Located
on the ninth floor of a landmarked residential tower on the Upper West
Side of Manhattan, this project combined two apartments into a single
unit designed to serve as both a private residence and a public
gathering space for various philanthropic events. The client, an avid
collector, required large public spaces for various gatherings and
screenings while also maintaining immense amounts of storage for her
growing needs.
To respond to these requirements, all existing interior walls were
stripped away during demolition, leaving an open and airy 2,500 square
foot space, divided lengthwise by four original 1920s-era steel columns.
A full-height storage core was inserted between these columns. The
L-shaped core serves as both a spatial divider that delineates rooms, as
well as an active element within each by providing display cabinets in
living spaces, integrated appliances and work surfaces in the kitchen,
equipment storage in the office and exercise area, and concealed pocket
doors for privacy as needed.
A flooring material was repurposed as distinctive cladding for the
storage core itself. Originally divided by walls, the existing oak
floors were joined together and refinished with a dark aniline dye,
providing a subtle historical record of the original room layouts and
their varied board patterns. All other walls, cabinets and perimeter
surfaces in the surrounding rooms are white, constructed from flush
Venetian plaster, high-gloss lacquer, back-painted glass and Corian.
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