BySamantha Weiss-Hills,Photography byAngela Hau,Art Direction byLinda Denahan,Styling byElaina Sullivan
PublishedMar 22, 2026 3:58 AM EDT
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Interior designer Ernesto Gloria knows how to nail high-low. A prolific antique shopper, Gloria can telepathically sense whether an expensive vintage lamp, heirloom chair, or thrifted artwork will pair with an IKEA sofa or CB2 table. He’ll source shelving from warehouse supply stores and fabric from textile studios like Schumacher and Zak + Fox. Those unexpected combinations are what make his projects feel immediately lived-in, as though each piece has been collected over time.
That intuition is on display in his own home, too. Gloria, who had worked in Tom Scheerer’s practice before branching out on his own during the pandemic, had just established Studio Tre when he spotted a 550-square-foot studio for rent in London Terrace Gardens, a famed, circa-1930s courtyard building he’d longed to live in. He jumped at the chance for several reasons, chief among them a built-in community. But there was also the sitcom of it all: “I go to the barber downstairs. I’ve had acupuncture downstairs, a facial,” Gloria ticks off. “It’s the New York dream of having everything in the building.”
He name-checks early-2000s shows like Will & Grace and Friends as design inspiration—his first impressions of what a New York City apartment could look like. “There are little Easter eggs in my apartment that remind me of those two shows,” he says, nodding to a frame over the peephole like in Monica’s apartment and a similar eclecticism to Will’s place. “[They] gave me the permission to be more playful and unconventional with my decorating, not to mention the urge to create little mise-en-scènes throughout the apartment since every shot or angle needs to be considered.”
Plus, the unit isn’t a typical open-plan layout. This one has a separate foyer, kitchen, and dressing-room nook that he could tuck his bed into. “I love the separation of spaces, because you have more walls to put art up and play around with,” Gloria notes. Ahead, he walks us through his petite, personality-packed Chelsea apartment.
Samantha Weiss-Hills is the managing editor for Domino. She edits and writes home tours and features, and she’s the friend who everyone texts for glassware, sofa, and sheet recommendations. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Alex, and their beagle-corgi, Elsa.
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