west village apartment
A couple approached us with a desire to design a home for their growing family. They had outgrown their current apartment, and they knew that more storage space would be necessary. They also sought a generous space to entertain guests.
The apartment occupies a double unit in a former paper warehouse. Previous renovations of the unit had exposed the building’s timber structure, and we sought to maintain its appearance as much of this material as possible.
In defining the concept for the project, we were not interested in a strict program diagram. Such an imposition seemed counter to the open structure of the building, and it would not address the needs of their work and home life.
Instead, we sought to consider the interior architecture as a set of eidetic moments, highly recognizable forms that conjured ideas of use as well as memory. The appearance of these forms was exaggerated in the space, distinguishing them in form, color, and material. We designed each intervention in ways that reduced the sense of their assembly or construction. Rigor in form and detailing was prioritized over exuberance. Collectively they key to functions of the home: a seat, a kitchen, a hearth.
The plan of the project creates a dumbbell, weighting public and private areas on opposite poles.
At the front entry, a curved wall creates a condensing vestibule. Two pairs of floor-to-ceiling doors of solid oak further enhance the feeling that visitors are in a tall, compact space. Custom hardware in solid brushed aluminum tubes reveal deep storage spaces. A storage bench stained in a deep shade of cobalt extends the length of the unit. This color serves as touchstone for elements with which visitors are intended to engage.
Crossing beyond the vestibule, the curved wall is revealed to double back on itself, creating a banquette and tiled wall. The kitchen is set around a pair of double windows overlooking the Hudson River. The material palette is expanded in dyed solid surfaces and oiled soapstone at the fireplace and window sills.
New floors in wide-plank larch span the entirety of the home. The white oil finish brings attention to the material’s grain and establishes a strong linear language that traces through to the private half of the home. A main bedroom and convertible office bracket this end of the home. This area of the plan is more enclosed, with the emphasis on privacy and framed views of the Hudson. However, we wanted to create a distinct material moment in this space. This takes the form of a closet clad in a traditional gold paper--a moment of exuberant vanity in a project otherwise exploring restraint.
The house is furnished in a mix of contemporary and vintage pieces, as well as furniture of our own design.
