Tour a West Village Town House Transformation That Says Oui to Vintage Charm
French interior designer Margaux Lafond established her New York–based studio in 2020 after years of working Stateside with top talents, like ASH and Rafael de Cárdenas. As a solo act, her very first job was for friends of friends in Paris. “They reached out for my help renovating a bathroom and a study,” she says of the smallish project, which she happily took on.
Fast forward two years: Friends of those clients called Lafond desperately in need of a designer who could manage the decoration of an entire five-story town house as soon as possible. “That’s why you have to say yes to everything,” she smiles. Coincidentally, Lafond’s new (also French) clients Thérèse M’Boungoubaya and her husband live with the very same “just say yes” zeal. Or is it joie de vivre?
“I only visited New York once before [we moved here],” admits M’Boungoubaya, founder of Koba Skincare. When M’Boungoubaya received word her husband would be heading up the new New York office of his venture capital firm, the couple began viewing apartments from their home in London. “We never saw the house in person,” M’Boungoubaya remembers. “The decision was based on photos and a FaceTime walkthrough.”
M’Boungoubaya and and her husband signed a lease for the West Village town house in the spring, with plans to relocate over the summer and settle before school started for their two young daughters. Due to the constrained timeline, Lafond tackled the project in two phases—first outfitting the home with essentials and rental furniture (“almost like an Airbnb,” she says), and then completing the design and installation once the family had arrived. “Basically, they said, ‘We’re getting our visas on this date and our fight is on that date.’ So, I had six weeks to make it happen,” Lafond recalls. Happily, the two-pronged approach worked: “We ended up designing something that matches how we actually live,” M’Boungoubaya affirms.
“The interior architecture features this very nice, but very early-2000s aesthetic,” Lafond observes. Vintage furniture from the family’s collection helped to create a more timeless feel. The designer purchased additional vintage pieces—a pair of Camaleonda lounge chairs, a Pierre Paulin oyster chair and ottoman, plus others—avoiding lead-time issues and investing in quality items the clients can cherish. “These are going to follow us for the rest of our lives,” M’Boungoubaya says. “They’re part of the family.”
As a nod to her Congolese heritage, M’Boungoubaya asked Lafond to source new decorative items from African and African American artists and artisans. “It’s part of who I am,” she emphasizes. Much of the art and textiles throughout are a result of this effort. “I use my house as a bit of a showroom. When people go into the kitchen, they are astonished by the art,” she says, referencing the striking work by South African artist Lindokuhle Khumalo. Entertaining on the first floor, where there’s an eat-in-kitchen with a wood-burning pizza oven and generous dining room, gives M’Boungoubaya a chance to hype up-and-coming artists. “It’s also a good ice breaker,” she says. “If I can help [draw attention to an artist], I’m very happy about it.”
One flight down, Lafond transformed the dark ground-floor nook into a cozy den with plush, family-friendly furniture. Upstairs, the girls have their own haven—a combined playroom-bedroom. In the bedrooms, the designer installed a series of floor-to-ceiling curtains on tracks, creating flexible rooms within the rental's existing floor plan and providing sufficient darkness for sleep. On the top floor, M’Boungoubaya and her husband’s retreat features an airy reading nook, a cocooned bedroom and bath, plus separate walk-in closets.
The town house, which once felt like a mere collection of rooms in a real estate listing, now tells the story of a family’s journey across continents, a designer's vision, and a commitment to cultural legacy. From the basement den to the tranquil top floor, every corner is infused with intention and identity, a testament to the power of ‘yes’—and the magic of a space that doesn’t just house a family, but reflects them.
1/10The elegantly appointed entryway marries the patina of reclaimed wood beams with the earthy embrace of painted brick. A pendant light crafted by Jake Coan Design floats like a golden cloud above, casting a soft glow over the handcrafted walnut bench, by Milan-based Quincoces-Dragò & Partners, and the antique Sanjabi Kurd rug from John Derian. A folding teak room divider from Phantom Hands delineates the entry from the dining room.
Art: Gaultier Rimbault-Joffard2/10In the living room, exposed beams and a muted color palette establish a tranquil, earthy atmosphere. “Everything is a bit modular,” M’Boungoubaya says, sharing that her daughters have been known to push the olive green Bellini lounge chairs aside for an impromptu dance party. “I feel like we’ve managed to do something grown-up, but still very inviting and cozy. The girls can still jump on the sofa and spend time there watching movies or playing games.” A commissioned acrylic on polished stainless steel piece by Gaultier Rimbault-Joffard hangs above the fireplace. The walnut coffee table is a custom design.
Art: Lindokuhle Khumalo3/10“The living room was tricky because it’s in the basement basically,” Lafond reflects. “Where the rest of the house is really bright, this space is not, so I had to create something cozy.” The resulting living area is defined by a plush, neutral-toned sectional sofa from Sixpenny, inviting a moment of respite. The striped side tables by Mabeo Furniture, based in Botswana, offer a playful counterpart to the serene palette.
Art: © Harold Ancart4/10At the center of the contemporary kitchen is a vibrant pendant light by Julie Lansom in metal and cotton threads, custom made to tie together the colors of the artwork and chairs. Below, the sleek concrete dining table, by Beton Johnstone, is surrounded by Hay’s Rey chair in scarlet red. A lithograph by Harold Ancart hangs above the sink.
Art: Gaultier Rimbault-Joffard5/10The previous tenants had used the front room as a den, but M’Boungoubaya says, “you can’t really chill if Amazon is dropping packages by the front door.” Now, the street-level dining area, anchored by a custom table designed by Waka Waka and artwork by Gaultier Rimbault-Joffard, has an intimate restaurant feel. Rough-hewn beams and a Nordic Knots jute rug lay the groundwork for the elegant minimalist tableau. The sleek chairs from Danish brand Frama are stackable.
Art: Corbin Ferguson/Luan Gallery, Beijing. © Delali Ayivi/Galerie Gomis.6/10In the home office, the sleek lines of a vintage Wassily lounge chair, from the couple’s collection, echo the geometry of paneled wood walls. A voluptuous 1960s sofa by Pierre Paulin, sourced from Objekt Vintage in the Netherlands, offers a counterpoint to the room’s angular precision. The photo above the sofa—by Delali Ayvivi—was acquired from Galerie Gomis, while the smaller framed painting is by Corbin Ferguson. The navy sodalite extra marble coffee table is custom.
7/10The primary suite spans the top floor, where the skylight floods the space with natural light from above. Glass tile floors allow the light to penetrate through to the children’s room below. To curb the sunshine for the sake of sleep hygiene, Lafond installed thick floor-to-ceiling curtains on a track. The patterned bedspread is a vintage cotton textile from West Africa. In the reading nook, Lafond paired a vintage Pierre Paulin lounge chair and ottoman with India Mahdavi’s Bishop ceramic side table.
8/10On the other side of the bedroom, Lafond installed the same floor-to-ceiling track curtains to cordon off the open bathroom. “It’s super peaceful and cozy in the sleeping area when you close everything off,” the designer says.
9/10Exposed brick walls and large windows forge a dialogue between the building's past and its contemporary use. Lafond designed the workstation to feel like a built-in, while also converting to two separate desks for future bedrooms. The play area can be closed off from where the children sleep via another floor-to-ceiling curtain on tracks. “Their bedroom is their world,” M’Boungoubaya says. “It’s essentially two rooms in one, with a place to sleep and play.”
10/10The double-height windows look out onto the home’s outdoor space. A collection of house plants in oversized vessels infuses life into the otherwise industrial space. The vintage Eames rocking chair, which made the trip from London, echoes the organic shapes that surround it.
