NASCAR Champ Jimmie Johnson’s Wife on His Role Designing Their NYC Apartment: ‘He’s Not Picking Fabrics’
When it came to decorating their New York City apartment, seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series winner Jimmie Johnson’s wife, Chandra, was in the driver’s seat.
“Jimmie’s more interested in the bones of the space and how the layout works,” Chandra tells Architectural Digest. “He’s not picking fabrics.”
His hands-off approach didn’t hold the couple back, though. The racing star and his former-model wife have crafted a space that combines the best of both impeccable design and easy living, thanks, in part, to the help of interior designer Shawn Henderson, who they’ve previously turned to for homes in Tulsa, Aspen and Manhattan.
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“We just talked about how Jimmie and I live with our children, the way we like to entertain — basically, the life we want to lead,” Chandra recalls of the strategy behind the space.
The couple, whose main residence is in Charlotte, ended up settling on a flexible floor plan for their city pied-à-terre in which the kitchen and dining room can be opened or closed to the living room.
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“I fell in love with that mustardy color, and we decided that would be the main pop of color,” Henderson says of the couch and rug that carry the shade throughout.
Now, the Johnsons’ city pad serves as a spot for the two to unwind and spend time with daughters Evie, 6, and Lydia, 3. And while their impressive art collection and upscale furnishings might suggest their urban dwelling is all sophistication, AD’s Mayer Rus points out of his visit to the home, “the girls might easily be driving go-karts through the hallways or racing slot cars on a toy track in the living room,” to keep the playful (and competitive) spirit alive.
To see more photos of the Johnsons’ home, visit Architectural Digest, or pick up the February issue, on newsstands now.
