to create a feeling and pushing that feeling onto people,” he says.

Although his clubbing days are far behind him, he’s still able to create and share the feelings his clients wanted for this apartment. They wanted something warm and comforting, but dynamic, so his biggest challenge was to counteract the fact it’s a small space by creating “special zones” that feel different without screaming for attention.

To add warmth and texture to both the living room—especially important in a postwar building such as this—Sebastian used a neutral grasscloth from Phillip Jeffries on the wall behind the sofa, and offset that with a few interesting pieces that catch the eye: First, a custom daybed that doubles as a coffee table covered in a deep red hair-on-hide, paired with those two vintage Guillerme et Chambron chairs, a series of Charlotte Perriand sconces, and a custom tile-covered side table by Fleur Studio that brings some needed sharpness to the space and is everyone’s favorite.