This Loft Is Home to New York’s Best Parties
Just take one look at Ken Fulk’s cobalt croc-upholstered bar stools, and you’ll get it.
15 June, 2018
InteriorsAlec Kugler
10 November, 2021
Ken Fulk is the kind of person who loves all the things we love (i.e., beautiful things); he’s just way better at putting them together and making them into something truly fantastical. It’s why the interior designer is a favorited contact of everyone from Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom to Sean Parker—he’s the creative eye that pretty much every tech titan goes to when they make it big with a ~unicorn~. And it’s also why we were so excited when we found out that, after 20 years in business, Fulk had finally opened a studio in New York (he’s based in San Francisco, of course) that also happened to double as his own pied-à-terre.
The Tribeca loft, however, is hardly what one would consider a traditional pied-à-terre. “Sprawling” or “grand” or “vast” are a little bit more apt real-estate descriptors. Also: “extravagant” and, if we’re going there, “OTT.” Fulk considers fearlessness to be the most important trait of good interior design—and the man walks the walk when it comes to his own space. See the cobalt croc-upholstered bar stools set at the bar of his truly massive kitchen, the ’60s-era bar cart complete with its own ice bucket, the emerald-green sofa big enough to host its own sleepover. All of it is evidence that not only is Fulk fearless when it comes to mixing eccentric and beautiful pieces (he considers thematic decorating truly horrible), but he also happens to throw a good party—and will probably invite Mario Carbone, of the iconic New York restaurant (that Fulk designed, bien sûr), to cook for his guests. And that’s saying nothing of his closet (to our delight, he was just as detail-oriented in that department). This is Ken Fulk living his truth.
Click through the gallery to find out how old he was when he started having “little blue blazers” custom-made for himself (hint: really, really young), his secret to throwing a good party (tequila is involved), and what he shares with Bruce Weber (besides a love for golden retrievers).
The Tribeca loft, however, is hardly what one would consider a traditional pied-à-terre. “Sprawling” or “grand” or “vast” are a little bit more apt real-estate descriptors. Also: “extravagant” and, if we’re going there, “OTT.” Fulk considers fearlessness to be the most important trait of good interior design—and the man walks the walk when it comes to his own space. See the cobalt croc-upholstered bar stools set at the bar of his truly massive kitchen, the ’60s-era bar cart complete with its own ice bucket, the emerald-green sofa big enough to host its own sleepover. All of it is evidence that not only is Fulk fearless when it comes to mixing eccentric and beautiful pieces (he considers thematic decorating truly horrible), but he also happens to throw a good party—and will probably invite Mario Carbone, of the iconic New York restaurant (that Fulk designed, bien sûr), to cook for his guests. And that’s saying nothing of his closet (to our delight, he was just as detail-oriented in that department). This is Ken Fulk living his truth.
Click through the gallery to find out how old he was when he started having “little blue blazers” custom-made for himself (hint: really, really young), his secret to throwing a good party (tequila is involved), and what he shares with Bruce Weber (besides a love for golden retrievers).
18/26
“When we first moved into our building in San Francisco about 12 years ago, we moved into a loft that was crazy light-filled with a dozen skylights in it. There was no way to block the light out, and there was no separate bedroom. My bed was in the middle of the space, and so was my closet. We didn’t build any walls, and the only door was to the water closet—even the shower was tucked behind a wall that didn’t go to the ceiling. It was very sexy, but I didn’t have a closet, so my clothes were like in a store, just hanging out in the open. We ended up having to put clothing clothes on them so they wouldn’t get bleached by the sun. Someone put my name on them—it’s insanely narcissistic, but I eventually got used to it because little pictures of my clothes go in the tags, so it’s like shopping every day. Then I moved up to a house on a hill that’s the highest point in San Francisco. It’s a great house, and even though it has three bedrooms, we designed it as having no bedrooms because the master is like a loft overlooking the living room. I took over a large bedroom and made it my dressing room, but I didn’t want to build it out, so I ended up buying these beautiful haberdashery cabinets. Here, there’s a really large bathroom almost bigger than the bedroom, and a large closet by New York standards. Again, I didn’t want raw shelves. There’s something about the dandy-ism and the beautiful haberdashery shops, so I bought the cabinets in England and Ireland. Storing your clothes in an English shopkeeper's fashion appealed to my sensibility. Why not celebrate your closet? Why does it have to be ordinary?”