Neatly overlooking Central Park in a classic prewar renaissance-revival building is the elegant home to a young family of five. Triumphantly brought to life by interior designer Andre Mellone, the Upper East Side apartment is an ambitious tale of two units becoming one. It’s also a celebration of early 20th-century European design and American modernism, awash in the warm glow cast by oakwood and an intricately layered vintage furniture collection.

For the owner couple and their three young children, the new five-bedroom, five-bathroom residence was conceptualized with optimum functionality in mind. Put another way, the principal objective was to create as much space as possible, wherever possible. The layout was almost self-designing, generated by the needs of the family, and they wanted to start new in terms of materials in every room.

From the spacious interior hall, a spirited north-south divide materialized. Windows on the far north walls, modified from their original configurations, allow for oblique views of the park along with beaming light from the west side of the city. Left of the hall, a bar, library, dining room, kitchen and living areas have become sacred entertaining spaces. A right turn leads to bedrooms, bathrooms, and a powder room.

The shared vision—between designer and clients—is clear, as is a deep-rooted appreciation for decorative arts. “Mellone draws her design inspiration mainly from France and Italy in the '30s,' 40s and '50s. He and he's design team, along with Manhattan-based architect Anik Pearson, sought inspiration in everything from Art Deco to Bauhaus, and Le Corbusier to the Nouvelle Vague. The result is a sophisticated New York family home with an organically European feel.