VIRGINIA WOOLF WROTE OF A Room of One’s Own, and Vivian Marino writes of “An Art Installation She Called Home” in The New York Times, September 20, 2024. “She” in this case is Apryl Miller, “an artist who raised her two daughters in the sprawling Upper East Side apartment.”
At 4076 sq. ft., five bedrooms, and four and a half baths, not only is the apartment sprawling, but it’s an eclectic array of colors, textures, objects, and love.
Clik here to view.
Vivian Marino writes, “Ms. Miller, who is also a jewelry designer and a poet, is proud of the painstaking work she put into the quirky design and décor, with just about every color in the rainbow accounted for in her artwork and furnishings. But with her daughters, Dylan and Lyris, now grown and with living expenses rising, she said, it’s time to move on. ‘I always knew I couldn’t keep it forever,’ she said. ‘It’s too big.’ ”
It’s more than merely specious. It’s an art installation—and priced as such. Marino notes, “The full-floor condo is on the market for $8.75 million, according to the listing brokers, Stan Ponte and Colin Montgomery of Sotheby’s International Realty, with monthly carrying costs totaling $14,708. The furnishings and artwork are not included in the sale, but they can be purchased separately.”
As Tevye says in Fiddler on the Roof, “If I were a rich man….” What a joyful place to call home.
A Livable Art Installation. Marino writes, “Their vibrant home, much like a livable art installation, encompasses the 29th floor of the 31-story Siena condominium at 188 East 76th Street in the Lenox Hill neighborhood. Over the years, the apartment has been featured in various publications and social media posts, as well as in the Netflix documentary series “Amazing Interiors” and MTV’s “Teen Cribs.” And it has been part of the Open House New York tours.”
I don’t know if I could live with all those strangers trooping through, but I’d consider sharing.
Clik here to view.
Colors Have Souls. Marino quotes Ms. Miller: “The idea always was to make a very special home for my children. I wanted my daughters to feel they knew the place was for them. Color is rejuvenating, and colors have souls. I didn’t want white walls.”
Clik here to view.
Family Memories. Marino recounts, “For Ms. Miller’s elder daughter, a vintage clothing dealer and a singer/D.J. who goes by Dylan Sparkle, the apartment ‘made me who I am.’ She said she would miss its ‘boundless vibrancy,’ along with all the family activities that took place there: the ‘floor picnics,’ putting on shows on the stage in her sister’s bedroom, and keeping the Christmas tree up until June.”
Which Reminds Me…. Daughter Suz lovingly recalls that her Aunt Yoyo often did the same with her tree. And Wife Dottie told me of her staging shows with her pal in which, when asked what her father liked best, he would invariably reply “the last part.”
Clik here to view.
Art Installations Don’t Last Forever, But Memories Often Do. Marino says, “Ms. Miller has many happy memories in the apartment, like the ‘Christmas after Christmas’ parties she would host, and watching her daughter Lyris, now a professional musician whose band is called Talulah Paisley, perform on the small stage she built in her bedroom.”
Clik here to view.
“She realizes,” Marino says, “the apartment’s next owner will probably make changes. ‘I’m OK with having the whole place gutted,’ she said. ‘I made my peace with it. It’s an art installation. Art doesn’t last forever.’ ”
But it has clearly brought joy and happiness to Apryl Miller and her daughters. And in its viewing to the rest of us. ds
© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2024