Any New Yorker will tell you space is a luxury. So when Chris Young, the creator of YouTube's newest interior design channel 'Spaces', invited us to tour his three-bedroom, 3,100-square-foot piece of real estate treasure, well, we were definitely impressed. Not just by the size of the home, but also by Young's collection of art, his surprisingly comfortable sense of style and the stunning views from his rooftop patio.
Young's home, which he shares with boyfriend Perry Edwards, resides on the sixth floor of an old factory building in SoHo. Exposed brick walls, wooden beams and industrial shutters maintain a homey charm and character.
"There's room to breathe. We wanted to keep it warm, wanted to keep it practical, but at the same time, we wanted to keep it clean," says Young, adding, "What you don't want to do is live in a museum."
But older doesn't mean out-of-date. Thanks to Parisian designer Noémi Langlois-Meurinne, the apartment has been modernized with clean lines, contemporary furniture and a variety of art pieces, from original photographs of rock 'n' roll icons like The Rolling Stones to steel-mesh nude sculptures to landscape paintings.
"It makes it, in a way, more livable sometimes when everything is not exactly the same," Edwards says. "You want to feel like you can actually hang out in a space and have fun and enjoy the space. You don't want to feel like you can't touch it because it's not meant to be touched."
The best space to enjoy? Definitely, the roof. Up the naturally lit stairway, we find the 800-square-foot rooftop patio with amazing views of the city skyline. We're not surprised when Young tells us he spends a lot of time entertaining guests under his Amish-crafted wooden canopy. However, we are surprised to find out that much of the patio furniture comes from Room & Board. And, the outdoor rugs were found online for only $50.
In the end, Young has created a home that best reflects his personality. And, Spaces wants to convey the same message, says Bradley Werner, an executive from DBG, the production company behind the online channel. "It's a rare person that is actually reflected by just the cookie cutter apartment in a Pottery Barn [catalog]," says Werner. Spaces hopes to inspire viewers by featuring all sorts of interesting homes, from top designers to everyday people.
Watch Spaces on YouTube starting April 16. And, flip through the slideshow to tour Young rock 'n' roll-chic apartment.
All photos by Bobby Doherty
