Alfredo Paredes has spent his career refining a luxurious-yet-relaxed take on quintessentially American interior design. For 33 years, he worked at Ralph Lauren, where he was named a chief creative officer and tasked with ensuring that the esteemed brand’s stores, restaurants, events and home furnishings collection were as captivating as they were comfortable.
In 2019, Mr. Paredes, 61, left to found his design firm, Alfredo Paredes Studio. At the same time, he focused on completing his own homes, which are featured in the new book, “Alfredo Paredes at Home” (Rizzoli, 2025; $60).
During the pandemic, Mr. Paredes and his husband, Brad Goldfarb, a writer and editor, relocated from Manhattan’s East Village to Locust Valley, N.Y., with their two children, where they renovated a house originally designed in the 1920s by the architect Harrie T. Lindeberg.
“Every time I came across one of his houses, I fell in love with it,” said Mr. Paredes, the son of Cuban immigrants who was born and raised in Miami. “And it turns out that he built a lot of houses out here on the North Shore of Long Island.”
Mr. Paredes renovated the expansive house as a family home but built himself a studio on the lower level. “It’s a combination man cave, studio and office,” Mr. Paredes said. “It’s where many of my personal things — my collection of photography, my books, my pottery — have ended up.”
These are some of the pieces that make it a particularly satisfying retreat.
Easy Upgrade
Brito Ceiling Light, $179 at Shades of Light
To light his studio, Mr. Paredes faced a familiar design problem: He wanted plenty of illumination, but he didn’t want recessed can lights. “I didn’t want to punch holes throughout the ceiling,” he said. “But I needed a lot of light because I do work here.”
Unimpressed with standard-issue ceiling lights, he happened to spot this fixture online. “I was like ‘Wow, that’s nice,’” he said. When he looked at the fixture’s specifications on the manufacturer’s website, he saw that it was made of hand-glazed stoneware and brass, which seemed even more appealing.
Given the relatively affordable price, “I thought ‘This can’t be real,’” he said. “But I got it, and it really looks good.”
Mr. Paredes ended up installing 12 of the fixtures across the ceiling of his studio and liked them so much he bought more that he installed elsewhere in the house.
Splurge
Vintage Green Pottery, from $94 for reproduction Teco vases at Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
A bookcase Mr. Paredes designed holds one of his favorite collections — a range of vintage pottery, all glazed in shades of green. While at Ralph Lauren, Mr. Paredes worked with the interior designer Mark Cunningham, where they combed antiques fairs and shops for props to use in stores.
While on the hunt, “Mark would always collect white pottery,” Mr. Paredes said, finding beautiful pieces for a few dollars apiece. “I had an affinity for green, so I’d go and buy one green, one here, another there.”
Today, Mr. Paredes continues to expand his collection. “It just inspired me,” he said. “It’s a bit of an addiction.”
Some of his favorite pieces are vases from Teco, an American company that made shapely vessels in the early 20th century. Teco vases can fetch thousands of dollars at auction, but Mr. Paredes acquired most of his for little more than pocket change. For those who don’t have such luck, or who don’t want to pay collector prices, a few reproduction pieces modeled on originals are still being made today.
One of a Kind
Sculpture From Puerto Rico
This ceramic piece reminds Mr. Paredes of a trip he took to Puerto Rico when he was 9 years old. “I was with my dad and I remember walking down the street and he pointed to a window and said ‘Which one would you select?’” Mr. Paredes said.
The young Mr. Paredes admired this piece, and his father stepped into the store and bought it. The sculpture was displayed as a travel souvenir in his parents’ home in Miami until his father died in 1997, at which point Mr. Paredes inherited it.
It’s a rare example of the designer choosing an object for its story more than the style it brings to a room. “It doesn’t really fit into my aesthetic today,” Mr. Paredes said. “But it’s not about whether it’s beautiful or not beautiful. It’s that I remember that moment with my dad.”
The post Relaxation and Luxury Meet in a Designer’s Home Studio appeared first on New York Times.
