The first apartment I owned was in NYC and I lived there circa 2001. It was a 2-apartment combo unit that was stuck in the 80s, dreary and a bit dilapidated but it had potential and a great layout. Having just overseen the renovation of my boss Andy King's townhouse in the West Village, I used the lessons I'd learned and borrowed his contractor for my own project. My good friend and decorative painter Topher Rollinson painted the living room walls the most beautiful color that made the room glow as if the sun was setting, a welcome mirage since this place had little natural light. It became a homey and elegant 2-bedroom apartment that would host life's greatest moments: it welcomed me home to a surprise party after my husband Miguel proposed (I had just landed at JFK from Venezuela for an event I planned for work for my subsequent boss, David Stark); later the apartment would also welcome my first child home from the hospital (here it is at left decorated for my baby shower). It was a fantastic apartment that lived like a house.