How Yves Saint Laurent, Grandparents, and Deflated Disco Balls Inspired This Designer’s Art-Filled Home

Designer Andrew Torrey is known for his modern, sleek, and—more often than not—clean interiors. So it’s surprising to walk into the midtown apartment Torrey shares with James Canner, founder of haircare line Aquadiem, to find something much more layered: family heirlooms, cowboy boots, stacks of books, an eclectic art collection—and a few deflated disco balls.

Happily, the apartment didn’t require anything major prior to moving in: Torrey cleaned up the floors, installed motorized shades to protect the art, redid the powder room and switched out the lighting and the hardware. Torrey custom designed pieces including the primary bed upholstered in a natural leather and the living room sectional in teddy mohair. All of the rooms in the apartment feature custom rugs by Stark.

There are combinations of textures and materials throughout the apartment. In the living room, a cardboard chair by British designer Max Lamb faces a Le Corbusier Lc4 chaise chair by Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret for Cassina covered in a cowhide. In a bedroom, a vintage brass bed is upholstered in an Hermès silk fabric.

After those additions it was time for the fun stuff: Decorating and hanging art–lots of art. “One of the first things I learned was how to patch a white wall,” Torrey said. “I have hung and rehung art in this place so many times, there are holes everywhere, repatched by me.”

Torrey has a large collection of works by the late artist Robert Loughlin whose work often includes the image of a man smoking a cigarette. Torrey is currently working on a project with the Loughlin estate. Among Torrey’s art collection, photographer Wolfgang Tillmans is a favorite, appearing both in his home and at his offices. Torrey is fond of Jack Pierson and is passionate about the artist’s Miami years. He began collecting sculptures after a trip to Morocco and seeing the Senufo bird sculpture at the Yves Saint Laurent Museum. He now has several bird sculptures, one of which was formerly in the collection of the San Francisco grand dame Dodie Rosekrans. “Andrew is the next star,” gallery owner Ralph Pucci says. “He is driven by talent, curiosity, and a strong work ethic. He has all the right tools.”

Torrey attributes his great interest in collecting to his grandparents who were serious travelers. “When I was growing up, they had a study full of art…. All of this in their study in Dodge City, Kansas,” Torrey says. “I thought it was the coolest room and loved this eclectic, global life.”