A 360-Degree View of the City

Jamie Heiberger has always lived in New York and says she doesn't plan on ever leaving the city. Ms. Heiberger, along with her husband, Paul Jacobsen, and 2-year-old twins, has recently settled into her latest New York home, a two-bedroom apartment in Murray Hill.

Ms. Heiberger and Mr. Jacobsen, who both grew up on Long Island, bought their 17th floor apartment with 360-degree views in November 2002. The apartment had been divided in two, but the previous owners combined them into one that comprises the entire floor of the building. The couple decided to gut renovate their new purchase in order to make the space more personal.

"The previous owners bought both apartments and combined them, but it was a botched job," Ms. Heiberger, the founder of the real estate law firm Heiberger & Associates, said. "The living room used to be a closed den."

The living room now has been completely opened up into a large loft-like space. Dark wood wide-beam floors were installed in the main area of the apartment, where large windows along the east side of the apartment offer views of the East River. A seating area near the apartment's entrance has four armless navy blue velvet chairs from Crate & Barrel, a custom-made wooden bar, and a living area with a custom-made camel-colored velvet couch that fits neatly into the corner.

Objects in the apartment have been kept to a bare minimum because, Ms. Heiberger said, the couple wanted the apartment to look like a sleek city place and wanted to avoid clutter. There are a few floor-size plants filling the large space, and family pictures along with a couple paintings hang on the walls.

"We wanted it to be chic, and have a New York City feel to it. We are really into plants — trees especially — and they give a nice feel of life in the apartment," Ms. Heiberger said.

The kitchen, where the family eats all its meals, is on the north side of the apartment. Nearby is a room that doubles as the twins' playroom and a bedroom with a fold-up Murphy bed for the twins' nanny. The room was intended to be the couple's dining room, but Ms. Heiberger found out she was pregnant after she and her husband had designed the apartment, so they quickly made adjustments. They are planning to renovate the room again soon, extending the room into the living area, since the twins are getting bigger and need more space .

In addition to redesigning the layout of the apartment, the couple paid great attention to the lighting. "We're into lights," Ms. Heiberger said. "Everything is on dimmers." In particular, they focused on the lighting in the main area of the apartment so it would look great at night as well as during the day. "When it's dark here, it's amazing," Ms. Heiberger said.

In the bedroom, though, Ms. Heiberger wanted a more romantic atmosphere, so small chandeliers hang very low over the nightstands on each side of the bed.The bedroom walls are painted in a mauve color, with earth tones for the master bath. The inspiration for the bathroom design came from the bathroom in the Four Seasons located in Kona, Hawaii, where they stayed once on a vacation.

One advantage of the apartment is its location, exactly two blocks away from where Ms. Heiberger works. She wanted to live close to her office, which she has been in since 1996, so that she could easily go home during the day to see her children. Ms. Heiberger describes herself and her husband as New Yorkers who spend most of their time below 35th street — when they are not going to the Hamptons, that is. They have spent the summer renovating their second home there.

Still, the city is Ms. Heiberger's first love. "I'm not moving out of New York," she said. "I don't want to commute, ever — and I see myself working for a long time."