Style With A S: A Look Inside Sofia Franklyn's New York City Apartment
Sofia Franklyn is highly influential to say the very least. Known for her wit and fashion—her apartment is just as fabulous as she is. Prior to moving into her current place, Franklyn lived with her former Call Her Daddy cohost and another roommate where the only space she had was a small bedroom.
Still, it was an improvement from her first New York City apartment, which was a studio where she survived with just a mattress on the floor. “It was not cute. It was not fun. It was a walk-up that was half, maybe a quarter, of the size of my apartment now. It was interesting to have my kitchen in my bedroom.”
After temporarily moving back in with her family in Utah during the pandemic, she was excited to get back to Manhattan and launch Sofia With An F. Franklyn saw her current apartment online and took a tour on Facetime. She ended up signing a lease without seeing it in person first. “I was just going to take the risk and do it,” she tells me.
Considering all the challenges she was dealing with at the time—the breathtaking water view and generous natural light were exactly what she needed.
Here’s a look at Franklyn’s home.
While the podcaster was super excited to move into the apartment, she knew all eyes would be on where she ended up. Franklyn felt a lot of pressure to design a beautiful home and it was the first time she had the finances to live where she wanted and decorate however she chose. “In my previous apartment, I had just a bed. I never furnished anything. So really, every single piece that I got was like a thrill and so exciting.”
Franklyn moved in without anything except for her old bed, which she tells me was “hideous and needed to go.” She wasn’t sure how she wanted the apartment to look so she began to search for larger pieces.
The first thing she needed was a sofa. The problem was it was mid-pandemic and all the ones she liked were backordered for a year. Then, like most people trying to complete a design project quickly, she made a big mistake. While she loves the aesthetic of her oatmeal-hued sofa, she can’t wait to get rid of it when the time comes.
“I remember when I was purchasing I was like, are we going for comfort or cute and cool? And I went for cute and cool. It's so uncomfortable. I cannot wait for when I go to my next apartment to get an actual comfy couch.”
After choosing the sofa, designer Madison Napier, who happened to be a fan of Franklyn’s emailed her asking if she needed some help. Together they fine-tuned the aesthetic—going for an “eclectic Mexico City meets New York look.”
The designer helped the podcaster turn her vision into a reality by making the space more cohesive. This included sourcing unique statement pieces such as the Lana Chair from Agnes Studios. This fuzzy, textured piece isn’t just a place to sit but also provides a bold pop of color, as do the various plants.
However, Franklyn didn’t splurge on every piece. “I shopped from places including Lulu and Georgia and Wayfair—things that look super high-end but aren’t expensive.”
The podcaster ultimately went with light to mid-toned trend-forward pieces to contrast the home’s dark wood floors and cabinetry. From her sofa to her bed frame and the nightstands in her bedroom—it’s clear Franklyn is also a fan of curved edges. Even her triangular-backed dining stools are curved.
While she loves almost everything in her home, one of her favorite purchases is the art over her bed. “It's simple, it's abstract, it's still sexy, but it was from Etsy. I purchased [a poster] of it years ago and decided to professionally frame it .”
Overall, the apartment has a stylish, calming vibe. It’s clean, tidy, and filled with neutrals. In other words, it’s extremely contrary to Franklyn’s vibrant personality.
So could you call Franklyn a designer? Not yet, but she definitely has an eye for putting things together.