Pretty in Pink

Designer Paris Forino brings new hues to an historic Tribeca loft

When designer Paris Forino was hired to redo a loft in a historic Tribeca building in the summer of 2022, her clients had one request: make it pink. They were ahead of the trend. Last summer, the color took hold of the design world following the release of the movie “Barbie,” starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.

The pink design scheme would be a big change for the 4,000-square-foot space, which the family of four, who have two high school-aged daughters, had already lived in for several years. “Originally, the loft was very bare bones and devoid of color, character or charm,” Forino said. “I had the freedom to reimagine an open layout loft flooded with natural light in an exclusive downtown neighborhood.” 

The Approach
The family was open-minded and easy to please, but satisfying an array of tastes and preferences is always a challenge for designers, especially in a primary residence, Forino said. Fortunately, she has experience with pink. “I’m no stranger to this color palette and have fine-tuned my craft of selecting and layering apt blush and neutral tones,” she explained. 

For anyone interested in using the color, which Forino called “lighthearted, feminine and sweet,” she advised avoiding any hue resembling baby pink. The Tribeca loft, in a former warehouse from 1893, was a chance for the New York-based designer to play with fun fabrics, art and lighting. “I was pushed to imagine how to fill the space with a stereotypically feminine color while keeping it universal and providing a backdrop for memories among a family of four,” Forino said.

The Execution
Starting off, Forino divided the home’s open floor plan into zones. Her team illuminated coffers in the ceilings with strip lighting to divide the main room into a kitchen, dining nook and living area. “The design absorbs the natural light through the windows beautifully and appropriately fills the loft’s floor plan through … slight changes in mood,” Forino said. 

Her team focused on balance over busyness with a mix of textures — such as lightness and heaviness and coarseness with glossiness — along with quality, durable finishes. Their work involved adding rainbow hues to the living area’s art and throw pillows for a touch of whimsy, while a rust-toned velvet sectional and a red limestone fireplace are subtly more masculine, Forino said.

The primary bedroom has shades of mauve and terracotta mixed with burlwood built-ins and a sumptuous blue mohair seating area. In contrast, the office stands out in forest green paired with burlwood and cognac upholstery. The foyer’s wood paneling is complimented by an organic off-round bronze mirror and a green custom bench. 

The ‘Heart’
“My favorite space in the home is the kitchen due to its intentional color scheme, layout, and materials selected,” Forino said. “It truly is the heart of the home.” The kitchen’s modern design features a monochrome color scheme in red with pink tints. Everything from the furniture to the finishes, lighting and veining in the marble countertops is red.

For the lighting above the island, along with the sconces and bathroom backplates in the master suite, Forino chose pieces from The Urban Electric Co. in Bookish Red, one of 20 custom colors that the Charleston, South Carolina-based company mixes in-house. 

Missy Hulsey, vice president of brand marketing at The Urban Electric Co., said working with Forino on the Tribeca loft project was an ideal collaboration of creativity. “When we saw her use [Bookish Red] so prominently throughout the project and it was the perfect example of how to use that color,” Hulsey noted. “It’s so bold and to kind of really go for it with that shade of red was exciting to see.”

The Result
Looking back on the project, which wrapped up in February 2023, Paris said her thoughtful style and playful sophistication breathed new life into the Tribeca loft. Most importantly, the family loves it, she said. “The couple was very involved and interested in the design process, yet highly trusting of our design expertise,” Forino recalled. 

The family was clear on what they wanted from the start — a pink color scheme — and let Forino explore her vision. “They were a joy to work with and this is one of our favorite projects as a result,” Forino said.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY Geneveive Garruppo