When renowned US Art Director, Sam Shahid, undertook the renovation of his pre-war apartment in Greenwich Village, his brief was very clear. His home must counterbalance his very demanding work life. “At work, I have so much stuff around me,” Shahid explains. “And then you come here and it’s serene, calm.”
Working constantly with visual imagery on a daily basis, Shahid took the unusual decision to display nearly all his artwork behind closed doors. Strange you may well think, but this brings an element of surprise to his home, adding interest with the ‘all is not as it seems’ element.
Hardly anything is on show within the apartment, this stems from time spent on photo shoots where stuff is everywhere but never captured as the camera only ever focuses within the chosen frame. Shahid wanted to create the same vision, to look at this home as if you were looking through a lens.
Of course what sparse furnishings you do witness ooze quality and style. The finishes are picture perfect, no room for error here. Favouring such words as ‘simplicity’ and ‘direct’, Shahid added another when asked for his inspiration, ‘silence’. I certainly think he succeeded with portraying all three.
Jess from Hector and Bailey
Images via www.nytimes.com.
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