Thinking back on a series of recent life shifts, Zak Profera—founder of Zak+Fox, the beloved source for fabrics, rugs, pillows, and wall coverings—takes a deep breath. “There were a lot of changes at once,” says Profera, who experienced the concurrent end to a long-term relationship, the passing of his beloved Shiba Inu and brand mascot, Shinji, and the opening of his expansive Manhattan showroom. Even so, he reflects, “you get on your feet again.”

He credits that rebound in large part to his new one-bedroom Manhattan apartment, which he shares with his three-year-old dog, Kuma, another Shiba Inu. “I needed something that was enveloping and cozy and warm,” he says of his new home, situated on the 17th floor of a stately 1930s tower in Chelsea—the same building where he had previously lived for two other stretches since moving to New York City nearly two decades ago. It came with a familiar community of close-knit neighbors, plus it was a short walk to the office. And now, thanks to Profera’s recent transformation of the rooms, it delivers comfort and style in spades, mixing Profera’s own patterns with a conversation-sparking collection of art and objects.

“I have this obsession with faces,” he explains, pointing to a pair of 19th-century Japanese earthenware sculptures of fire gods mounted to the mantelpiece. “If you look around, there’s a lot of people, animals, and figures.” No surprise then he loves to entertain, frequently inviting friends to sink into his custom wraparound dining banquette for languorous dinners while he holds court in a prized Faye Toogood chair. All around, his own designs take center stage—from the bathroom’s Hedera wallpaper to the bedroom’s Ruudukko rug to the Mori stripe that wraps the living room, which is anchored by a working wood-burning fireplace and offers intimate Rear Window views into neighbors’ homes.

Profera came to New York City and the design profession by chance, though looking back, he says, it all felt preordained. At 18, he left his native Los Angeles to study conceptual art in San Francisco. After dropping out of college and moving east, a friend in the rug industry introduced him to what Profera calls the “medieval” romance of textile design. When a brief copy writing stint ended, he decided to try his hand at creating fabrics. “I learned by suffering through it,” Profera confides of that formative period in 2012, when he launched his company, building a reputation for his earthy palettes and globally inspired motifs. Now supported by a team of employees, he debuts three to four collections every year, including, most recently, his third outdoor line, and, next year, a major collaboration that promises to depart from his signature mediums. “We’re trying to lean into things that we haven’t done,” he says with a smile. “Why repeat?”

California, he insists, is still “in my blood,” an influence evident in his sunny bedroom, whose wool-sateen curtains, trimmed in grosgrain, were inspired by LA’s Sunset Tower Hotel. Only here they frame cinematic city vistas for this consummate New Yorker. It’s Profera’s favorite spot in the home, where he’ll often curl up in a vintage Danish armchair with a cup of coffee and snuggles from Kuma—all against a backdrop of his Rapscallion stripes. Reflecting on this morning routine, he notes, “nothing makes me happier.”

Zak Profera’s Chelsea apartment is featured in AD’s May issue. Never miss a story when you subscribe to AD.