Fashion designer Bonnie Young has built a career that has spanned luxury brands such as Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan. Her work has taken her all over the world and, her travels have inspired the stunning interiors of her three bedroom, three bathroom New York City apartment.
Young spent a month designing a unique mother-of-pearl flooring that is now the standout feature of her Soho home, Spring Street Pearl, which travels and locals can rent for 30-plus nights via luxury rental company onefinestay. She wanted a continuous floor that was truly unique, and her inspiration came unexpectedly, from the extraordinary Kina shells she had collected during her travels in Papua New Guinea.
“Their iridescent shimmer captivated me, and I became determined to translate that beauty into a surface,” Young said. “After an extensive search, I found a company called Level 5 Walls, known for creating wall finishes. I managed to convince the owner to take on the challenge of crafting my floors,”
Over several months, Young and Level 5 Walls experimented by mixing mother-of-pearl into cement pigments on a palette, and layering texture and tone until they achieved just the right depth and luminescence. A final coat of polyurethane made the floors shiny and durability.
Young said that, because the light shifts throughout the day from room to room, the floors subtly transform in tone and luster throughout the day, responding to the changing angle and intensity of the natural light.
“The floors were always meant to be a defining statement within the apartment. I envisioned living inside a shell—the shell itself forming the very foundation of our home,” she said. “Having come from a brownstone rich with wood floors, fireplaces and intricate moldings, a space steeped in ornate detail, I craved a blank canvas. Yet, I was determined that this simplicity would never feel dull or uninspired. Instead, I wanted it to possess a uniqueness—much like the way certain creatures find refuge and identity within their shells.”
Young’s home is a celebration of her extensive travels, and her collection of artifacts and treasures play an integral role in the design of the space.
“As someone who embraces minimalism and avoids visual clutter, I never display everything at once. Instead, I curate with intention—allowing each object to stand alone and command attention,” Young explained. “I believe pieces reveal their beauty best when given room to breathe. When a particular arrangement begins to feel static, I rotate items in and out of storage, creating a sense of movement and renewal. What stays and what rests is driven entirely by intuition and how the space feels in the moment.”
Spring Street Pearl is available to rent now.
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