Hide And Go Chic inside Essie's 5,000sq-ft home: Nail polish founder opens the doors to her vast - and surprisingly muted - New York apartment

For a woman who has spent more than 30 years coming up with eye-popping nail polish shades Essie Weingarten's home is surprisingly muted.

The 64-year-old founder of Essie Cosmetics gave Architectural Digest an exclusive tour of the 5,000-square-foot New York abode she shares with her entrepreneur husband, Max Sortino.



Apologizing for the somewhat neutral decor, she described it as her 'blank canvas' adding: 'I’ve been around bright colors every single day of my life for 31 years. Here, I need some Zen.'



Contemporary feel: For a woman who has spent more than 30 years coming up with eye-popping nail polish shades Essie Weingarten's home is surprisingly uncolorful

However, there are some colorful possessions dotted around the place.

The familiar shades suggest they may have served as inspiration for Ms Weingarten's ever-expanding paint palette.



Success story: Essie Weingarten started her eponymous brand in 1981

Indeed, in the master bathroom is a chair clothed with fabric similar to the sunny blue Essie shade, Hide And Go Chic.

And in the bedroom are silk pillows and sheets in tones to match Little Brown Dress.

Ms Weingarten, who sold her business to L'Oréal in 2010 but still holds the title of global creative director, previously told Fashionista.com that she has great fun baptizing her polishes.



Asked what she takes into consideration when coming up with monikers, she said: 'I think about a moment, or something that inspires me, like a summer vacation.



'Sometimes it’s an irreverent play on words, a funny story or theme. Ultimately, the names have to be memorable.'

Among the 200 wittily named shades in the Essie collection are Jamaica Me Crazy, Brazilliant and After School Boy Blazer.

Through the keyhole: The 64-year-old founder of Essie Cosmetics gave Architectural Digest an exclusive tour of the 5,000-square-foot New York abode she shares with her entrepreneur husband, Max Sortino

Apologizing for the somewhat neutral decor, she described it as her 'blank canvas' adding: 'I've been around bright colors every single day of my life for 31 years. Here, I need some Zen'

The few colorful items in Ms Weingarten's home suggest they may have served as inspiration for her ever-expanding paint palette (From left, Shifting Power, The Lace Is On and Beach Bum Blu)



Polishes were originally named by number until Essie came on the block in 1981 along with OPI.



Ms Weingarten, a former Henri Bendel’s hosiery saleswoman, set up her business with $10,000 and started out selling door-to-door around Manhattan.



Today Essie nets sales of up to $150million a year and everyone from Madonna to Queen Elizabeth II is a fan.

Ms Weingarten's husband is also involved in the business and currently serves as the head of global business development.

Room to move: The couple's home, located on Manhattan's tree-lined Upper East Side, combines what had once been two separate apartments

The couple's home, located on Manhattan's tree-lined Upper East Side, combines what had once been two separate apartments.

They bought the first nearly 30 years ago and often thought about snapping up an adjacent unit.

When the duplex next door went up for sale in 2009, they finally made the move.

For the full story pick up a copy of Architectural Digest's March issue

To merge the properties, they called on Manhattan-based architect and designer Russell Groves, who they had worked with previously on another home .

According to Mr Groves, the pair wanted their place to be three things: 'Quiet, clean, and serene.'

The construction process took nine months, during which time the couple moved blocks away into a studio that Ms Weingarten bought when she was younger.

When finished, they went about decking out their new open-plan apartment with a mix of contemporary furnishings from brands including Armani/Casa and Calvin Klein home.



The main floor consists of a living room, dining area, media corner, a marble-clad kitchen, butler's pantry and two guest rooms.



Then, tucked away, is Ms Weingarten and Mr Sortino's bedroom, complete with a wooden-paneled master bathroom.