“I wanted it to feel like a little French apartment,” says Robin, who has garnered an enviable amount of frequent flier miles traveling to Europe on buying trips for the Jil Sander shop she formerly co-owned. The two met years ago at Robin’s boutique and forged a friendship on common affinities. “We’re both crazy about fashion and design,” Robin says. “We love shopping together in Paris and Milan.” That kinship made it easy for Nussbaumer to shape Robin’s interiors in a way that reflects who she truly is. “I always bring who my clients are into a project,” the designer says. “I helped Robin translate what she loves into her home.” French antiques and fashion-inspired touches, including fur and leopard, set the tone for Robin’s home. Robin Wilkes relaxes with furry friends Oprah and Corkscrew. A portrait of Robin’s mother-in-law sparked the palette; an abstract work by Nussbaumer’s daughter provides a modern counterpoint. A clean-lined 1940s coffee table pairs with ornate 19th-century bronze guéridons and French chairs. The sofa evokes one owned by Coco Chanel. A Murano chandelier and custom ceiling treatment crown the dining space. Louis XVI chairs were painted gray to contrast with a vintage table. “I dressed a model in a Josephine Baker costume that I created, took a photo, and had it blown up to put on Robin’s dining room ceiling,” Nussbaumer says. “I believe that the dining room is a place that should always have drama.” The stylish bar, a Paris find, is from the 1940s. A hand-embroidered Otomi pattern on the coverlet, inspired by ancient cliff paintings in Hidalgo, Mexico, jump-starts a restful gray-and-white palette that gains just the right amount of glimmer from a silver lamp and mirror.
