Isabella Boylston’s Brooklyn Apartment Is an Art-Filled Oasis

Zoë Sessums
·5 min read

When Isabella Boylston moved to New York 15 years ago as a new recruit of the American Ballet Theatre, she lived in a two-bedroom flat with five other dancers. For the next 10 years, she lived in 10 different apartments around the city. So there came a point when the award-winning principal dancer felt it was time to own her own place. Isabella and her husband, Daniel Shin, were so compelled, in fact, that nearly five years ago they bought a three-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn’s Boerum Hill neighborhood before it was even finished being constructed.

Isabella and Dan, who’ve been together for seven years, have filled their apartment with artwork from friends and family.
Isabella and Dan, who’ve been together for seven years, have filled their apartment with artwork from friends and family.

“It was a new development in Brooklyn,” Isabella says, “and we bought it sight unseen.” The couple had to wait two years from the purchase to the move-in date, but, luckily, it was worth it. “A few months before it was done, we snuck in,” says Isabella, who hopes she doesn’t get in trouble for admitting this. “The second I walked in, I gasped. The views are beautiful. You can see the Verrazzano Bridge. There are floor-to-ceiling windows. It really exceeded our expectations.”

Although Isabella says the 1,500-square-foot space still feels like a work in progress, she’s enjoyed the process of putting their home together. “Dan is the interior-decorating guru,” she says. Dan replies, “My mom has always been a really good interior decorator. I get it all from her. Except for the middle room—the middle room is probably more my dad.”

“I love my desk in the study that Isabella got me for my birthday,” says Dan of the vintage teak piece procured from 1stdibs. “It’s really old and has a cool old smell. Not an old-person smell but an old wood-and-cigar smell."
“I would probably live in a white box with the mattress on the ground,” says Isabella. “I think Dan thought my place would look like Nina Sayers’s apartment when he first met me,” she says, referencing the main character from Black Swan. Though Isabella was in Swan Lake and does love being surrounded by artwork, her place is very much the opposite—light, spacious, and bright.

The “middle room” is a hodgepodge of the couple’s interests merged together. “It has become storage for all our activities, but I would love for it to be a beautiful office or guest room,” says Isabella. Dan, on the other hand, really loves that room. “Ever since we moved in, I had dreams of turning it into a man cave resplendent with multiple TVs, recliners, video game consoles, and framed sports memorabilia.” That idea, perhaps obviously, got nixed. But compromise is a common theme in the decorating scheme.

Isabella loves to read and posts about whatever she’s reading using the hashtag #ballerinabookclub.
“We had the doors switched out so it looks like you’re walking through the bookcase to get to the bedroom,” says Isabella.
“We had the doors switched out so it looks like you’re walking through the bookcase to get to the bedroom,” says Isabella.
Dan loves cooking and wishes they had a second kitchen. “I think it’s called a dirty kitchen or scullery in some circles. I also want a lot more kitchen appliances and I want to throw food around like real chefs, but there’s no room right now,” he says.
Dan loves cooking and wishes they had a second kitchen. “I think it’s called a dirty kitchen or scullery in some circles. I also want a lot more kitchen appliances and I want to throw food around like real chefs, but there’s no room right now,” he says.

They haven’t had to do too much in the ways of altering the space, except adding their personality and possessions. “We did put in this millwork in the living room,” says Dan. “We were spying on a neighbor one day and noticed that they had a really cool shelving thing in their living room. So, we marched up there and asked about it, and they referred us to Aiden Kelly, owner of KCM Fine Millwork in Brooklyn. It’s made of white oak from Vermont, and it brought a lot of warmth to the place—not to mention the cool minibar addition he built in that holds my whiskey stash.”

“Because of this sunset-looking wallpaper called Heaven From Calico Wallpaper that Isabella got us, sometimes at sunset the whole outside horizon looks exactly like that wallpaper and it’s so meta,” says Dan.
This wallpaper is inspired by photography of moonscapes and uninhabited space, making it feel both hypnotic and tranquil. It’s also a great contrast from the clean lines that fill a lot of the room.

Another easy update that has added a lot of joy to the apartment is the Calico Wallpaper. “I was inspired by the brand, so I went to their office and loved everything,” says Isabella. “In one room it looks like the surface of the moon and in the guest bedroom it’s this amazing ombré sunset.” They describe the guest bedroom as the quietest, most serene room in the whole building. “So that’s the best room in the apartment to nap,” says Dan. “It also makes us feel good that our family or friends that stay over are in a really quiet, nice, comfortable room in their own wing of the apartment.”

The living room is Isabella’s favorite room in the apartment.
The living room is Isabella’s favorite room in the apartment.

Isabella’s Interests

Dream addition to your space: “The ceiling in the master bedroom is a bit low, so I would love to lift it up.”

Last thing you had delivered/bought for your home: “Dan got a rowing machine. My friend sent me a harlequin lamp that she found at a flea market in Europe. I did the ballet Harlequinade, and this is a cool little memento.”

Design inspirations: “I find lots of inspiration from Instagram. I love @michaelbargo, @tmagazine, @archdigest.”

Best thing about your neighborhood: “I love all the historic brownstones and trees. It’s a very convenient commute to the city and there are a ton of awesome restaurants like Regalo, Sottocasa, The HiHi Room—I could go on and on.”

Everyone can agree: The views are spectacular.
Everyone can agree: The views are spectacular.
Just out of view is one of Isabella’s most prized possessions: a still life of a seashell by her friend Zoë Ghertner. She and Dan love having artwork by their friends all over the apartment.
The life of a dancer is often full of tours and traveling—we talked to Isabella while she was on a bus en route to DC—but, thankfully, she finally has a beautiful, serene place to come home to.
The life of a dancer is often full of tours and traveling—we talked to Isabella while she was on a bus en route to DC—but, thankfully, she finally has a beautiful, serene place to come home to.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest