Iris Apfel’s maximalist New York apartment

By Molly Malsom

Published: Thursday, 10 February 2022 at 12:00 am

At 97 years of age, Iris Apfel has become one of the most loved and admired fashion and interiors icons of the past century. Well known for her flamboyant outfits, oversized glasses and colourful bold jewellery, she is also the only nonagenarian within the fashion industry, defying all preconceptions about age.

An acclaimed interior designer and businesswoman, Iris rose out of retirement to new-found fame in 2005 when an exhibition was curated by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, showcasing a collection of her outfits and accessories. The show, entitled ‘Rara Avis’ (rare bird) and an overnight success, launched Iris on to the international stage as, in her words, a ‘geriatric starlet’.

Iris married the love of her life, Carl Apfel, in 1948 and the couple were together for 68 years. Their Park Avenue apartment, home for the last four decades, is wonderfully maximal. The style could be described as micro Palace of Versailles meets eclectic hoarder and the house is filled with slowly curated collections. Think sumptuous velvet-covered English armchairs with chinoiserie painted backs, carved French drawers and Genoese chests mixed with 18th and 19th-century canine portraits
and singerie.

‘I have always been a maximalist but over time my style has become more highly developed – always a reflection of who I am,’ says Iris. ‘At home, I don’t live in a static atmosphere and am constantly rearranging furniture and playing with things, to see how they look with this or that. So much decor today, although beautiful, looks like an exceedingly expensive suite in a hotel, but without any soul. Many people look like they don’t belong in the background they are put into.’

Along with antique shawls, the apartment is filled with archival fabrics by Old World Weavers, the international fabric manufacturing company that the Apfels ran from 1950-1992. ‘Pieces have been collected over many years of international travel and buying, firstly for my interior design business and later with Old World Weavers,’ she says.

The company specialised in the reproduction of 17th, 18th and 19th-century fabrics and earned Iris the nickname ‘First Lady of Fabrics’. Together with Carl, she completed the redesign of The White House for nine administrations and worked for many high-profile clients, including Greta Garbo and Estée Lauder.

As with Iris’s choice of fashion, her modus operandi with interiors is a mix of couture meets junk shop finds. ‘I have beautiful French, English and Italian antiques but I love hunting out unique pieces in junkyards, flea markets and souks. Things don’t always have to be beautiful but they always have a powerful association with my life,’ she says. ‘For me, home is all part of your creative expression and aesthetic. Unless you are mimicking somebody you will find your natural style. I definitely dress and decorate with the same spirit.’

Born in Astoria, New York, Iris is an only child. ‘My family were a big influence on me. My father had a homeware import business and was always bringing home interesting pieces; my mother owned a fashion boutique and loved dressing me up. As a child, I travelled internationally with my parents. I always felt like I was a sponge: absorbing everything, holding on to what I liked and getting rid of the excess somewhere else.’

She became obsessed with the hunt for unusual finds and as a child would play hooky on a Thursday to scour the junk shops of Manhattan. ‘I could travel as far as I wanted on the subway for a nickel and loved to forage around. I don’t get any kick out of going to a beautiful shop where everything is preselected.’

Iris’s innate and infectious verve for all things original, unexpected and real epitomises the virtues of a life less ordinary. ‘I haven’t changed since all this fame came my way. Becoming a global style icon after the Met show felt totally ridiculous and surreal – I still don’t believe it!’

The living room

In the living room, an 18th-century Venetian bombe chest is topped with a collection of singerie – this is the name given to a visual arts genre depicting monkeys, often fashionably attired, imitating human behaviour.

The bleached-oak boiserie and screen in the living room are 18th-century French finds. The 17th- century Sicilian chair to the left is covered in an Old World Weavers tapestry design.

Iris and Carl travelled extensively on buying trips for work throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India and Asia. They would fill 40ft containers with antiques on each trip.

Iris in her exuberant living room, where touches of gilt combine with rich emerald greens to create an opulent feel.

The library

In the decadent library, a Dutch painting is displayed above a Louis XVI daybed.

The dining area

An Italian tole chandelier hangs above a Maison Jansen table.

The hallway

The hallway is full of 19th-century English bookcases. A series of 18th and 19th-century paintings of dogs line the walls.

The Louis XVI-style chairs in the hall are upholstered in a cut velvet from Old World Weavers. They sit alongside an early 18th-century painted Genoese corner cabinet and a French screen of the same era