Step Inside Jeanine Mason’s “Miami Girl” Apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side

Morgan Goldberg
·5 min read

Growing up in the intense world of competitive dance, Jeanine Mason always looked up to Monica Santayana, a “badass” older team member. Monica saw Jeanine as a talented little sister, but the mutual admiration truly kicked in years later, when Jeanine won the fifth season of So You Think You Can Dance and started acting on shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Rosewell, New Mexico. “I’m so proud of what she’s accomplished,” Monica says. “I’ve followed her success. It’s like she’s one of my children, but she’s not.”

Jeanine (right) and Monica pose together among tropical florals.
Jeanine (right) and Monica pose together among tropical florals.

Monica has built an impressive creative career herself, cofounding interior design firm Moniomi—an AD PRO Directory member—with her husband, Ronald Alvarez. That’s why she was Jeanine’s first call upon purchasing an early 1900s Manhattan apartment. “I was like, ‘Moni, who in New York can help me with this?’ Because at the time I didn’t think she would want to do it from Miami,” Jeanine remembers. “But she was like, ‘Shut up, I’m doing it.’”

Collaborating on the renovation was a full-circle moment for the pair of friends, who used to fly together from Florida to participate in dance programs at Lincoln Center, just blocks away from Jeanine’s new home. “I have a real affinity for the Upper West Side,” she says. “And I love old things. My main mission was finding a space that we could take care of and shine up and do right by. I was hoping it would be a brownstone. I was hoping it would be prewar. I was hoping it would be near Central Park. And then this place came up.”

The blush-hued Drop It Modern wallpaper looks just like limewash paint.

The one-bedroom, three-story apartment checked all of Jeanine’s boxes—and then some. It has original wood floors, exposed brick walls, a basement den, and a spiral staircase with a black iron railing. Most importantly, the space has a fully functional fireplace, which Monica updated with a creamy travertine hearth and a veiny stone mantel that was reclaimed from the old Waldorf Astoria hotel.

“Funnily enough, we used to stay at the Waldorf Astoria for our big dance competition in the summer,” Jeanine explains. “The marble is just so beautiful. I love the little white florets on the sides and it just brought in so many earthy, neutral tones. It was such a happy little gift. I hope to have this place forever and pass it down, but if I ever had to leave, I can’t imagine leaving that fireplace.”

Monica filled an empty corner with a useful reeded bar cart.
Monica filled an empty corner with a useful reeded bar cart.

The beige, salmon, and chocolate hues of the mantel—as well as Jeanine’s request for a “Miami girl in New York” aesthetic—informed the warm color palette on the main level. Monica paired a blush, limewash-texture Drop It Modern wallpaper with a mocha mohair curved sofa, an ivory bouclé lounge chair, and a natural oak Anthropologie bookshelf. Brass fixtures like organic Visual Comfort Samos sconces and a pair of starburst Eichholtz chandeliers contribute to the glowy scheme while solving the apartment’s lack-of-lighting problem.

A pink and brass kitchen wasn’t on Jeanine’s “bingo card,” but she was excited when Monica suggested it.
A pink and brass kitchen wasn’t on Jeanine’s “bingo card,” but she was excited when Monica suggested it.
Graphic Rainbow Onyx marble completes the kitchen.
Graphic Rainbow Onyx marble completes the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Monica opted for peachy pink lower cabinets, unlacquered brass uppers, and simple, gold-toned hardware. The countertops and backsplash are made of an eye-catching Rainbow Onyx stone that’s streaked with apricot, white, and gray. “In small areas, we want maximum impact because it can never feel overwhelming,” she explains. “It’s actually not that small of a kitchen for New York, but nonetheless, we had to do something powerful and amazing. Jeanine lovingly accepted the idea.”

In the dining area, Monica added slim consoles with ottomans tucked underneath so Jeanine would have plenty of surfaces and seats for entertaining.
In the dining area, Monica added slim consoles with ottomans tucked underneath so Jeanine would have plenty of surfaces and seats for entertaining.

The adjacent dining area, with its custom oval-shaped travertine table and velvet CB2 Foley chairs, offers Jeanine a spot to both entertain and work from home. “We really wanted to make sure that it was appropriate for at least six people and you could squeeze in more, so we did a racetrack table with a soft curvature,” Monica says. “We also like that it could act as a desk. She’s zooming off of it right now.”

“Jeanine loved the window and the light that came through—and, of course, the height of the room,” says Monica. “We wanted to make sure that we emphasized that.”
“Jeanine loved the window and the light that came through—and, of course, the height of the room,” says Monica. “We wanted to make sure that we emphasized that.”
“I love it so much,” Jeanine says of her bedroom. “It’s so cozy in there. It feels so relaxing. Something about the texture of the grass cloth and that wraparound and the color of it. It’s just the most delicious space to wake up in.”
“I love it so much,” Jeanine says of her bedroom. “It’s so cozy in there. It feels so relaxing. Something about the texture of the grass cloth and that wraparound and the color of it. It’s just the most delicious space to wake up in.”

Upstairs, Jeanine’s bedroom is covered in two different wallpapers: a delicate, blue-and-white botanical pattern that looks like fluffy clouds in the sky and a calming Phillip Jeffries grasscloth. Her big, arched window is adorned with gauzy sheer curtains and her rounded headboard is upholstered in a fleecy bouclé. The result is a dreamy, ethereal vibe. “I was hoping that it would be really peaceful for her,” Monica notes.

One of Jeanine’s favorite elements is the rolling ladder in the hallway closet that she now shares with her husband, who moved in after the project was complete. Aside from making space in her drawers and swapping her queen-size bed for a king, she doesn’t plan on changing much for her new, permanent roommate. Hopefully, he likes the “Miami girl” look—it’s not going anywhere.

“There was an enclosed closet and a dead hallway, so we opened up the closet and created a little beautiful moment with the clothing exposed so that it feels more like an extension of the bedroom, rather than a hallway,” explains Monica.
“There was an enclosed closet and a dead hallway, so we opened up the closet and created a little beautiful moment with the clothing exposed so that it feels more like an extension of the bedroom, rather than a hallway,” explains Monica.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

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