The Team
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Ronna Rudolph had lived in a beautiful, classic home decorated with an “elegant country look” in Irvington, where she raised her children with her then-husband. After she divorced, Rudolph considered selling her former home and moving in a new direction, but only if she could find the right location and space.
She found both in the townhomes at Hudson Harbor. Overlooking the Hudson and the Mario Cuomo Bridge, it offers amenities galore, breathtaking views, and the space Rudolph was looking for.
“With my last home, I had twin 2-year-old boys and a 5-year-old daughter, so I decorated with the three of them in mind, making it kid-friendly,” says Rudolph. “This time around, I was living solo, and with my kids grown up, I was able to work with materials that may need a little more tender loving care, like a marble island in the kitchen or a crushed-velvet couch in the living room. My eye is now much more attracted to a clean, serene, modern look.”
The kitchen was renovated to include a large island and open-concept dining room and breakfast nook. The master bath is serene and spa-like.
As with her home in Irvington, she joined forces with interior designer Amie Weitzman to create a new look in her new home.
“In Ronna’s last home, she had a country- sophisticated look,” says Weitzman, “which was much of her and my taste at the time. But when Ronna bought her new home, I had begun morphing into a more modernist style, and Ronna’s style had changed, as well. She had a very strong idea of what she wanted, which makes it easier for a designer. We started fresh and went very clean.”
The master bedroom.
In addition, Rudolph is a former clothing buyer with a love for fashion and merchandising and wanted to interject that style into her home.
“I have always had a love for merchandising in all aspects of my life,” says Rudolph, “whether it’s merchandising a cheese platter, a holiday table, an outfit, or my home.”
With her team assembled, including Irvington contractor Peter Copp, Rudolph completely redesigned the kitchen, making it more modern and open for entertaining. She created a sitting room in her master bedroom, as well as combining his-and-her closets to create a single massive one for herself, and made small design changes with major impact throughout the other rooms.
Two closets were merged into a massive master closet.
The color palette as a whole is clean and streamlined, loaded with grays and whites. “I thought a gray color palette was soothing,” says Rudolph. “It’s modern, clean, and very calming to me. I personally wear a lot of gray and just love how colors complement it.”
She started with the kitchen, which was originally very traditional in design. “I wanted a white-and-gray marble kitchen,” says Rudolph. “I saw an exquisite kitchen in a magazine, and I was totally drawn to the white statuary marble.”
The master bath is serene and spa-like.
In every room there is a pop of personality, thanks to the well-curated artwork she both purchased and shot herself, from her travels around the world, all with her iPhone.
“I love being creative with my photography and being able to show a bit of my travels throughout my home,” says Rudolph. “It helps me relive my travel adventures. I’m not one for clutter, so I don’t tend to buy souvenirs on my trips, so it’s a nice way to bring my travels into my home.”
The open-concept second floor includes the living room, the formal dining room, the kitchen, and powder room; the breakfast nook, which includes one of many colorful pieces of art.
As for the artwork she purchased, it includes several colorful pieces from different artists she admires.
She became a fan of Alex Katz’s work and found Lady in the Hat with a bright-yellow background that fit perfectly into her living room. One Sunday afternoon in Manhattan, she found Barbie, by Beau Dunn, in Clic Gallery in NoHo and felt it would complement the gray and white in the kitchen and banquette. And the photo in the dining room is by Slim Aarons, which she found in a Jonathan Adler store. “I always admired the photographs they display in their stores but had no idea they were all from the same photographer,” says Rudolph about Jonathan Adler’s Greenwich showroom. “On one visit to the store, the manager showed me a coffee-table book of Slim Aarons’ work and said I could pick any photo and get it made into any size.”
Homeowner Ronna Rudolph.
For her master bedroom, she already had the Audrey Hepburn photograph long before she moved in, and she used the Tiffany Blue color as inspiration for the rest of the room. She found the square, crystal chandelier and felt it had an old Hollywood feel with a modern twist. The black-and-white photographs are of her parents’ wedding from the ’40s, and the vintage lounge chair was something she found in the Hamptons and had reupholstered.
Coming from a large home with a backyard, Rudolph knew that having some kind of outdoor space is a bonus, hence the terrace. “I am so lucky to have an amazing wraparound terrace on the fourth floor, with gorgeous views of the Hudson. It’s an amazing space to have family and friends over to sit around, talk, have little bites, and take in the gorgeous view.”
Rudolph’s beautiful terrace, with views of the Cuomo Bridge.
This home has given her a boost of life energy and is perfect for this next chapter.
“I feel so fortunate that I was able to do a full renovation of my home and create the look that gives me pleasure every time I walk through the door,” adds Rudolph.
