For the prewar fanatics among us, Emery Roth’s Upper West Side residential buildings evoke a worshipful tone. The architect behind masterpieces like the San Remo and the Beresford is largely responsible for the neighborhood’s charming streetscapes, which are lined with his twin- and three-tower structures. To state the obvious, apartments don’t come available often, and co-op boards are notoriously selective (Madonna was famously rejected by the San Remo in 1985). It’s little surprise, then, that when a spot opened up in one of these coveted buildings, interior designer Sarah Lederman was determined to make it her forever home.

The interior designer, a born-and-bred Upper West Sider, now lives on the same street as her parents, and in the very same building as her brother. “He has two boys, and I have two girls, and it’s like a magical family bubble we’ve created in this big city,” Lederman tells Vogue. She describes the duplex her family occupies as an original Emery Roth layout. “The public spaces are on the first floor, private spaces on the second, and it’s this nice vision where our area is on one side, and the kids have this little area on their side,” she explains. “It’s all just very logical.”

When the family moved in, there was a surprisingly small amount to be done. “I wallpapered and painted and put in new carpeting and decorated, but I didn’t want to gut renovate,” Lederman says. The majority of the work happened in about six months, which in the design world, where projects can stretch on for years, was relatively quick. Of course, an interior designer’s idea of not having to “do that much” should be taken with a grain of salt—the home’s end result is nothing short of impressive.

Amidst decorating their new home, Lederman also managed to launch a wallpaper and textile line this past March called Three Fates, which can be seen across the apartment’s various spaces. “The collection was born out of a love for travel,” she says, citing Bhutan, Morocco, Japan, and Peru as recent destinations. “Whenever my husband and I visit these historic places, we try to tour old homes, and I’m always taking pictures of interesting patterns and thinking about how I can adapt that into my design practice.” Other inspirations sparked closer to home. “Ideas also came from going to the Met, or seeing some sort of architectural element in New York City that I liked,” she adds.

Lederman enlisted an artist to hand watercolor all of the designs she had mocked up, which were then digitally printed as textiles and wallpapers. The color palettes are earthy, with style names like Sirocco that summon vast natural landscapes. “There’s one called Amphora, and if you go to The Met and you look at one of the Greek amphoras, it’s really reminiscent of that color.”

Naturally, the home proved useful as a testing ground for the new textiles. Nearly all of the pillows are in Three Fates fabrics, as are two upholstered Ward Bennett–inspired swivel chairs, and the powder room’s green wallpaper is also one of her own patterns. “I think what’s nice about having it hand watercolored is that even though the wallpaper has been digitally printed, it doesn’t feel flat,” she explains.

The Three Fates patterns play nicely with the rest of Lederman’s imaginative interiors: an Art Deco rug in the entry, the Egyptian woven tapestry hung over the living room’s sofa, and custom ceramic lamps with hand-painted shades in the bedroom. “It’s funny because when friends come to my house, they don’t even realize this is a newly-launched thing in my world,” she says, “The Three Fates patterns just feel so natural in my element.”

Photography: Kirsten Francis
Styling: Frances Bailey