Though the front of the house is original, successive add-ons over the years caused the home to feel increasingly disjointed, and its early character became harder and harder to discern. "It was as if there were extensions added on with no master plan and no thought process as to the flow of the property," explains Moore. "And so everywhere you went, there was a jog, a dip, a step up, a step down, a step up. There was no connection point."
Ulla Johnson's new Madison Avenue boutique unfolds like a portrait. The 2,000-square-foot storefront is layered with objects the Galerie Creative Mind designer has gathered over decades, from a bronze sculpture by artist Alma Allen to a vintage Fratelli Marelli mirror, each gesture grounding the shop in a richly personal atmosphere. "Having grown up on the Upper East Side," says Johnson, who launched her namesake label in 1999, "our new boutique represents not just an important moment for the brand, but also a true homecoming."