NBC’s Open House NYC showcases the Jersey City home of Fort Street Studio VP Paul Melo and his partner, Tom Walko.

Paul and Tom needed a space where they could merge their collections informed by their professional worlds – interior design and fashion.

When you walk in the unit – you enter to the western bell tower of the church and come into a brick foyer lined with Paul’s collection of religious icons, stone geodes, an  Indian tree of life panel and stained glass window from Innsbruck, Austria.

As you enter the apartment at the top of the stairs, you’re immediately taken by the vaulted ceilings and gothic arches. These created the perfect backdrop for their collections. The decisions on the furnishings were informed by the existence of the gothic arches. The architecture rules the space, so even the height of the sofa, which is commensurate with the bottom of the arches, had to submit to the visual weight of the arcs.

The loops in the arms of the deco chairs mimic the shape of the same arches in the space.

The 24 feet tall ceilings allowed the addition of a loft space which you reach via spiral staircase.

A dining area and a library are found in the loft space where a Thai silk shag carpet named LOOY invites you to get cozy on the floor. One of the things that is integral to their design aesthetic is to incorporate the handmade and the handcrafted.

When you enter the principal bedroom, you are engulfed by a very calm color palette of navies, taupes, and browns. Tom’s favorite color is navy, which naturally lead to their choosing PLAID Blue carpet in wild silk for this room.

This home is truly a melding of their two lives and favorite objects, art, and furnishings.

Please watch the full tour HERE.