112 ELLE DECOR
Passionate about craft, Sui painstakingly searched for
skilled artisans to work on her home’s decoration. “Anna
loves doing her homework—she is no-holds-barred,” says
her friend Paul Cavaco, a creative director who also calls
Sui “the loveliest human on the planet.”
The attention to detail and artisanship is apparent in her
pearlescent fantasia of a dining room, where the custom
Gracie wallpaper has been expertly hung by John Nalewaja
and Jim Francis, paperhangers and restorers with decades
of experience. Sui also commissioned Lisa DiClerico, a res-
toration conservationist with a background in fine art, to
apply the apartment’s elaborate decorative painting and
stenciling. “It’s important to me that there’s that human
touch involved,” Sui says. “It’s a shame these skills are dis-
appearing. That’s what I love about flea markets: You know
somebody spent time to make the pieces you find there.”
In transforming Lerner’s place, Sui retained its cozy
ambience and labyrinthine layout. Wandering through the
rooms feels not unlike discovering a continent’s varied
landscapes: Each space is distinct, but they are all still
very much Anna Sui. The pink-and-purple color scheme
of the living room was inspired by a London room created
by David Hicks for the beauty mogul Helena Rubinstein.
The silver armoire is by James Mont, a Turkish-American
midcentury designer whose layered finishes Sui loves. The
colorful space also incorporates mirrored pillows from
Sui’s trip to Rajasthan with her nieces, a Chinese Art Deco
rug, and several still-life photos of flower arrangements
by Steven Meisel, a former Parsons classmate who has
remained a close friend. “She has created her own world,
her own Narnia,” Meisel says of Sui’s home. “It’s the sickest
apartment I’ve ever seen.”The living room’s sofa, armchair,
and ottoman are all vintage, and
the embroidered pillows are from
Rajasthan. The papier-mâché
chair (left) is Vic torian, and the
vintage James Mont cabinet from
Prime Gallery is framed by a pair
of midcentury lamps purchased on
eBay. The ceramic elephant stools
are vintage, the Chinese Art Deco
rug is from Walter Nichols, and the
photographs are by Steven Meisel.