Located high above West End Avenue, this corner apartment in a 1909 building is arranged as a series of generously proportioned rooms in an enfilade sequence with abundant natural light from three different exposures. Our design began with studies of the play of natural light on pre-war wall surfaces articulated with paneling, moldings, and intricate plaster details.

Architectural surfaces are enlivened with eastern light through a play of shadows over the surface relief of molding and panel, emphasizing the solidity and opacity of the walls separating rooms. Historic details are restored and new details introduced, unified through the use of a single color throughout. A new herringbone floor is treated with a white Danish oil, emphasizing the serenity and luminosity of the palette.

Contemporary ideas of porosity and transparency are introduced, allowing light to suffuse the depth of the apartment. The language of the architectural molding is reinterpreted as a screen of profiled slats wrapping around a new dining banquette, which creates a porous edge between the formerly enclosed kitchen and the living space.

The kitchen is designed for contemporary family life, with a deep red linoleum floor, custom stainless steel counters, and cabinets in oiled white oak. A set of abandoned building pipes, discovered during construction, are shrouded in a specially formed veil of perforated stainless steel.

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