Margaret Elman describes her favourite color as “everything from the palest robin’s-egg blue to sky-and-sea aqua to Tiffany-box blue to full-on, whipping bright 1950’s-diner turquoise.” It’s therefore not surprising that she has done up her New York apartment, which she shares with her husband Dave, in this blue green tone, cleverly pairing it with touches of metallic gold, chocolate brown, chartreuse, and cream to create a stylish and unapologetically pretty space.

Margaret finds inspiration in everything from 1930’s Hollywood movies, vintage Oleg Cassini dresses, fabrics by Verner Panton and Alexander Girard to “the scent of privet bushes in bloom or giant Italian lemons.” “My style right now is kind of Marie Antoinette meets flea market meets a few items fro the 21^st century,” she explains. Growing up in New York City with an artist mother and a novelist father, Margaret developed a keen eye for good design through years of scouring the flea markets and antiques stores. In decorating her home, she has managed to mix the old with the new, adding a feminine and glamorous touch throughout the apartment. In the spacious cream toned living room, she placed a pair of graphic chartreuse chairs around a pretty painted antique table, on which sits a small hand-carved wooden Buddha, an unexpected but calming presence.