Celebrity chef and restaurateur Bobby Flay has transformed his expansive Tribeca loft into a marble-clad masterpiece, working with designer Olivia Capuano of Olivia Jane Design to breathe new life into his 3,800-square-foot New York City home. The six-month renovation project showcased bold design choices and luxurious materials while preserving the historic character that first drew Flay to this corner of old New York.
After nearly a decade of living in the space, Flay faced a crucial decision: move or renovate. "I always loved my apartment," he explained, "but I really wanted to adore it." The chef had originally purchased the loft for its historic building structure and impressive 14-foot ceilings, but the interior had begun to feel outdated. For this native New Yorker, however, Tribeca's unique atmosphere representing "old New York" proved too compelling to abandon.
The renovation left Flay's kitchen virtually untouched – the only room that already met his exacting standards. As a chef, restaurateur, and television personality who spends considerable time cooking off-camera, the Henrybuilt kitchen had been customized nearly a decade earlier with features like an enlarged central island. The timeless design now benefits from enhanced lighting with Tom Dixon Press Sphere pendant lights and Four Hands Baden Bar stools that complement the existing aesthetic.
Flay's collaboration with Olivia Capuano spans years of successful projects, from restaurants at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas to various homes and even television set designs. Their professional relationship has evolved into a genuine friendship built on mutual respect and shared design vision. "We have a really nice relationship," Capuano noted. "We tease each other a bit, but then we sit down and work everything out."
The most dramatic transformation occurred at the apartment's entrance, which previously opened directly into the kitchen. Flay had always been bothered by this abrupt entry, recognizing that even someone as energetic as himself needed a moment of transition. With limited space to work, Capuano designed industrial-style doors with a Parisian touch, creating a vestibule using molded glass and antique brass frames. "It's like a little jewelry box," Flay described the elegant solution.
The renovation's most spectacular feature lies in the five bathrooms, each showcasing different marble varieties sourced from ABC Stone in Brooklyn. Flay compared the stone supplier to "Disneyland for stone," drawing parallels between selecting marble and his approach to cooking – considering textures, colors, and patterns as essential design elements. "It's an incredible assault on your senses, in the best possible way," he explained.
Capuano was pleasantly surprised by her client's bold choices. Having installed understated kitchen countertops years earlier, she expected Flay to select similar, safer white marble variants. Instead, he gravitated toward increasingly dramatic veined slabs. "He told me, 'If we're going to do this, we're going to do it. I want to see the result,'" the designer recalled. Their shared enthusiasm led to vibrant marble selections that gave each bathroom its own distinct personality.
The master bathroom features a maximalist swirl of Fantastico Arni marble covering the entire space, complemented by massive vanities in the same material. "Olivia says it's like walking into a painting," Flay noted about the electric stone selection. "This stone is so electric." Guest bathrooms continue the bold theme, ranging from stormy to serene, with none playing it safe in terms of design choices.
Living spaces received subtle but impactful modifications to improve flow between the open kitchen, dining room, and living room. The design team reoriented the dining table to expand the living room footprint, making the space more appealing with better kitchen views. They replaced a large sectional sofa that divided the space with a vintage chocolate brown curved sofa that opens the room for entertaining.
Flay's extensive vintage collection, accumulated through his evolving real estate portfolio including properties in London and Amagansett, found new life in the renovated space. Recent additions came from the sale of his former Saratoga Springs home. "Olivia and I love shopping together," he shared. "We open a bottle of wine, sit for three hours, and just start bidding." Their latest acquisition – a massive vintage chandelier from the Netherlands – required rewiring upon arrival but now serves as a spectacular centerpiece with 40 opaline glass globes and brass rays.
The living room showcases a careful balance of vintage and contemporary pieces. A vintage DS600 sectional sofa from De Sede, personally inspected by Flay in Jersey City, provides the perfect curved form for opening the living space to the kitchen during dinner parties. "You see a lot of them, but it's hard to find the color I wanted," he explained. The piece anchors a collection that includes bicolor velvet armchairs, a Marco Comolli walnut sofa, Italian travertine nesting tables from RH Ravenna, and a Stark Daisy rug.
A newly created secondary suite demonstrates Capuano's spatial planning expertise. She transformed an underutilized hallway space into a guest bedroom by erecting a wall and connecting it to an existing guest room. The expanded area accommodates a seating area with T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings chairs facing a Maiden Home Smith bed, with neutral walls painted in Benjamin Moore's Pashmina serving as a backdrop for a large reproduction of Diego Uchitel's "Eye."
The renovation also included a new grooming station, essential for Flay's frequent apartment filming sessions for Instagram and television shows. The space features an integrated Breccia Viola marble countertop surrounded by a curved alcove covered in Terramai's Shou Sugi Ban-style panels, inspired by spaces at the Santa Monica Proper Hotel designed by Kelly Wearstler. This addition proves particularly valuable when Flay's daughter visits from Los Angeles and during professional shoots requiring hair and makeup services.
Throughout the apartment, antique brass serves as a recurring material theme, appearing in wall sconces, light fixtures, and architectural details. The renovation successfully preserved the loft's historic character while infusing it with contemporary luxury and the chef's personality. Even Flay's beloved cats, Canelo and Stella, seem to appreciate the renewed energy of their home. "They're the real masters of the house," the chef joked about his feline companions who now enjoy the transformed space as much as their famous owner.
