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with a collection of 18th-century Delft tiles. “Maybe
this house belonged to a sailor and the tiles were a
prize collected overseas,” Cotton says. The designer
also deployed a range of unpretentious vintage
furnishings by Arne Norell, Paul McCobb, and Thonet,
along with his clients’ vintage wicker sofa, repur-
posed here as their daughter’s bed.
FOR THE YUSKAVAGE/LEVENSTEIN APARTMENT near
Sutton Place, Cotton went all in on gray—lots and lots
of gray. “Lisa and Matvey wanted to live with deeply
personal paintings, and those were the stars. I wanted
the architecture and furniture to recede as much as
possible, hence the palette,” Cotton says. Yuskavage
recalls, “We’d never worked with a decorator before,
but we have strong opinions about what we like and
how we want to live. Billy got it.” She continues, “He
walked in and the first thing he said was that the big
Tuscan limestone mantel had to go. He described the
stainless-steel fireplace that he would replace it with,
and I said, ‘I see it. I love it.’ ” Levenstein adds, “Billy
has given us a serene, luminous place to read, relax,
and enjoy. The nicest spot in the neighborhood to have
a drink is our home.” For someone who refuses to call
himself an artist, Cotton’s approach is truly artful.
ABOVE IN THE LIVING ROOM, TWO PAINTINGS BY YUSKAVAGE
FLANK A MIRROR AND BILLY COTTON SCONCES. BELOW A PIERRE
PAULIN SOFA AND CHAIRS WEAR A ROGERS & GOFFIGON WOOL
BLEND. MARIA PERGAY COCKTAIL TABLE.
LISA YUSKAVAGE
& MATVEY LEVENSTEIN
