When Harry Heissmann set out on his own after nine years working for design legend Albert Hadley, he made his first project his office, a tiny studio in the far West Forties. The workspace illustrates his design philosophy in 3-D: “A few quality pieces, then I can come in with some quirky, funny objects. Believe me, I always find those.” Here, he has an eBay/secondhand mix, with pop-culture wit (the Kidrobot unicorn, a yellow arrow that used to be a car-wash sign) next to a Jens Risom desk and a wrought-iron love seat with impressive provenance (it was owned by former Tiffany design director John Loring and is attributed to Jean Cocteau). The crisp stenciled plaster wall that dominates the space was inspired by a Miró print and took four craftsmen from Artgroove a month to complete.
1. A meeting of cultures.
The manicure desk is from the forties; the stool is from Cameroon.
2. Jeremiah Goodman artwork.
Heissmann has five pieces from the interiors painter: four magazine covers and one original work.
3. The lamps.
From Ikea.
4. The sofa.
After pricing upholstery fabric, Heissmann stumbled on a pile of inexpensive cotton moving blankets and realized they fit the bill perfectly; he had it upholstered at Baron.
5. The desk.
One of the pricier pieces in the office, it is by the mid- century modern Danish designer Jens Risom.
6. The artificial flowers.
A housewarming gift from Diane James.
7. The coat rack.
Heissmann found it in a Pennsylvania junk store.
8. The floor covering.
Heissmann’s eBay expertise unearthed the seventies English shag carpet.
9. The yellow stools.
Both flea-market finds that Heissmann lacquered yellow.