Melanie Griffith redecorates New York home following marriage split

Actress Melanie Griffith has given her New York apartment a design overhaul as she adjusts to single life again following her split from Antonio Banderas. The Working Girl star, 56, filed for divorce to end the couple’s 18-year marriage last month (Jun14) and she has been focusing her attentions on revamping the luxury Big Apple pad the former couple bought in 2004.
Griffith, who also shares homes in Los Angeles and Aspen, Colorado with her estranged husband, admits she loves to spend time in New York City when she can and she has been finding solace following their break-up in redecorating.
She has opened up her home, which boasts views of Central Park, for People magazine and reveals she got rid of the previous 1940s feel in favour of an Old Hollywood glamour vibe.
Her longtime friend and interior designer, Kari Whitman, says, “She loves red, so everything has a splash of red.”
Griffith continues, “It’s elegant and wild at the same time. It’s got more pizzazz… I never thought I would be excited about decorating.”
Discussing her love for the home, she explains, “For a long time we used to do Thanksgiving here because we could watch the (holiday) parade and cook everything.”
The actress also keeps two bedrooms strictly for her daughters Dakota Johnson, 24, and Stella Banderas, 17, for when they visit, adding, “There’s lots of family, so it’s nice to have everybody come and chill out.”
However, Griffith insists the pad still needs a little work: “I don’t think it’s completely finished yet. But it’s a happy place.”
The home redecoration is not the only way the star has been trying to take her mind of her broken marriage – she is also undergoing laser removal procedures to erase Banderas’ name from a large heart inking on her arm.