Stepping into McLaughlin’s house is like stepping into one of his dress designs: instantly comfortable, immediately inspired. There’s never a dull moment at this place, a Manhattan brownstone dressed with the same flair, color, and style seen in the family’s fashion line. Even the front door wears the bold, playful color that has made J.McLaughlin a fashion mainstay since Kevin and his brother Jay started the business 38 years ago. The brand now has 100 stores around the country, including the flagship in the Upper East Side neighborhood where Kevin and wife Barbara live with their children, Madeline, 19, and Hugh, 11. Kevin had admired the five-story rowhouse, owned by a colleague who seldom used it, for some time before he bought it on a whim in 2002. Built in the mid-1800s, it had plenty of history but also some signs of age. Changes made when all the brownstones on the block got a facelift in the early 20th century weren’t exactly au courant. Barbara, however, was undaunted. Her home’s new look started at the front door. “I wanted the house to appear welcoming and fun right from the beginning,” she says. Thus the decision to paint the door a lively chartreuse that commands attention—and Instagram posts. “The door shows up on social media all the time,” Barbara says with a laugh. In the foyer, which opens to the dining room, a leopard-print runner in shades of browns and blacks runs the length of the stairway, its neutral pattern the foundation for the home’s palette. But with cramped quarters stretching from the ground level to the fifth floor, it was going to take more than fresh paint and chic fabric to coax the old rowhouse into living for today. Enter architect Doug Larson, who has been designing the McLaughlin brothers’ homes and retail stores for 20 years. Paneled wood walls make for an intimate dining room with plenty of hidden storage. The dining table, purchased secondhand, was bleached to give it a caramel color. A coat of olive lacquered paint lends a festive attitude to the bamboo dining chairs. The glass ceiling fixture is by sculptor Joe McDonnell. Larson installed French doors to welcome a garden view into the living room. In this room, a linen-wrapped desk, cabriolet chair, and a Chippendale-style lowboy mix seamlessly. A Josef Hoffmann settee and chairs, purchased for $500 at auction, mingle comfortably with the Frances Elkins loop chairs in the neighboring study. A striped J.McLaughlin-sourced fabric in Barbara’s favorite chartreuse hue was the perfect choice for the jovial guest suite. Curtains hide the elevator door and utility closet, plus a TV and kitchenette. Larson added steel French doors to allow access to a roof deck and endless city views. “The result is that we have a lot of houseguests,” says Barbara. “We often have to turn people away!”
