The 2,700sf apartment renovation in a prestigious NYC neighborhood is the 16th floor of a 1930’s building. The renovation fuses stately home with contemporary art gallery.

The clients’ son a gifted industrial designer and graduate from one of the best Design Schools curated his parent’s art collection from amongst his most talented fellow students, a collection that captures the early work of the potential next generation of New York artists. The works are bold, abstract, and large and feature predominately throughout the apartment. The son’s sybaritic, web-shaped, bent rusted steel coffee table sits proudly in the middle of the main space.

The Architect sets out to create an environment that elegantly frames the pleasures of living and entertaining while providing a stimulating backdrop to the unique art collection on display. The layout includes an elegant open entertaining space with a formal dining area. Large expansive art walls were created for the collection by eliminating closets, openings, and doorways.

The clients asked that the public areas of the apartment retain selected pre-war details. The original herringbone hardwood floors at the entry, living room, and dining room were restored. The removal of a dropped ceiling in the living room revealed beamed ceilings with plaster crown moldings, matching the ceilings in the entry and dining rooms. The Architect then gave a “new” historic detail a modern twist with innovative trim detail around each of three enlarged portals. The portal trim is custom, bold, and intentionally over-scaled. At the same time, it utilizes negative space with shallow centrioles to generate a sensuous shadowing effect.

The existing rear area, typical in buildings of this age, resembled a maze housing the former kitchen, laundry, and servants’ quarters. LHWA’s biggest functional challenge was to simplify the circuitous circulation path in this area among a quagmire of existing pipe chases and building structure. An open passageway creates an elegant resolution permeated by natural light at the north-east window wall. The passageway became an anterior space to the relocated galley kitchen, full guest/powder room, and a den. The clients were delighted with the addition of a flex-bedroom created out of the former kitchen, enhancing real estate value and flexibility. This room has become one of the most utilized rooms in the apartment.

The flow-through galley kitchen for a family with epicurean aptitude is equipped with professional appliances, plenty of low-maintenance countertops. Contemporary dropped ceilings in secondary spaces house a two-zone fully centralized AC system; full height ceilings are maintained in the primary areas: entry gallery, living, dining, and bedroom areas.

The space is visually clean and elegant with an edgy urban vibe. It is the culmination of decluttered spatial planning for bold new artwork set within a historicist framework.