On point: Misty Copeland

Misty Copeland's home design talking with California Closets

World-famous ballet dancer Misty Copeland knew exactly what she wanted: an apartment with easy luxury and a chic dressing room of her own

To be a dancer, a Sugar Plum Fairy, a ballerina, is a fairy-tale fantasy, but Misty Copeland, the first Black principal dancer in American Ballet Theatre’s 75-year history, has made it a reality.

And her sumptuous apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, purchased two years ago with her husband, lawyer Olu Evans, reflects the life she lives and the life she dreamed.

Misty in ballerina outfit tying her shoein Ideas of Order Magazine for California Closets

The couple enlisted the know-how of Los Angeles–based interior designer Brigette Romanek when, as Copeland has said, she realized how making a home involves many layers. Evans is quoted as saying they chose Romanek as a person of color for the cultural connection she would bring to the project, among other attributes. Romanek worked with Evans and Copeland to make the apartment a center of calm in the life of two busy urban professionals, incorporating lush fabric, velvet, silk, linen, and suede, along with dramatic area rugs, to add beauty as well as function to the classic three-bedroom apartment. Works by artists of color like painter Asuka Anastacia Ogawa and photographer Lorna Simpson are featured throughout.

Beautiful colors, textures and materials in Misty Copeland's NCY

When they began the renovation they had no idea how much time they would be spending there, but Copeland always knew her closet would be, as she told Architectural Digest, “my number-one priority.” Copeland wanted not just a closet, but a special dressing room where she could be alone, feel at peace, and get dressed. This space, created from a spare bedroom, has places for her vast collection of shoes, her dresses, and her handbags. There are full-length mirrors, as well as a dressing table and lots of good natural light. In short, everything she wanted and needed. Like the rest of the apartment, this room reflects Copeland’s desire for simplicity and ease with ample accommodation for her busy, accomplished life.

Femininity and function are the key words in the expansive dressing room with its display of floor-to-ceiling shoe shelves and crystal chandelier.

Custom designed and installed shoe closet for Misty Copeland from California Closets

“Copeland wanted a special dressing room where she could be alone, feel at peace, and get dressed.”

Copeland’s life, and her home, are far different than that of her childhood. Living in a motel room with her mother and five siblings, Copeland was 13 when she decided she wanted to be a ballerina. Being told she was too old and did not have the right body for ballet didn’t deter her. In one year, she was dancing professionally and on point within three months of her first dance class.

Custom walls and bright color palatte in Misty Copelands

A glass-ceiling breaker, Copeland has written books, including her best-selling memoir, Life in Motion; has performed with Prince and Taylor Swift; was the subject of a documentary, Ballerina's Tale; and even has a Barbie doll created in her image.

White ballerina gown with lace and tulle in Misty Copeland’s custom closet by California Closets.

Her professional life is augmented by her commitment to giving back. Stateside, she is involved with programs for at-risk youth and is an advocate for more girls discovering ballet regardless of their age or background. In Rwanda, in 2015, she launched the inaugural girls’ dance program with international nonprofit MindLeaps. In May 2020, she became a creator of Swans for Relief, a virtual performance of international ballet dancers to raise funds for dancers all over the world.

A dynamic woman embracing a changing world, Copeland is a model for young girls everywhere. Dream it. Then make it happen. That’s the point.

CC Design Consultants

Nicole Caswell

Photographers

Bethany Nuert

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On point: Misty Copeland

World-famous ballet dancer Misty Copeland knew exactly what she wanted: an apartment with easy luxury and a chic dressing room of her own

To be a dancer, a Sugar Plum Fairy, a ballerina, is a fairy-tale fantasy, but Misty Copeland, the first Black principal dancer in American Ballet Theatre’s 75-year history, has made it a reality.

And her sumptuous apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, purchased two years ago with her husband, lawyer Olu Evans, reflects the life she lives and the life she dreamed.

Femininity and function are the key words in the expansive dressing room with its display of floor-to-ceiling shoe shelves and crystal chandelier.

“Copeland wanted a special dressing room where she could be alone, feel at peace, and get dressed.”

A glass-ceiling breaker, Copeland has written books, including her best-selling memoir, Life in Motion; has performed with Prince and Taylor Swift; was the subject of a documentary, Ballerina's Tale; and even has a Barbie doll created in her image.

A dynamic woman embracing a changing world, Copeland is a model for young girls everywhere. Dream it. Then make it happen. That’s the point.

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Bring your vision
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And her sumptuous apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, purchased two years ago with her husband, lawyer Olu Evans, reflects the life she lives and the life she dreamed.

Femininity and function are the key words in the expansive dressing room with its display of floor-to-ceiling shoe shelves and crystal chandelier.

A glass-ceiling breaker, Copeland has written books, including her best-selling memoir, Life in Motion; has performed with Prince and Taylor Swift; was the subject of a documentary, Ballerina's Tale; and even has a Barbie doll created in her image.

A dynamic woman embracing a changing world, Copeland is a model for young girls everywhere. Dream it. Then make it happen. That’s the point.

Share

Tags

Bring your vision
to life

On point: Misty Copeland

World-famous ballet dancer Misty Copeland knew exactly what she wanted: an apartment with easy luxury and a chic dressing room of her own

To be a dancer, a Sugar Plum Fairy, a ballerina, is a fairy-tale fantasy, but Misty Copeland, the first Black principal dancer in American Ballet Theatre’s 75-year history, has made it a reality.

And her sumptuous apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, purchased two years ago with her husband, lawyer Olu Evans, reflects the life she lives and the life she dreamed.

Femininity and function are the key words in the expansive dressing room with its display of floor-to-ceiling shoe shelves and crystal chandelier.

“Copeland wanted a special dressing room where she could be alone, feel at peace, and get dressed.”

A glass-ceiling breaker, Copeland has written books, including her best-selling memoir, Life in Motion; has performed with Prince and Taylor Swift; was the subject of a documentary, Ballerina's Tale; and even has a Barbie doll created in her image.

A dynamic woman embracing a changing world, Copeland is a model for young girls everywhere. Dream it. Then make it happen. That’s the point.

Share

Tags

Bring your visionto life

And her sumptuous apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, purchased two years ago with her husband, lawyer Olu Evans, reflects the life she lives and the life she dreamed.

Femininity and function are the key words in the expansive dressing room with its display of floor-to-ceiling shoe shelves and crystal chandelier.

A glass-ceiling breaker, Copeland has written books, including her best-selling memoir, Life in Motion; has performed with Prince and Taylor Swift; was the subject of a documentary, Ballerina's Tale; and even has a Barbie doll created in her image.

A dynamic woman embracing a changing world, Copeland is a model for young girls everywhere. Dream it. Then make it happen. That’s the point.

Share

Tags

Bring your visionto life

Bring your vision
to life

Bring your vision
to life