Wesley Vultaggio is certainly not the first person to purchase a home, adapt it to his strong vision, and then, later on, renovate again to align with his evolved lifestyle. But the transformation of the businessman and creative director’s SoHo loft—a 4,200-square-foot space in a former New York factory building with original Corinthian-style columns—is nothing if not dramatic.
Before marrying Michael McCarty in 2022, Vultaggio partnered with his good friend, Studio MBM founder and architect Maurizio Bianchi Mattioli, on an update that stripped away black damask wallpaper—and so much more. The bathroom metamorphosis was one that all parties especially craved. It had previously featured a teak tub and a garage-style door, which opened up onto the bedroom. “Maurizio presented a phenomenal concept of how to make it what I really wanted, which was the sexiest hotel spa bathroom that you’ve ever seen,” says Vultaggio.
Now it’s Vultaggio’s favorite space, and the area is clad entirely—and meticulously—in gray quartzite with brass accents. Bianchi Mattioli says they looked to Brutalist references for inspiration, and “took advantage of the 16-foot ceiling heights…. Even though the bathroom is extremely sculptural, it’s very functional too. The back becomes a display wall for objects that bring a lot of color.”
The bathroom is, like the entire loft, utilitarian. And yet, the focus of the home remains aimed squarely on art. Vultaggio began acquiring pieces somewhat casually six years ago, with the help of art advisor Chris Wolf, a close friend. While the loft’s massive walls left plenty of room for larger acquisitions, smaller pieces—a Pablo Picasso vase and Jean Cocteau plates, for example—can’t help but stand out. One wall in the dining room was a yearslong effort to fill. The final choice was a Sterling Ruby canvas that enchanted Vultaggio. “I was like, ‘Oh my god, it’s perfect. It’s insane looking!”
Unintentionally, much of Vultaggio’s art and furniture come from young and/or New York City–based artists and designers. Thirty-something-year-old Jake Szymanski, based in the Bronx, is one of the avant-garde creatives behind a series of blackened metal tables and stools, which intermix with statement pieces by the likes of Faye Toogood and Wendell Castle.
One notable exception is Milan-based AD100 designer Vincenzo de Cotiis, who crafted a desk purchased from SoHo’s now-shuttered Studio Oliver Gustav. “I quickly became obsessed with his work and the idea of furniture as art,” says Vultaggio, who eventually flew to Italy for a meeting to select fabrics for his sofa, dining room bench, and chairs. On that trip, the concept for a prismatic floating bar, “designed from scratch,” was also discussed. That spacious corner, previously an afterthought, was reimagined by Bianchi Mattioli with sleekly sumptuous emerald green Dimorestudio chairs, a de Cottis side table, and a neon Tracey Emin work—Another World.
And yet, the loft still maintains a distinctive ability to feel lived-in. “Maurizio and I could have gone a little more severe with the bedroom,” says Vultaggio of the previously all-black space. “But Michael wanted to make sure we kept a little bit of a soft touch, because at the end of the day we’re sleeping there. It’s not all about aesthetics. It has to feel warm, especially when we have kids—we want them to be able to jump in our bed and not hit their head on some sharp metal piece.”
There’s no risk of that in the hug of a velvety mohair bed Bianchi Mattioli designed for the couple. The pair, who are six five and six six, respectively, wanted something large enough to be comfortable, without sacrificing elegance. The same could be said for the room at large. “There’s this overlay of textures, from the Japanese plaster walls to the green carpet,” says the designer, who collaborated with Jake Szymanski and Eric Bruce on a linen and horsehair weave for the bedroom’s Roman shades. “When the light hits them it creates this beautiful wash of light,” says Bianchi Mattioli. “It’s romantic, in a way.” Of the room overall, Vultaggio says, “We’re so happy because it feels like exactly who we are as people.”
Likewise, their cave-like media room, which features lacquered gray bookshelves, is bursting with fabulous design and art objects, expressions of themselves amassed during travels to Bhutan, Bali, and beyond. “Maurizio is one of my best friends, and everything he recalibrated for us showcases that love, for our friendship, and for my husband and me,” says Vultaggio. “It has that warmth. He made it feel like ours.”