Barbara Corcoran's Upper East Side penthouse, designed by Allegra Eifler

Barbara Corcoran has seen and sold a great many New York apartments, so it says something that she outbid herself twice to secure this Upper East Side penthouse, months before it officially reached the market. Yet she says she moved because she had found a designer: Allegra O. Eifler, once Ralph Lauren's global director of antiques and vintage, whose work she spotted in a magazine on a transatlantic flight.

Eifler's idea was "a beach house on Fifth Avenue". Across two bedrooms and 3,100 square feet, each room is built around something Corcoran loves, layered with antiques, custom seating, cheerful wallpapers and warm pools of lamplight. Corcoran asked for two unusual things, a rocking chair and a swing. The swing became a pink velvet-lined egg chair in the bedroom, which she likens to a quiet confessional. There is also a custom Scrabble table in the living room, a bunny collection in the powder room and a dining room that seats 24.

Her favourite spot is the garden room, papered in Soane's Linnaeus print, where she starts the day with coffee. Beyond it, a wraparound terrace with 12 trees, roses and clematis looks over Central Park. This is a private home, so it's one to enjoy in pictures, especially if you like rooms meant for sitting in rather than admiring.

Our summary of a story from Architectural Digest, published 21 October 2026. Read the original

Photos: Architectural Digest · See all 8