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Noa Santos 50 For Fifty House Tour

House Tour: Interior Designer Noa Santos's Bold and Vibrant Gramercy Apartment

January 9, 2012 by Elka Karl

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House Tour: Interior Designer Noa Santos's Bold and Vibrant Gramercy Apartment

With influences ranging from Coco Chanel to Robert Venturi and Tony Duquette, interior designer and founder of 50 for Fifty Noa Santos's style is modern, fearless, and refreshingly lacking in minimalism. Noa's business, 50 for Fifty, charges clients $50 for 50 minutes of personal design consultation, making the possibility of interior design much more accessible to a range of renters and homeowners interested in creating a stylish home.

Noa explains: "50 for Fifty is a chance for me to help young New Yorkers like me who are fighting to make it here. Everyone deserves to love where they live, no matter how much they make and I’m determined to make interior design accessible to those who really need it. Before I started 50 for Fifty, I did some work for a few friends and saw how, by creating a space they loved, their lives changed— they enjoyed coming home, they entertained more, they were more organized. Young New Yorkers have so many challenges to face in this city — creating a home shouldn’t have to be one of them."

Noa recently opened up his home to CasaSugar readers, sharing a sense of his style and some of his tips for creating a vibrant, personal sanctuary, no matter how big or small your decorating budget may be.

All photos courtesy of Francisco Aguila

CasaSugar: Can you tell me more about your neighborhood, as well as the style of your building and size of your home?
Noa Santos: I live in upper Gramercy area in a mid-century co-op. The building itself is pretty nondescript but the street we're on — it looks like they plucked it out of the West Village. My best friend and I just moved into a 1,100 square foot two-bedroom. We got lucky.

CS: What was your inspiration for the look of your living room?
NS: A few things: a stunning, blue, living room done by Todd Alexander Romano — his own, I believe; the pair of Hollywood Regency lamps on the living room credenza found at Green Flea this summer; and the bold striped rug from Housing Works. My last place was more subtle and I wanted this place to be anything but.

CS: What about the art above the credenza in the living room? How did you create this?
NS: I haven’t found a piece of art I really love yet (that I can afford), so I created this one. Turns out, I kind of love it.

CS: How did you get inspired to create the frame and photo wall art?
NS: I found these two amazing gold frames at Angel Street Thrift in Chelsea and then came across this collection of black and white postcards once owned by the German-American consulate's wife. I'm a sucker for things with a story. I liked the opposing aesthetics — glitzy and kitschy, how they created something unexpected.

CS: The gold plates on the wall plate collection really pop beautifully. What was your inspiration for this?
NS: I wanted to find a way to display a few of my favorite plates and came across this photo of someone who hung them randomly over a wall. I wanted something that read more like a piece of art so I mounted them as if there were one.

CS: Where do you source furniture and accents?
NS: I shop for myself like I do for my clients — in the vintage markets around the city. Vintage never goes out of style. You can’t beat the quality you get for your money. These pieces have a character and a history. I think people can sense that when they walk into a room.

Candles add warmth and softness to a corner of Noa's living room.

CS: I love the bold paint color. What's your philosophy for decorating with bold color?
NS: Bolder is better. I rent. Most of my clients rent. I see renting as an opportunity to make a statement you’re proud of and, if you get sick of it after a year, you’re moving anyway! I don’t believe in stagnant spaces — your home should change with you.

CS: Can you tell me the story behind the side table with the writing on it? Did you create it?
NS: I "remixed" rather than "created." I like the pair (and the price — $100) but wanted something, well, pink-er. So I bought a hot-pink paint pen and went to work creating the “vanity” and “chess” tables. For $100, what’s the risk? This is interior design, not heart surgery.

CS: What pieces in this room do you particularly love?
NS: I love my rug. Obsessed even. But my favorite piece is the wheat Lamp in the back left corner. Who wouldn't love a gold base and 24-inch black-velvet shade? Coco Chanel has the matching table and was she ever wrong? My boyfriend saw it at Chelsea flea market and forbade me to leave without it. It's the most expensive thing in the entire apartment and worth every penny.

CS: Is the room with the green duvet cover a guest room?

NS: A guest room?! I wish. That's my room. I decided to let myself be a kid since I’m usually accused of being an "old soul" — thus the glossy, plum walls, the pallet bed, and the photo wall. I get up every morning surrounded by color and remember that I'm 23 . . . and damn lucky.

CS: What are your favorite aspects of this room?

NS: I love the wall covered in photos. It sort of embodies my design philosophy in a nutshell — less is bore. Robert Venturi said it, Tony Duquette perfected it, I live and design by it. It doesn't matter how much something costs, it's about how you put it together, whether you are confident enough to do it bigger than anyone else. 50 for Fifty is about giving my clients this kind of confidence.

CS: Did you use pallets for the frame? How did you create it?
NS: Yes, the frame is made of wooden shipping pallets. Simplest thing ever — two stacks of four. I get a great bed frame, more shoe storage than I know what to do with, and jealous looks from guests. I did this for a client in SoHo and she died when she saw the shoe storage.

CS: The color in here is very bold as well. How did you decide on purple?
NS: I like purple — but I wanted it to be a bit more masculine so I went with "purple lotus," which is obviously masculine.

Another look at the palette, with the lovely contrast between the wall color and the duvet.

CS: Is the other bedroom the master bedroom? What choices went into this room?
NS: The "master bedroom" belongs to my best friend, Shane. He wanted more a of film noir and I wanted to create something that referenced, not replicated, the other rooms. This room is more about clean lines and simple accents — he's insanely organized so I think he'd pass out if I did a wall covered in photos.
CS: I love the mismatched dressers — they work very well together. How did you decide to arrange them the way you did?
NS: It’s not two dressers, actually. It’s just one dresser painted half black. When I found the dresser, I knew it was going to be a bit too traditional for Shane. So I decided to refinish half of it in high-gloss black and leave half in the original wood which I loved. Like I said, it was a $180. What’s the risk? I’m not ever sure if I’m finished with it yet. Who knows what I’ll do if I get bored?

CS: What are some tips you have for new homeowners or first-time renters who are looking to add style to their home without breaking the bank?
NS: Shop vintage and don’t be afraid to buy things you love — go with your gut. Surround yourself by pieces that make you happy and don’t be afraid to do something BIG! Better to have people love and hate it than feel indifferent.

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