You may not know the name Jack O’Kelley, or Rusty, as his friends call him. But this 38-year-old management consultant is a rising star of the philanthropic set. He’s the sort of professional problem-solver that boards love to have around. He’s already joined up with New Yorkers for Children, the Appleseed Foundation, Bennett College for Women, the New York Public Library Young Lions, and the Jazz Museum in Harlem.

His talent for strategy and planning also extends into his home life. When Mr. O’ Kelley moved to an 1,864-square-foot apartment in central Chelsea from a 6,000-square-foot English Tudor in Washington, D.C., he undertook the renovation of his apartment as a consultant would: with systematic efficiency.

The apartment is on the second floor of a 12-story luxury condominium completed in 2002.Mr.O’Kelley employed architect Ate Atema, who trained under Frank Gehry, to straighten out the walls that – even in a new building – were a bit off kilter. The hallway to the bedroom became a crisp, defined space by moving an existing doorway. The wall separating the guest bedroom from the living room was replaced with a beige silk curtain, giving the space greater flexibility. Mr. Atema also brought in custom-built translucent glass doors that glow at night and bring in natural light during the day.

“With relatively limited interventions, we gave the space its own identity. It didn’t feel like a developer project anymore,” Mr. Atema said.

Next came decorating. Mr. O’Kelley did this on his own, with a Modern and Art Deco aesthetic in mind. He invested in rich finishes such as mahogany floors, Sapele wood paneling, and silk and ultra-suede wall coverings. He rolled out his Persian carpets for the floors. During trips abroad, he shopped for furniture in the Paris flea market and the Brussels antiques district.

In his art purchases, he’s followed the example of friends. Through his philanthropic work, he has met active collectors who have guided him, and last fall he bought an intensely colorful Miro pastel.

In the entrance of the apartment is “Un Trio Passione,” a painting of flowers in red hues by Parisan artist Janipole W. The focal point in the living room is “Woman Waiting,” a nude in a palette of reds and browns, by the painter and Georgetown University law professor Sheryl Cashin. Mr. O’Kelley recently hung a series of black-and-white photographs of New York in the 1950s by Louis Stettner.

The end result is a gracious and refined apartment that makes entertaining easy. “I’m not someone who does style over comfort,” he said.

But it’s the personal history behind some of Mr. O’ Kelley’s collection that makes the apartment a home. There’s a great story behind the two-person bench and coffee table in his bedroom: His great-great-aunt, Claudia O’Kelley, was a cook for Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr., the son of the president. He gave the O’Kelleys many objects, including the bench and Roosevelt silver, engraved with the letter “R,” some of which sits in a drawer in the kitchen.

Then there are the works in the gallery signed by Alex Haley, who was a guest at the home of Mr. O’Kelley’s parents in Burlington, N. C., a town that figures in “Roots.”

A few weeks later, Haley sent a gift – photographs of Burlington accompanied by passages from “Roots.” When Mr. O’Kelley set out on his own after graduating Yale Law School, those prints were the first items he retrieved for his new home.

“Wherever I live, I’ll always have a place for these,” Mr. O’Kelley said.

The heirlooms come up often in conversation at his parties. One that’s become an institution follows the gala for the Studio Museum in Harlem, which conveniently has taken place a block away from his apartment. The night starts with a bash with 1,000 couture clad guests, then near midnight, a select group kicks back at Mr. O’Kelley’s.

“People sit on the floor with their shoes off. They’re comfortable,” Mr. O’Kelley said.And that’s exactly what he wanted.