Eric Thayer/The Globe and Mail
Jennifer Zuccarini, the Toronto-born founder of luxury lingerie label Fleur du Mal, found her spacious New York apartment 11 years ago, shortly after graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology with a degree in fashion design. Located in SoHo on the fringes of Chinatown, the fifth floor walk-up is located in a century-old industrial building that formerly housed manufacturers servicing New York's fledgling fashion industry. Today's residents include photographers, hairdressers and makeup artists who, like Zuccarini, the wife of Condé Nast chief marketing officer Edward Menicheschi, use their converted lofts for work. Fleur du Mal, which Zuccarini developed after working as a designer for Victoria's Secret and Kiki de Montparnasse, her first couture-inspired lingerie brand launched in 2005, is headquartered in the apartment whose living room doubles as a by-invitation-only studio for clients who shop off clothing racks positioned alongside the exposed brick walls. "It's a great room, filled with light coming in through big, beautiful windows," Zuccarini says. "Everything in it has special meaning to me."
The painting
"My aunt on my mother's side in Canada created this for me for my birthday. It's an abstract image. It's leaning against the TV, but eventually the TV will come down and it will go up, because it deserves pride of place."
The bar cart
"I love bar carts. We had one in the house I grew up in in Toronto. I was always looking for one like it and then I found this one, on eBay. I use it to display a vintage edition of Nabokov's Lolita and a vintage Bullet Bra. There's also an absinthe spoon, and on the bottom shelf some vintage masks and some bunny ears. There are glasses, but no booze. It's a conversation starter."
The coffee table
"It's a Paul Evans Cityscape table that I had been looking for over many years. I finally found it at an auction in Chicago. I bid over the phone and got it. I love a lot of design from the 1970s, and for me this table embodies the best of that era. It's both modern and glam."
The books and magazines
"I collect a lot of vintage magazines and books, mostly having to do with fashion and photography. I find a lot of them online. I used to get them at this store on 12th Street, which has since closed. When travelling, I will seek out old bookstores and look for them. I use them for inspiration."
The sign on the windowsill
"This is a neon sign that was custom made for a pop-up I did, and it found its way to my window ledge."
The rug
"It's a Lulu Guinness, designed for the Rug Company, which is where I got it, close by in SoHo. I like that it's bold and feminine."
The sofa
"I love this sofa. I got it on eBay. I like the clean lines. It's also very wide, so it's great to lounge on and for having friends over. I think there's something decadent about having a white sofa, which is another reason I like it."