Time stops in Patricia Voto’s home.
Between the decorative architecture, vintage fabrics, and shiny brass decals, you couldn’t tell if it was designed a century ago or today. And it's purposeful. The One/Of fashion designer looks for the same things in her interiors as she does in her clothes: a modern approach to classics, for a timeless allure.
“I love that this apartment has a European charm — from the spiral staircase in the lobby, carried up in the gated elevator, through to all the moldings on the walls,” Voto dotes. “There’s a romantic and old-world feeling when you come into the space.”
Voto debuted her eponymous line a year ago during the pandemic, and her upcycled, ready-to-wear collections have since been welcomed as an emerging new wave in fashion. The 800-square-foot Upper East Side apartment thus doubles as her atelier and home, which she shares with boyfriend Norman. What would be the living room is doused in mirrors, fabric samples, and clothing racks. Yet, the space is far from busy or cramped. Coated from wall to ceiling in creamy white paint, it feels vast — almost pristine.
“In past apartments, my approach was a bit more maximalist and bold. Lots of layering,” Voto admits. “When I walked into this space, it felt it needed to be light, airy, and color to be used sparingly. The clothes in our studio change drastically each season and they are vibrant prints and patterns. We allow them to be the focal point.”
Despite all the visual wonder of Voto’s space, the first thing guests tend to notice hits a different sense.
“I’m a big scent lover and after staying at the Coqui Coqui hotel in Merida, [Mexico], I brought home some of the Flor De Naranjo diffusers,” Voto recounts. “Every person who steps foot into the apartment starts by saying, ‘It smells so good in here.’ I love having that effect on people and creating that impression at the door.”
Making guests feel welcome — by enlivening their senses and soul — is important to Voto. So, it’s no surprise that the studio and the “little terrace it’s connected to” are her favorite spots to dwell in. “I am so grateful that this space brings so many people together — friends, family, and clients,” Voto says. “It’s the perfect place to gather.”
“The mirrors added even more light to the room and I love having the ability to go outside without leaving the apartment,” she elaborates. “There’s a calmness and serenity here — even when there’s 10 people over for dinner or a bridal fitting.”
When the weather permits, the door to the terrace is often perched open, framed by handmade sheer curtains found on Etsy, softly draped and lilting with the breeze.
Voto’s day starts, ends, and lingers in between at home. Rising at 5:30 in the morning, she answers emails from bed, wrapped in a cozy gingham duvet à la Heather Taylor Home. And after circling the neighborhood for her daily walk, she returns, coffee in hand, to meet with clients at her studio.
Still, while the atelier is only mere feet away from where Voto was snoozing a few hours prior, many intentional edits were made to distinguish work from home life — and impress clients, as a bonus.
“We did lots of cosmetic projects: painted the walls, added a chandelier in the studio, added the built-in mirrors, and changed out the hardware. We also added a custom brass rail to the studio which we made in Italy,” Voto notes.
As a seasoned authority of the fashion world — starting out with Altuzarra and eventually building the likes of Brock Collection — these are details only someone like Voto would pay such fine attention to. She even designed the clothing rail, a seemingly benign feature, herself.
“I knew what practical elements to add, like the raised track for the hangers to rest on, but I wanted to make the fixture feel like it’s been here all along,” Voto explains. “The curvature was to maximize the footage — I love how it perfectly sits against the wall and is framed by the molding.”
Brassy and luxe, it matches everything from the trim of the chairs to a decorative doorman bell to the sheen on a pillow.
Naturally, that fashion-forward eye extends to furnishings, too. Just as Voto might create a dress from fabrics found in an old Italian mill, she upholstered much of the furniture from old fabrics, too — even ones she found on eBay.
For instance, a vintage, bumble bee-printed textile adorns custom rattan benches. Finished with a scalloped edge, they evoke the regular, rounded curves of flower petals — a fitting spot for a busy bee indeed.
![“I sketch and answer emails [on the table], then hours later we’re eating dinner with friends in the same spot,” Voto says. Photographed by Julia Robbs.](https://www1.pictures.lonny.com/mp/01UkQbLbjpox.jpg "WFH")
With previous jobs that required her to go into an office, working from home is a novel concept for Voto. She quickly realized that having a space that could adapt was critical. “Our main table in the studio is a place where I sketch and answer emails, then hours later we’re eating dinner with friends in the same spot,” Voto illustrates.
Her most valuable lesson to master WFH life? “Find smart ways of creating storage so you don’t have to look at your work during non-business hours,” Voto suggests. “There are so many pieces of furniture that can double as a place your work can be packed away into, like the benches under the mirrors in the studio — those open up and you can fit a range of items inside.”
Of course, being in the same space for so many hours of the day, there’s always times she might just need a break, too — which isn’t hard given her location on the Upper East Side, surrounded by beautiful architecture, boutiques, and galleries at every turn of the road. “If I’m feeling a bit stuffy, I’ll sit outside for a few minutes or go for a stroll around the park,” Voto says.
Still, there’s inevitably still some crossover of home into work, and vice versa. In many ways, though, that plays to Voto’s advantage: this isn’t a showroom on Soho catered to the public eye — it’s a peek into her private world, proof of the authenticity and care both she and her work embody. “I love that it’s a complete reflection of me and my style,” Voto expresses.
Her favorite piece that straddles the line between work and home? The Sixpenny loveseat, effortlessly chic and dangerously fluffy (adorned, of course, with a custom pillow made from vintage velvet fabric). By daylight, she might be seated there chatting with a pattern-maker, and by dark, a guest might be snuggling up for bed.
“I hunted for months to find a compact couch that someone could crash on should they spend the night,” Voto recalls. “It’s deep and filled with down, so it’s very cozy. It’s also a slipcover couch, so I am excited to test a new color in a few months and have the ability to refresh the furniture without having to buy a whole new piece.”
The powder room was another canvas for Voto to add some glam. One of her favorite — and most auspicious — finds was vintage Sherle Wagner koi-shaped hardware.
As for where she was able to find such treasures? “My parents bought a mid-century house in Florida many years ago. The original owners weren’t purists and there were a lot of different aesthetics running through the house,” Voto recalls. “I was fortunate enough to get to grab some of the things they were getting rid of when they remodeled. I love how the brass has aged and the playfulness it adds to the space.”
To top it off, even more nostalgia was brought in with vintage YSL bath towels from the ‘70s.
So, where exactly does Voto’s discerning taste come from? “Everywhere — I take lots of pictures and screenshots. An embarrassing amount of screenshots,” she laughs.
Though, she cites French designer Jacques Grange and Emilie Irving’s East Hampton home as some of her main inspirations — which isn’t hard to see. The classic, minimalist interiors certainly look like a page out of Parisian design, while playful prints lend that Long Island boho touch.
Like many artists, Voto’s craft informs her interior style: retro silhouettes, luxurious fabrics, and sustainability are as key to One/Of as they are to her home.
But beyond aesthetics, her goal for the space ultimately comes down to a feeling: “I hope that my home reflects a warm and inviting personality,” Voto says. “And that there is beauty in repurposing the existing.”
