A prewar rooftop duplex, collectible design and a pair of chairs with a 30-year story. Julianne Moore has always been as passionate about design as she is about acting. Now the Oscar winner, 65, has opened the doors to her latest New York home in Architectural Digest, and it reflects a new chapter in her life.
Moore and her husband, director Bart Freundlich, have moved into a two-bedroom duplex at the top of a 1920s building in the West Village, originally built as a residential hotel.
A Deliberate Downsize
For years, the couple lived in a West Village town house with a garden, featured in AD in 2012 and 2017. With an emptying nest, they chose something smaller that would keep them firmly downtown, according to News Directory 3, which summarized the AD story. They also have a home in Montauk for space outside the city.
“It feels very serene here,” Moore told AD, as reported by CNN.
A Family Collaboration
The renovation took eight months and was designed by Oliver Freundlich, an architectural designer on AD’s AD100 list and Moore’s brother-in-law. It is their sixth project together. “The trick was to make the place functional but without losing any of the magic,” he said.
Moore was closely involved. “Believe me, Julie scrutinized every switch and knob,” Freundlich joked.
Respecting the Building’s Past
Moore wanted the history of the building to stay visible. “I wanted a sense of history, of time, of all the people who have lived here before us,” she said. The work was largely cosmetic, with a new pantry in the kitchen and a closet in the bedroom. In one clever detail, Freundlich had shades made from fabric that had once been curtains.
“I love modernism,” Moore added. “But this apartment is prewar, and you have to address that.”
The Chairs From Paris
Some pieces have followed Moore for decades. In the kitchen sit French mid-century chairs she bought in Paris in 1995, CNN reports, more than 30 years of history in a single corner. Around them, AD highlights art, vintage furniture and collectible design, including works by George Nakashima, Isamu Noguchi and Pierre Chapo.
Room to Breathe, and to Stretch
The renovation also left open floor space for Moore’s yoga practice, a reminder that the home was designed around daily life, not just display.
What Any New York Apartment Can Borrow
Keep what has character. Original details in an older building are worth preserving rather than replacing.
Reuse textiles. Turning old curtains into shades adds history and avoids waste.
Mix eras. Modern and mid-century pieces sit comfortably in a prewar setting when the palette stays calm.
Invest in a few pieces you will keep for decades, like Moore’s Paris chairs.
Leave space empty on purpose. A clear stretch of floor makes a small apartment feel calmer and more usable.
Inside Julianne Moore’s West Village home, the chairs she bought in Paris in 1995 still take center stage, proof that the best interiors are built over a lifetime.