As one famous fictional columnist and fashionista said, Anything is possible. This is New York. And if Francis ToumbakarisGreek immigrant, former ballet dancer, handyman, general contractor, and now founder and lead interior designer of his own firm, Francis Interiorsproves anything with his latest project, a five-story West Village town house, its that Carrie Bradshaw was right.For a dream West Village town house, Toumbakaris introduced a narrative that began in the early 1900s and advanced a few decades on each of its five floors. Really, every floor tells a different part of my story, each is a unique vignette, says the owner. Its a very special, magical house.The total makeover he gave the 1861 forever home of his client, a tech companys chief marketing officer, is a fantasy composed of abundant, sumptuous de Gournay and Phillip Jeffries wall coverings, Murano fixtures, Scalamandr velvets, and marble mantles. Its also one of the speediest renovations imaginable for Manhattan, having taken place in a mere 11 months, including a down-to-the-studs rejiggering of the house and custom everything. I practically slept there, says Toumbakaris, the AD PRO Directory member.The interior designer was thrilled to do that for a beloved client with whom this is his fifth collaboration in close to as many years. For their first project together in 2018, Toumbakaris says, everything came straight off the shelf. This time it was the exact opposite: She handed him a signed checkbook. I always say for this particular client I speak her soul. The synergy between us is something really magical. It took them two vintage shopping trips and fewer than 10 design meetings, thanks in part to the homeowner being an ultradecisive, type A maximalist who trusts Toumbakaris implicitly. Not much is decided without my input, she says, but we speak the same design language.For the fifth floor living room, the clients partner asked for the space to be inspired by a luxury yacht interior. Along with an exposed brick soffit, Toumbakaris designed custom millwork and a fireplace mantle that pair with a Vanguard sectional, hemp Phillip Jeffries walls, a linen Holly Hunt ceiling, Arteriors coffee table, and Ralph Lauren for Visual Comfort chandelier.A sanctuary is what the owner was after in the 2,800-square-foot home, with warm, inviting spaces tailor-made to her lifestyle. Yet she had a less straightforward request too. Toumbakaris recalls the message he received during her first viewing of the house: The minute I walked in I envisioned every floor as a completely different thing, she texted. And by the way, on the second floor I want a 1930s speakeasy bar. When thats the first text for a new project, your brain goes crazy, he says.The Francis Interiors designers approach was, Lets get this done, lets go go go go go! I thrive on drama, he says. Our general contractor [EVGC Corp] got permits and started hammering, and we were designing as they were hammering. For Toumbakaris, a theater person who has also performed on Broadway, Being on the job site is how I designits almost like meditation and enlightenment, all of a sudden things come into my head.For his client, Toumbakaris devised something of a time machine through disparate eras as one moves up in the home, all the while adding a sense of modernity. There were plenty of challenges, but also clever solutions. They retained original floors, doors, windows, and a staircase, the latter winding upward like a ribbon, its walls now covered in custom riveted Phillip Jeffries ivory manila hemp. Imagine you are having a five-course meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant and the stairwell is serving as a palate cleanser, says Toumbakaris.Shop out the look of the house here The kitchen-dining rooms bold, whimsical de Gournay wrapping reflects in the custom high-sheen Lucas Leibman dining table. The dramatic Apparatus hanging light fixture brings a touch of modern elegance to the room, blending with the historical elements, says the owner. There is Calacatta Vagli marble in the brass inlay kitchen, and a Toumbakaris-designed metal and glass shelving unit above the island that added storage for the clients finer things yet didnt obstruct the line of sight.Most PopularCulture + LifestyleThe 47 Most Beautiful Beaches in the WorldBy Katherine McLaughlinArchitecture + DesignAn Interior Designer Transforms Her Familys 19th-Century Vienna ApartmentBy Linne HalpernAD-it-YourselfThese 17 Midcentury Modern Bathrooms Will Sell You on a Retro-Chic MakeoverBy Rachel DaviesThe ground floor kitchen and dining room draws from 1900s Art Nouveau, with golden, hand-painted de Gournay birds flying around it. At first, this all-encompassing artwork was a stretch for the homeowner, who didnt want to feel like she was living inside a gilded cage. But upon installation she sang a different tune.With distressed Phillip Jeffries velvetclad walls and gilded ceiling, the lusciously moody 1930s-style speakeasy features a wraparound custom banquette designed by Toumbakaris, upholstered in discontinued Scalamandr Regale cut velvet fabric that the designer was able to get the brand to make again. A jacquard Gucci armchair and ottoman, Vittoria Frigerio settee and swivel chair, Nourison rug, and Material fireplace complete the inviting furnishings that Toumbakaris insists are not too fancy to put your feet up on. We went to an amazing vintage lighting store in NYC, [High Style Deco], where I got a Murano chandelier from the 1920s for the speakeasywhat a statement, says the owner.The interior designer is proudest of the second floor 1930s-style speakeasy, something new for Toumbakaris. It features his custom designs for a flapper dressinspired bar and a banquette upholstered in a revived Scalamandr cut velvet that snakes around the oddly shaped room. Plush, moody, and one of a kind, its as good if not better than any NYC bar, the client says. Everything in the room is a conversation piece.Art Deco nods include the vintage Murano chandelier they found at High Style Deco and the ceiling coated in a gilded wall covering. (We had an artist gild the molding, says Toumbakaris, its jaw-dropping when you walk in.) The pair are also obsessed with the accompanying powder rooms walls tiled in a mosaic of genuine USA copper pennies the designer says almost feels like a disco ball but its very Alexander Hamilton.Most PopularCulture + LifestyleThe 47 Most Beautiful Beaches in the WorldBy Katherine McLaughlinArchitecture + DesignAn Interior Designer Transforms Her Familys 19th-Century Vienna ApartmentBy Linne HalpernAD-it-YourselfThese 17 Midcentury Modern Bathrooms Will Sell You on a Retro-Chic MakeoverBy Rachel DaviesI work a lot and I love this space, says the owner of the graceful, arch-filled office. Its me. Toumbakaris designed the desk with an internal cord management system, extensive millwork, and a coffee station with refrigerator so she doesnt have to schlep downstairs. The personal touches are plentiful and include window treatments by the Shade Store in a Kravet fabric embroidered with bees (because the owner loves bees), a custom Nourison rug designed with tigers crouching on pink banana leaves, and a niche to showcase the fashion fans favorite handbags. Additionally, the office features a Murano ceiling light, Alberto Murillo paintings, and a Brickfield Furniture Co. desk chair upholstered in Kravet Clarke & Clarke collection.The pair chose an adorable pink Gucci heron wall covering for my office bathroom, says the owner. Every pattern fits the mood of the room. Completing the full bath are a 19th-century mirror, a modern earring light by Visual Comfort, and a Lacava vanity.Most PopularCulture + LifestyleThe 47 Most Beautiful Beaches in the WorldBy Katherine McLaughlinArchitecture + DesignAn Interior Designer Transforms Her Familys 19th-Century Vienna ApartmentBy Linne HalpernAD-it-YourselfThese 17 Midcentury Modern Bathrooms Will Sell You on a Retro-Chic MakeoverBy Rachel DaviesAbove that, the clients midcentury-ish office perfectly encapsulates her. Its fun, playful, pink, feminine, and yet sophisticated at the same time, she says. On the fourth floor, the primary bedroom suites grounded beige palette and retro-glam wall covering evokes late 70s California. Level five is another living space and bar where the clients partner challenged an excited Toumbakaris to fashion after a luxury yacht, while the lush rooftop is a serene escape with stunning views of the city.The owners primary suite occupies the fourth floor, the town houses most serene level. We went for everything thats cream and beige until I presented as a contrast this wall covering [Phillip Jeffries The Grove Luscious Grey], which has these palm trees, says Toumbakaris, Its California meets the 1970s and 1980s. The Room & Board bed is upholstered in Holly Hunt fabric and paired with Vanguard nightstands, Visual Comfort lamps, Materials The Narcissist marble fireplace mantle, and a Hudson Valley Lighting ceiling light.In the small primary bath, Toumbakaris was able to squeeze a double sink into a custom vanity with Water Street Brass hardware. Studium wall tile, Complete Tile floor tile, and an Artistic Tile mosaic envelop the space, with Ralph Lauren for Visual Comfort sconces and Robern medicine cabinets.Most PopularCulture + LifestyleThe 47 Most Beautiful Beaches in the WorldBy Katherine McLaughlinArchitecture + DesignAn Interior Designer Transforms Her Familys 19th-Century Vienna ApartmentBy Linne HalpernAD-it-YourselfThese 17 Midcentury Modern Bathrooms Will Sell You on a Retro-Chic MakeoverBy Rachel DaviesThe home is by no means the culmination of the dynamic duos collaborationsthey plan to do more places together, most likely with unrealistic timelines realized. But its an evolution still, a recognition of their aesthetic growth over six years, from playful to playfully polished. I was always very conscious that this could not look like a TV or Broadway set, that it still needed to feel like a home and it still needed to be on the Earth, feet on the ground, despite its flamboyance, says Toumbakaris. And we achieved it.Shes a real neighborhood gal; she loves to entertain, says Toumbakaris of the homeowner. People are always gathering around the bar. The Broadway performer turned interior designer drew inspiration from flapper dresses when designing the speakeasys bar, which features Rocky Mountain Hardware, Kalandula NY stone countertops, and customized fluted bar stools from Artistic Frame upholstered in Scalamandr fabric with Samuel & Sons tassels. The Shade Store custom made the Kravet window treatments with valences upholstered in Scalamandr fabric.The powder rooms authentic USA copper penny tile walls by Indy Penny Tile make Toumbakaris swoon, alongside 1930s sconces from Carlos Antiques and mirrored tile and sink by Country Floors atop an apothecary cabinet from Etsy.Most PopularCulture + LifestyleThe 47 Most Beautiful Beaches in the WorldBy Katherine McLaughlinArchitecture + DesignAn Interior Designer Transforms Her Familys 19th-Century Vienna ApartmentBy Linne HalpernAD-it-YourselfThese 17 Midcentury Modern Bathrooms Will Sell You on a Retro-Chic MakeoverBy Rachel DaviesWith a beyond lightning-fast timeline, contractor EVGC Corp got it all done in 11 months, including a nice, beautiful little roof for [the owner] with a Crate & Barrel sofa, West Elm chairs and planters, and landscaping by Viewpoints Design.Shop it out:De Gournay Namban Polished Copper Gilded PaperHomArt Kingston Metal TrayRed Ocean Jasper Altar BowlCB2 Fitz Swivel ChairBella Drink TableGlass Top Coffee Table by Maitland-SmithMid-Century Modern ChandelierTarga Swivel Barrel Chair By InterludeMade Goods Gwenora Table Lamp