“I’m obsessed with architecture. I always have been,” says this Socrates of style. “When I was 9, I went to Monticello and was enthralled. I scraped together my pennies to buy a book of Thomas Jefferson’s architectural drawings. When I got home, I built some of the rooms with Legos. The Legos are gone, but I still have that architecture book.” It’s housed with hundreds of other volumes in Tim’s home, an apartment on New York’s Upper West Side that, unsurprisingly, is the epitome of good taste and timeless style. In the living room, a camel-hue sofa and chairs from Pottery Barn give off a serene mood, as does the complementary Louis XV Salon Chair from Ballard Designs in a taupe buffalo check. Living room walls coated in “Tawny Bisque” by Benjamin Moore bring warmth and provide the neutral canvas that Tim prefers for his collected artworks. “I’m very slow and plodding when it comes to furniture arranging and hanging paintings,” he says. “But when it comes to color, there’s no hesitation.” An architectural model by Timothy Richards takes center stage on the dining table. Tim has a dozen of Richards’s pieces, this one a miniature of an English estate house. The oval-back Louis XVI chairs and chandelier are from Ballard Designs. Plants near the back door make for an easy transition to the terrace, which tacks on 500 square feet of living space to Tim’s 1,700-square-foot New York apartment. A mirror framed in hammered metal pairs beautifully with a marble-top antique console. “I love putting a mirror in an outdoor space,” Parrotta says. “It’s unexpected, and the reflected images of the garden are wonderful.” Potted trees, shrubs, and flowering plants staged at different heights make the modest-size urban terrace feel like a bucolic garden. Parrotta created intimate seating niches screened by verdant potted plants. One cozy nook pairs an ornate botantist’s bench with a clean-lined concrete table by Currey & Company. Antiques inspired by Roman gardens layer rich character into the terrace. Tim found the Apollo statue and the obelisk on 1stdibs. New pieces with great patina also are part of the mix in the outdoor space. The welcoming outdoor rooms have expanded Tim’s living space and provided him with a great spot for entertaining or just escaping the busyness of everyday life in the city without having to hop a plane to Rome. A hand-forged table with a Carrara marble top offers a convivial alfresco dining spot for six. End chairs are from JANUS et Cie; side chairs are from Palecek. Copper lanterns by Vaughan Designs keep the party going after dark.
