Family’s East Village home is full of ‘good vibes’
The De Cabrol family: L-R: Bara (holding Wilfred), Annabelle, Sebastien,
Roger with Ludwig on a chair that Roger designed, inspired by Dali.
BY BOB KRASNER
Today, the East Village home of
Bara and Roger de Cabrol houses
their children Annabelle and
Sebastien, the fluffy canines Ludwig
and Wilfried, artwork, books, music
and some fabulous furniture.
But back in 1905, their second-floor
dwelling held nothing but horse drawn
PHOTOS BY BOB KRASNER
carriages. The first floor was a stable
with an elevator, where the children’s
rooms are now, that carried the carriages
to the upper floors (there are six
in all).
Thanks to an architect who renovated
the building several years ago,
the space was converted beautifully, retaining
the brick walls and wood beam
ceilings.
“We were lucky though,” says Roger
(pronounced roe-zhay). “He ran out of
money when he got to the upper floors
– they are not as nice.”
Though the loft is filled with hints
of their profession – they are interior
decorators – it is not a stuffy designer
showcase. There are striking elements
throughout – such as their son’s bed
tucked into an elevator shaft and the
chairs designed by Roger that look like
stiletto heels – but it is a comfortable,
eclectic home filled with the warmth
of their energy and ideas, as well as
memorabilia of lives that were already
quite full before they met, through mutual
friends.
Bara, notably the daughter of singer/
actress Petula Clark, was born in London
and lived in Paris, but the family
left during the riots of 1968 to live in
Geneva, a place she is not particularly
fond of.
“You have to have a lobotomy to live
in Switzerland,” she casually remarks.
She attended school in Geneva, Los
Angeles and Las Vegas, but “officially
L-R: Roger De Cabrol holding
Ludwig, Bara De Cabrol holding
Wilfred.
resided” in Switzerland.
Roger (a Baron, incidentally) was
born in San Francisco, but comes from
a French family that can claim to be
descended from the man who invented
Toile de Jouy, the first French process
for printing onto fabric.
He’s lived in Mexico, gone to boarding
school in France, owned a recording
studio in Ibiza, worked for Salvador
Dali and luckily ended up in New York,
where he met Bara at a party in 1995.
She happened to be in the city, taking a
break from her home in Miami, where
she was working for a food magazine
and studying psychology.
“I was never going to get married or
have children!” she exclaims. Nevertheless,
a year later they tied the knot during
a snowstorm in the French Alps and
began a family.
Before settling into the carriage
house east of Avenue B on 2nd Street
twelve years ago, they rented various
spaces in the East Village and did a
stint on the Upper East Side. Like most
people who live here, they love it.
“It’s the most relaxed neighborhood
in New York – nobody judges you,” offers
Roger, who, like the rest of the
family speaks Spanish and French as
well as English. “We actually say hello
to people – not like the Upper East
Side, where you say hello to your doorman
and that’s it.”
“It’s very mixed, very creative,” adds
Bara. “There’s good music – sometimes
bad music – and there’s still characters
running around. I’ve lived in a lot of
beautiful places, like Paris, but what I
love about it here is the people.” And,
she adds, “Tompkins park has the best
dog run in New York!”
Although she had a career as a jewelry
designer, Bara now works with Roger
in his interior design business. His
Roger De Cabrol in a tug of war
with Ludwig.
work has earned much praise from his
clients, some of whom he has worked
with for decades. His first pro gig was
designing Paloma Picasso’s showroom
and his work has been showcased in
Architectural Digest, New York Magazine,
Elle Decor, House Beautiful and
even the New York Post, among many
others.
The couples’ love of art and music is
evident everywhere and Roger – who
once managed Alan Vega – is happy
to point out whose work is hanging on
the walls, including their good friend
Dustin Pittman’s images of David Bowie,
Iggy Pop and Lou Reed.
More info: rogerdecabrol.com
Bara De Cabrol in a swing that
came from Colombia.
18 January 9, 2020 Schneps Media
/rogerdecabrol.com
