Restoring the Astor House: A Design Journey with the NYJL
Tucked away on the Upper East Side, 130 East 80th Street, known as the Astor House, serves as the headquarters for the New York Junior League (NYJL). This five-story townhouse with two sub-basements is more than just a meeting place—it’s where passionate women come together to drive meaningful change in the community. And like any well-loved home, it carries a rich history, one that deserves to be honored and elevated.
Originally designed for Vincent Astor, the building has always been a space for gathering, collaboration, and legacy. I’ve been a proud NYJL member for over a decade, and I still vividly remember my very first meeting in the Harriman Room, named for Mary Harriman, the League’s founder. While listening to the conversation around me, my designer’s eye couldn’t help but be drawn to the drapery—once beautiful, now disintegrating before my eyes. How could a building so deeply rooted in history and purpose allow such an element to fall into neglect?
Little did I know that years later, I would have the opportunity to be part of its interior design transformation.
The Building Work Group: Laying the Foundation
A few years into my membership, I was appointed to the Building Work Group, a specialized team hand-selected by the sitting president to preserve and improve the Astor House. At the time, our focus was largely structural—addressing leaks in the roof, restoring the stone patio, and handling critical maintenance concerns.
Then, in 2020, the world paused. When the pandemic shut down NYC, the Astor House closed its doors. But as the city slowly reopened, a new subcommittee was born—the House Beautification Committee. This small but dedicated team of three was tasked with reimagining the building’s interiors, ensuring the spaces not only reflected the NYJL’s legacy but also felt gracious, welcoming, and timeless.
Breathing New Life Into the First Two Floors
We started on the first two levels, focusing on key gathering spaces:
The Ladies’ Lounge: We wallpapered the bathroom in a soft blue Quadrille print and transformed the lounge itself with a Brunschwig & Fils chinoiserie-inspired wallpaper, a new grasscloth-covered console, and stools upholstered in a blue-and-white ticking stripe.
The “Snack Bar” Meeting Room: A fresh, lively update featuring green-and-white Serena & Lily wallpaper and coordinating green lacquered lanterns from Oomph.
The Foyer: We restored the original marble floors, introduced a classic mahogany reception desk, and curated a mix of timeless and modern furniture pieces.
The Roosevelt Room: Named after Eleanor Roosevelt, one of the NYJL’s founding members, this space retained its original wood-paneled walls, but we emphasized the natural light with new Brunschwig & Fils chintz drapery.
The Pine Room: Perhaps the most beloved space in the building, this cozy retreat got a refresh with performance fabrics from Thibaut, a Brunschwig & Fils print for the drapery, and coordinating wallpaper behind the built-in bookshelves.
The Harriman Room: A Full-Circle Moment
And then, we reached the Harriman Room—the very space where my journey began, where those tattered drapes first caught my attention. Seeing this room transformed was an especially gratifying moment. The disintegrating fabric was finally replaced with classic white linen drapery, lined and interlined for fullness, and finished with a pale blue Schumacher Greek key trim—a crisp, tailored detail that felt both modern and timeless.
The Harriman Room
Continuing the Transformation, Floor by Floor
Over the next three years, our small but determined team worked our way up the townhouse, carefully painting, wallpapering, updating light fixtures, and selecting carpets—room by room—to create an interior that respects the past but feels fresh, forward-looking, and enduring.
The Astor House is more than just a building; it’s a reflection of the women who have walked through its doors for generations—women committed to impact, leadership, and legacy. This restoration was never just about aesthetics; it was about ensuring that this historic home remains a place of inspiration, connection, and purpose for years to come.
