One reason why I fancy 1970s-era issues of Architectural Digest is because each issue usually featured at least one decorated-for-night apartment. Often bijou in size and typically located in Manhattan, these jewel-box spaces epitomized Seventies nocturnal swank. Rooms in these apartments tended to be drenched in dark, daring color and accessorized with reflective surfaces- namely, brass. And "nice" furnishings, like antique chairs and floral-print fabrics, often mingled with accents that, in some apartments, could be a little "naughty." Mirrored ceilings, anyone?
But it's the nighttime atmosphere of these apartments that captivates me most. These were not the kind of rooms in which to stay home and watch, oh, say "Starsky & Hutch." These were rooms meant for sophisticated entertaining, either as the evening's main event or as a precursor to late-night disco dancing. Although he was singing about nocturnal cavorting, George Benson's lyrics to "Give Me The Night" might also describe the appeal of the seventies-era nighttime apartment:
You need the evening action
A place to dine, a glass of wine
A little late romance
And with that song now stuck in your head, I give you an early-1970s Manhattan apartment, decorated by Joseph Braswell. Some of the décor might be a tad dated-looking, but the slick, stylish touches more than make up for that.
All photos from Architectural Digest, May/June 1973, Norman McGrath, photographer.