A newly developed New York, Upper East Side apartment with oak plank floors grey walls and ceilings, and white trim through out required an interior renovation to complete a program for a younger family of five. The layout of the apartment stretches from East to West, and the apartment is organized with the main circulation axis of the apartment laid out as a series of hallways connecting three common areas facing West with the private areas towards East.
The brief maintained aspirations to create an experience of calm, comfort and clean lines with tailored casualness and continuity as guiding design parameters.
The program outlined a strategic “surgical” architectural renovation. The scope included revising existing plan for a more functional layout with requirements for built-in storage throughout, simplifying the reflected ceiling plan, as well as adding and replacing architectural and decorative light fixtures in all public and private rooms. The interior scope called for a complete furniture package. It included window and floor treatment, interior accessories, decorative art as well as assistance with coordination of art work and installation plan.
The interior design intent was to generate a cohesive interior with a sense of daylight luminance throughout the spaces based on design continuity. In establishing a contemporary interior with subtle juxtaposition to an otherwise classic prewar apartment this was accomplished by introducing a new vocabulary with light reflective qualities to clad, wrap and built into the existing. The white lacquer panel was introduced as an interior component, a vertical, repetitious and binding millwork element “superimposing” a new scale element onto the existing interiors.
The furnishing selection celebrates a merging of Nordic and Japanese sensibilities, represented in particular with Danish designed curated vintage pieces paired with new, as well as custom designed furniture. A constraint in material use forms the basis of the furniture ensemble.
The color palette of the furnishings is composed of mostly natural materials, taking advantage of their inherent characteristics as a material color/hue palette and making use of a finish range from mat, satin to high gloss. The tonality is set in a white to grey scale accompanied by natural oak, paper cord, taupe leather, glass and steel. The only color introduced is two shades of soft greens. Bright colors and black are mostly reserved to be experienced through the artwork.
All selected materials are “interwoven” throughout the spaces appearing in different combinations allowing for some interchangeability. This simple theme allows for variations, and creates an ease and openness for further composition within the overall interior design scheme.