Julianne Moore Trades Her Manhattan Town House for a Serene, Light-Filled Duplex Atop a 1920s Building

Proving that in another life she could have been a designer, the Oscar-winning actor puts her signature stamp on a new place in her beloved Greenwich Village neighborhoodLots of well-known actors, musicians, and athletes have properties in Manhattan. And developers have long responded to the perceived needs of these celebrities by crafting buildings offering porte cocheres so they can arrive and depart in secret, private elevators to whisk them to their apartments without encountering anyone, and discreet staff who help minimize their contact with the city itself.Julianne Moore, wearing Bottega Veneta and an ear cuff by Messika, looks out from her window-wrapped kitchen. Fashion styling by Kate Young. Julianne Moore is not of that ilk. The actor and her husband, film director Bart Freundlich, have always been engaged downtown New Yorkers. They raised their two children in the West Village, first in a loft and then in a town house with a beautiful garden (created with designer Brian Sawyer), which was featured twice in AD. Both homes were renovated and refined by her brother-in-law, AD100 architectural designer Oliver Freundlich. And each of them was infused with Moore’s passion for design.In the living room, a sofa and chairs by Charles Pfister for Knoll and a Charlotte Perriand stool surround a George Nakashima coffee table. On walls, artworks by Louise Bourgeois (left) and Nan Goldin; rug by Beni. ART: © 2026 The Easton Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Nan Goldin / Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco and Gagosian, New York. © The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS).The mantel holds a collection of bronze pieces by Rogan Gregory, Nancy Pearce, Lisa Eisner, and Moore herself alongside a bowl and tin can by Tiffany & Co. (at far end). Moore, wearing a suede shirt, jeans, and earrings all by Bottega Veneta, in the window seat. A Jos Devriendt lamp sits atop a Carl Auböck side table. Isamu Noguchi Akari floor lamp; Rug’N Roll stool by Budde. Hair By Orlando Pita At Home Agency; Makeup by Romy Soleimani At E-Artists Agency; Nails By Elle Gerstein At A-Frame Agency.Furrowed Bowl by Nancy PearceAkari BB3-33S Lantern by Isamu NoguchiBeni Solid Natural Wool Knotted RugAbalone Incense Holder by Lisa EisnerShelving in the entry/library Holds Moore’s Academy Award, books, and family memorabilia. In the entry/library, vintage tortoise shells hang to the right of a T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings shelf from Lobel Modern topped with a Picasso ceramic and mica glass candlesticks by Sophie Dries. On the south terrace, black outdoor furniture by Richard Schultz for Knoll is paired with vintage white Bertoia chairs. A white ceramic vase by Completedworks sits on the table. Terrace landscaping by Tom Volk of Summerhill Associates. “For years I wanted to live in a town house, but that desire morphed as the kids got older. Lives change. We had a cottage in Montauk, but then our kids grew up—literally,” she says with a laugh. “One is five-ten and the other is six-foot-two. So, now we have a big house in Montauk.” That larger beach house freed her from the need for a big city place, and so, like many empty nesters, the couple decided to downsize. “I am always looking,” she says. “Sometimes it seemed I must have looked at every apartment in the neighborhood.”She got lucky when a two-bedroom duplex smack in the center of the Village came on the market. “I had always wanted this apartment,” she confesses. “I had spotted it when I was wandering.” Perched on a high floor, every window takes in the city views she loves—water towers, decorative brick and tilework, arches and columns, and rooftop gardens. And its sprawling terraces eased the pain of losing her lush garden. The building had been constructed in the 1920s as a residential hotel. “Most of the units are studios or one-bedrooms,” she explains. “Because of that, there’s a diverse group who live here, lots of young people in small apartments or older people who have been here for years. It’s super funky.”Moore, wearing a Bottega Veneta dress and an ear cuff by Messika, at the kitchen’s Raoul Guys table surrounded by French midcentury chairs purchased in Paris. Paavo Tynell pendant from Wyeth. In the primary bedroom, a custom bed by Dune is dressed in Matouk linens. Vintage Anglepoise lamps sit atop bedside tables, also by Dune. Photograph of the moon by Bart Freundlich. Pailla wall lamps by Eileen Gray flank the primary bath’s mirrored medicine cabinet. Lefroy Brooks sink fittings; handwoven basket by Deborah Needleman. On the east terrace, Richard Schultz for Knoll chairs pull up to a round teak dining table by Barlow Tyrie; ceramic stool by Marianne Vissiere from 1950 Gallery. A wooden bowl from Asheville, North Carolina, sits atop a vintage American driftwood sculpture in the entry/library. On walls, photograph by Robin Rice and a ceramic piece by Isabel Rower. The kitchen windows take in views of the NYC skyline. Custom cabinetry with Nanz hardware; Waterstone faucet. In the entry/library, Moore, wearing a Khaite sweater, Issey Miyake skirt, and Messika earrings, sits at a Pierre Chapo table from Magen H. Other furnishings include a T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings shelf from Lobel Modern, a pair of black 1952 chairs by Martin Eisler, and a Paavo Tynell floor lamp from Eric Philippe. Vintage tortoise shells; custom bookshelves. Yali Glass Boboli Murano VaseLC14 Tabouret Maison Du Bresil by Le CorbussierConoid Coffee TableML 1.2 Chair by Massimilano LocatelliThe eight-month renovation was the sixth project she and Oliver have worked on together. “We hit the ground running,” she says. “Fortunately, the woman who had lived here for 20 years had exquisite taste, and the apartment had been beautifully maintained. Most of the changes we made were cosmetic.” Adds Freundlich, “The trick was to make the place functional but without losing any of the magic. We didn’t change the layout, though we did a lot of editing, reducing patterns, simplifying, adding storage.” The kitchen, which is surrounded by its original steel-framed windows, has no upper cabinets, he points out. “So we installed an adjacent pantry.” The angled wall of the primary bedroom made fitting in a closet a challenge. But Freundlich solved the puzzle while retaining room for a king-size bed and enough bare floor for Moore to practice her beloved yoga.A ceramic pitcher by Jacques Pouchain for Atelier Dieulefit and a red ceramic bowl by Keiko Hasegawa stand atop the kitchen’s Raoul Guys table. In the living room, a chair by Massimiliano Locatelli Editions sits beneath a photograph by David Armstrong. In background, a 1972 Richard Etts plaster lamp from Lobel Modern stands atop an OJAS speaker. light switches here and throughout by Forbes & Lomax. Like Moore’s Style?Shop the chic style of the actor’s home with an editor-curated selection of furniture and decor.In the new Jesse Eisenberg film The Debut, Moore plays an unassuming housewife who becomes a passionate, though struggling method actor after being cast in a small role at her local community theater. The role must have been a stretch, since Moore has been awarded virtually every major acting honor, including the Academy Award (hers is discreetly tucked away on a shelf in the entry/library). But there is little doubt Moore would have made a superb interior designer. “My taste is consistent,” she says, “though it has evolved. I love modernism. But this apartment is prewar, and you have to address that. It’s not tiny, but it’s not massive, either, so materials and choices become even more important.” Freundlich weighs in, “Believe me, Julie scrutinized every switch and knob.”On the kitchen counter, a Vallauris lamp from Magen H sits alongside a wooden bowl from Cibone O’te, a vintage American crock holding utensils, and a Japanese iron teapot. Another view of the kitchen. Ngala Trading Vetiver BasketCeramic Faceted Teapot by Adam RossLa Danse Ceramic Plate by Pablo PicassoIKEA Kolbjörn Shelf UnitA 1972 plaster lamp by Richard Etts from Lobel Modern sits atop an OJAS speaker set on a Le Corbusier LC14 stool by Cassina. At right is a student sculpture from the Art Students League. A photograph by Thomas Struth hangs above a French midcentury bench from Magen H. In foreground, a stool by Charlotte Perriand. Two nestlike baskets are set on a triangular stool (one of a pair) by Charlotte Perriand from 1950 Gallery. Another view of the entry/library. Willow Wastepaper Basket by Deborah NeedlemanCeramic Rooster by Jacques PouchainVintage Weaving as a Metaphor Book by Sheila HicksAnglepoise 1227 Desk LampThe furnishings are a mix of pieces the couple already owned, and ones specifically purchased for the apartment. The Paavo Tynell light fixture in the kitchen hung in her former home. The shades were made from fabric once used for curtains. “The dining chairs I got in Paris in 1995,” she says, “and they’ve been in every house I’ve had since.” But the Pierre Chapo table in the entry, the Raoul Guys table in the kitchen, and the living room seating by Charles Pfister for Knoll are all new additions.“We were stumped occasionally,” she admits. “The bookcases in the library were lacquered in a taupe color—the owner had worked with [color expert] Donald Kaufman. We considered taking them out, but Oliver and I decided to work with them.” The living room mantel was another sticking point. “I had in mind something sculptural, like a Valentine Schlegel piece,” she says. But something so dramatic might have overwhelmed the space, so instead they opted for a geometric, softly finished marble version, which is now topped with examples of her own cast-bronze objects.The primary bath features a Kohler tub with lefroy Brooks fittings. Mjölk Hinoki stool. A small Nanna Ditzel table stands next to an Axel Einar Hjorth chair from Hostler Burrows. Looking into the living room. Terrace landscaping by Tom Volk of Summerhill Associates, a part of the Summerhill Landscapes Group. The results couldn’t please her more. “It feels very serene here,” she says. And the city she loves is omnipresent. “I wanted a sense of history, of time, of all the people who have lived here before us. We’re just passing through. That’s the magic of New York City.”This story appears in the November issue. Never miss a story when you subscribe to AD.Not a subscriber? 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