Inside Robert Rufino’s Elegant NYC Apartment

Robert Rufino—legendary design editor, stylist, and longtime creative force behind some of New York City’s most iconic window displays—welcomes us into his deeply personal, beautifully curated Sutton Place apartment.

Robert has shaped this one-bedroom home into a visual autobiography, reflecting a life informed by travel, art, design, and collecting. Story-filled pieces—a model hand gifted by his high school art teacher, a portrait of his Jack Russell terrier, and a photograph of a Bendel’s mannequin—speak to Robert’s individuality and innate sense of style.

Over his career, Robert helped shape the visual language of Henri Bendel and Tiffany & Co., contributed to Architectural Digest and House Beautiful, and photographed figures such as Prince Charles and the home of Elizabeth Taylor. That breadth of experience is reflected in how he has transformed this apartment into a world entirely his own.

After more than 15 years, this prewar New York home has become his sanctuary above the city. This is Robert’s world.