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    Timothy Godbold adorns Tribeca loft with modernist relief panels

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    New York interior designer Timothy Godbold has renovated an apartment in a historic Tribeca building, adding various relief treatments across its neutral walls including panels influenced by a 1970s sci-fi series.

    The spacious loft is located in an 1881 cast-iron building on Franklin Street, which was formerly a textile factory and was overhauled by Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Shigeru Ban in 2019.
    The most dramatic space in the loft is a double-height living room surrounded by windows”The homeowners, a young family with two children, set out with the objective of creating a great home for entertaining that simultaneously utilized space efficiently to create a comfortable family living space,” said Godbold’s team.
    The designer helped to organise the layout so that it functioned optimally for the family, and despite opting for a neutral colour palette, Godbold upped the drama through the scale of the furniture and artwork.
    Rather than disguise a structural column, Timothy Godbold used it as an anchor for the dining tableA double-height living room occupies a corner flooded with light from windows on two sides, which can be diffused by drawing the sheer curtains.

    To work around a large structural column disrupting the view to the living room, Godbold used the column to anchor a stone dining table to turn it into a focal feature.
    The kitchen is intentionally minimal, benefitting from the absence of cabinet and drawer pullsThe table references a 1930s design by Hans and Wassili Luckhardt and Alfons Anker, in keeping with the industrial style of the building.
    The kitchen is very minimal, thanks to the omission of cabinet and drawer pulls, and includes an island with a waterfall stone top that creates space for a breakfast bar.
    An area behind the kitchen was converted into a flexible office and bar spaceHidden behind the kitchen is a former TV room converted into a bar room and an office “to maximise the versatility of the space and meet multiple needs”.
    The walls in this flexible room are covered in geometric plaster-relief panels, which add shadows and texture, while the furniture is darker and more masculine.
    Plaster relief panels based on a 1970s sci-fi series cover the wallsA Reprise pendant light from New York design studio Apparatus hangs in a corner that has been curved to accentuate the modernist-style wall panelling.
    “The wall details in this Tribeca space are inspired by a classic 1970s sci-fi series that showcases an all-Italian modern aesthetic within a futuristic environment,” said the team.
    A feature wall behind the bed in the primary bedroom is fluted across its full widthA row of plastered arched niches separates the formal entertaining areas from a more casual seating area, where a large pale grey sofa shifts the tone from the warm whites found elsewhere.
    In the primary bedroom, the built-in bed and nightstands are installed below a tufted upholstered headboard that runs the full width of the room, and a fluted wall feature that extends to the ceiling.
    The bedroom also features a sculptural sofa, large planters and a huge artwork by Etienne MoyatOpposite the bed is a sculptural sofa surrounded by oversized planters and a large, carved relief artwork by French sculptor Etienne Moyat on the wall.
    Godbold custom-designed many of the pieces throughout the home, including most of the furniture and decorative elements.

    Timothy Godbold turns his Hamptons home into a “villain’s hideout”

    His references included mid-century Italian designers like Joe Colombo, whose space-age shapes are echoed in the dining chairs, sofas, and smaller lighting and decor items.
    Godbold also played with proportion to add drama, as seen in the living room’s custom stone sofas that are upholstered in a “brutalist” fabric made in England, and the coffee table with an integrated planter.
    A variety of space-age shapes and materials can be found throughout the loftThe rugs also feature custom designs that outline the furniture in the same space.
    Overall, the goal was to “marry the industrial, the art deco and the more surreal aspects of 1970s noir cult cinema for a glamorous and intriguing end product.”
    The home’s neutral colour palette continues through to the nurseryOriginally from Australia, Godbold is currently based in the Hamptons, where he renovated his mid-century home to resemble a “villain’s hideout”.
    He also aims to preserve other modernist dwellings built across the area through the nonprofit organisation Hamptons 20th Century Modern.
    The photography is by David Mitchell.

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      Ten New York City loft interiors that make innovative use of open space

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      For our latest lookbook, we explore ten loft conversions and renovations in New York City where designers have inserted partitions, storage and other elements to cleverly organise open space.

      Characterised by spacious open floor plans, high ceilings and large windows, loft apartments are as synonymous with New York City as coffee and bagels – at least in popular culture.
      Loft apartments are housed in converted commercial, manufacturing or warehouse buildings, which informs their overall industrial feel as well as their wide-open floor plans, which have acted as a blank canvas for creatives for decades.
      In the New York lofts below, designers have organised and reorganised interiors by removing walls, reducing and adding mezzanines, inserting glass and wooden storage units or embracing original structures.
      From a Brooklyn residence that can be converted into an event space to a SoHo loft that now houses a sculptural partition wall, read on for ten examples of cleverly organised New York lofts throughout the city.

      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring kitchens with floor-to-ceiling cabinets, well-designed sheds and outbuildings and interiors created on a budget.
      Photo is courtesy of Future ProjectsAnother Seedbed, Williamsburg, by Future Projects
      Architects from New York studio Future Projects have converted an industrial space in a 19th-century cast iron building, which once served as a hat factory, into a unique loft apartment that serves as a residence and event space.
      To accommodate both the owner’s residential needs as well as public events, volumes covered in plywood and clay were inserted into an open floor plan to enclose private areas, while movable furniture including a sofa on wheels can be easily pushed out of the way for performances.
      Find out more about Another Seedbed ›
      Photo is by Seth CaplanDumbo Loft, Dumbo, by Crystal Sinclair Designs
      Interiors studio Crystal Sinclair Designs inserted a library mezzanine and a large glass partition to divide space in this Dumbo loft.
      The building’s original 14-foot ceilings accommodated the addition of the mezzanine, while the floor-to-ceiling glass partition was used to enclose the bedroom from the apartment’s remaining open floor plan.
      Find out more about Dumbo Loft ›
      Photo is courtesy of No ArchitectureThe Urban Tree House, West Village, by No Architecture
      No Architecture combined two units in a West Village skyscraper to create this double-height apartment, into which the studio inserted an extensive wooden structure with net beds that span over the living area.
      “We combined two units by first, redrawing all rooms into a cohesive ‘matrix plan’ and second, inserting a ‘garden folly’ that relates the interior to the adjacent Hudson River Greenway,” said New York-based No Architecture.
      Find out more about the Urban Tree House ›
      Photo is by Sarah ElliottTribeca Loft, Tribeca, by Andrea Leung 
      Architect Andrea Leung gut-renovated this loft in Tribeca for herself, opting to remove a mezzanine level and neatly organising private spaces in a linear row along the length of the space.
      Leung’s fascination with secret spaces – informed by her grandmother’s penthouse, which contained hidden rooms – prompted the architect to conceal all spaces but the living and dining room behind a mirrored wall.
      Find out more about Tribeca Loft ›
      Photo is by Isabel ParraManhattan loft, West Village, by Tala Fustok Studio
      A large glass and maple wood storage unit was used to divide the kitchen of this industrial West Village apartment from a living area, while a custom corten steel staircase leads to the second floor.
      London practice Tala Fustok Studio organised the interior to emphasise the apartment’s tall ceilings and oversized windows, as well as softening the space with limestone-washed walls.
      Find out more about Manhattan loft ›
      Photo is by Alan TanseyBroadway Loft, Madison Square North, by Worrell Yeung 
      New York architecture studio Worrell Yeung reorganised this NoMad loft to welcome more light, storage and an additional bedroom and bathroom for a growing family, who had lived in the space for over a decade.
      All of the apartment’s walls were removed to reveal the building’s structures and pipes while bookcase units and cabinetry were inserted to divide the space.
      Find out more about Broadway Loft ›
      Photo by Kevin KunstadtFrame Loft, Financial District, by Light and Air
      Located in a converted commercial building in the Financial District in Manhattan, this loft was cramped with internal walls before Brooklyn studio Light and Air removed the partitions to make the most of the generous floor area and large windows.
      The studio reduced the footprint of the overhead storage loft to allow for taller ceilings while inserting light wood shelving storage units, seating, a desk and cabinetry throughout the space.
      Find out more about Frame Loft ›
      Photo is by Daniel SalemiBrooklyn Loft, Clinton Hill, by Dean Works
      A volume made of Baltic birch plywood was inserted into this Clinton Hill loft to create more storage and section off a private sleeping area, which was further enclosed behind a glass partition.
      The adjusted floor plan places a living area towards the loft’s generous windows, the kitchen at its centre and the bedroom towards the apartment’s entrance.
      Find out more about Brooklyn Loft ›
      Photo is by Michael MoranSoho Loft, Soho, by Julian King
      To update this narrow apartment housed in a former silk warehouse, designer Julian King inserted a sculptural sleeping mezzanine at its centre, added a built-in bookcase and kept much of the remaining space completely open under its 13-foot ceilings.
      The mezzanine, which hosts just a bed, is concealed behind a partial wall that’s lined with integrated LED lighting.
      Find out more about Soho Loft ›
      Photo is by Eric PetschekChelsea Loft, Chelsea, by Worrell Yeung 
      Green paint covered the wood pillars of this Chelsea loft before Worrell Yeung updated the space, adding a large kitchen island and organising private areas towards the back of the apartment opposite its large windows.
      “The organising design strategy of this renovation was to maintain contiguous public living zones and extend daylight as far as it can reach by minimising partitions and concentrating private rooms on the north side of the apartment,” said the studio.
      Find out more about Chelsea Loft ›
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring kitchens with floor-to-ceiling cabinets, well-designed sheds and outbuildings and interiors created on a budget.

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      Ideas of Order selects bright colours for New York apartment renovation

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      Bright hues define the different interventions that New York architecture studio Ideas of Order has made in this apartment at the northern tip of Manhattan.

      The 1,000-square-foot primary residence in Hudson Heights was partially renovated for a couple, who had been living in the space for several years before deciding to invest in making it better suited to their needs, rather than buying another apartment.
      One side of this Manhattan apartment was overhauled by Ideas of Order to make it function better for its owners”Their sons had been sharing a room, but were beginning to need their own spaces,” Ideas of Order told Dezeen.
      “They also wanted a space that could be designed for flexibility for when their children left for college.”
      In the newly created bedroom, a lime green built-in houses a bed, a desk and storageThe kitchen also needed updating, to make it more suitable for entertaining, and more efficient storage space was required in the entryway.

      So the architects reworked one side of the open living area, adding a bedroom on one side of the kitchen and refreshing the other areas.
      A new wall divides the bedroom from the kitchenThe husband is French, and the couple spent several years living together in France.
      During this period, they both became enamoured by the midcentury architecture and design in the country and wanted to apply this style to their own home.
      Raspberry and periwinkle cabinets surround the cooking area, which also features aluminium panels”Inspired by their stories and the history of how colour was used by French midcentury designers like Charlotte Perriand, we suggested a series of polychrome millwork pieces inspired by Perriand’s design language, but updated for a contemporary home,” said Ideas of Order.
      The different areas of the home were therefore given their own identities by applying bright hues.
      A porthole looks through from the bedroom into the kitchen, which has rubber flooringLime green is used in the bedroom across a full wall of built-ins that incorporate a single bed, a workstation and plenty of storage.
      Sliding doors with fritted glass panels pull across to enclose the slightly raised room, while a porthole window with double shutters looks through the new wall that separates the kitchen.
      Storage in the entryway was made more efficient by new pink and grey built-insThis adjacent space is denoted by raspberry and periwinkle millwork, which surrounds a small preparation area with an aluminium backsplash and matching panels above.
      The same metal also fronts the bar counter between an arched opening to the living area, which is topped with concrete.
      Archways between spaces throughout the apartment have curved cornersRubber flooring in the kitchen offers a practical alternative to the wood used through the rest of the apartment.
      Finally, in the entryway – which is again raised slightly higher than the living area – an L-shaped cabinet system was constructed in a corner beside the door.

      GRT Architects combines oak and mosaic tiles for East Village Apartment renovation

      Pale pink is applied to the frames, while the doors and drawer fronts are finished in light grey and walnut is used for the trim. Choosing the right hues was a challenge that took many iterations to find the right balance, according to the architects.
      “It was important that each pair of colours in the millwork work together, but that the colours also harmonise when viewed as a whole,” they said. “We wanted the colours to be bright, but not overpowering. And we wanted the colour pairings to feel timeless and not too trendy.”
      The architects went through many iterations to find the right balance of coloursAnother challenge was the budget, which was modest by New York City standards and required some conscientious spending – particularly on small details that would make a big impact.
      “We love the custom pulls for the millwork, the shutters for the circular window, and the rounded end to the partition between bedroom and kitchen, which reflects the rounded openings throughout the apartment,” the architects said.
      The couple had been living in the space for several years before deciding to invest in making it better suited to their needsIdeas of Order was founded by Jacob Esocoff and Henry Ng, who are both Fosters + Partners and WORKac alumni.
      Their renovation is one of the most colourful interiors we’ve featured in New York City of late, compared to a neutral show apartment inside the One Wall Street skyscraper and a loft in Dumbo with a subdued palette.
      The photography is by Sean Davidson.

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      Studio V clads Long Island City apartments in British racing green terracotta

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      Architecture practice Studio V has unveiled The Green House apartment block in Long Island City, USA, which was informed by the neighbourhood’s history of terracotta production.

      Situated at a prominent location on Jackson Avenue near the New York City neighbourhood’s waterfront, the 12-storey block encompasses a gallery, retail, 46 two-bedroom apartments and 40 parking spaces that are spread across two lower floors.
      “[Studio V founder] Jay’s goal with this building… was to create a design that points to the future of Long Island City as well as respects its past,” the studio told Dezeen.
      The Green House was designed by Studio VChosen as a contemporary interpretation of local terracotta-clad architecture, the British racing green colour gives the building its name.
      “Green was perfect for multiple reasons: to broadcast the sustainable design of the building and as the complementary colour to the traditional red [terracotta],” Studio V told Dezeen.

      “We also chose a glazed terracotta [finish] which features a shiny surface [and] brings the custom curved forms and shapes to life, giving the facade depth, reflecting light and capturing shadow.”
      The Green House was clad in British racing green terracotta tilesStudio V aimed to create a unique building by drawing inspiration from the site’s “rich history of terracotta production,” warehouses and red terracotta-clad architecture that are typical of the site.
      Three bold, large-scale murals by Brooklyn art duo Faile contrast the uniformity of the terracotta cladding and reference the significance of Long Island City as “a hub for contemporary art”.

      ODA completes “pixelated” luxury condo building in Queens

      Manufactured in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, the terracotta tiles were arranged  linearly with spacing and windows arranged to be reminiscent of a warehouse.
      “We’re not interested in generic design: architecture must reinvent a site’s history and context,” said Studio V founder Jay Valgora.
      Colourful murals by Brooklyn art due Faile contrast the uniformity of facadesThe three-storey lobby on the ground floor was designed as a gallery space and dedicated to “retail and active uses,” as an extension of the shops and restaurants that occupy the surrounding streets.
      Flux Chandelier, by Brooklyn-based artist Jen Lewin, illuminates the space. Its colour-changing pendants are activated by the movement below, adding an interactive element to the building.
      Facade facing Jackson AvenueDue to the unusual trapezoidal shape of the site, The Green House consists of two street-facing facades, which created an opportunity for variation in the terracotta facades.
      Woven bronze mesh panels that conceal the elevator tower and parking areas, storefronts and gridded windows formed “two distinct [yet] complementary compositions” that face Jackson Avenue and 50th Avenue.
      Facade facing 50th Avenue with alternate compositionA raised internal courtyard oriented to overlook the “stunning views of Manhattan across the East River” provides space between the apartments to prevent them from looking directly into each other.
      The Green House contains two further outdoor spaces – a shared wrap-around terrace accessed on the penthouse floor and private individual terraces for residents on the eighth floor, created by the staggered design.
      The Green House features individual terraces on the eighth floorThe electricity-powered apartment block also contains conference and co-working spaces to accommodate the rising trends of remote work.
      Other terracotta-clad architecture recently featured on Dezeen include a triangular mixed-use complex that is rotated around a central axis and a school that was informed by a child’s doodles.
      The photography is by Alexander Severin.
      Project credits:
      Architect: Studio VDeveloper: Charney CompaniesGeneral Contractor: Broadway ConstructionMEP Building Systems: Ettinger EngineeringStructural Engineering: Titan Engineers

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      Another Seedbed is a Brooklyn apartment that doubles as a performance space

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      In this renovated loft in Brooklyn, the owner both resides and hosts public art performances within a space divided by a variety of inserted volumes.

      The loft is located in a late 19th-century cast iron building in Williamsburg that once served as a hat factory, and was renovated by a team of architects.
      A team of architects renovated the loft, inserted volumes to conceal private areasIgnacio G Galán, Jesse McCormick, Khoi Nguyen and Julie Tran of Future Projects collaborated to turn the industrial space into a residence that could also serve as a venue for artistic performances and other public events.
      Named Another Seedbed, the project recalls the use of lofts in New York City by artists in 1960s to 1980s for developing experimental works.
      The bedroom is hidden behind red-stained plywood panels and accessed through a concertina doorThe owner and activator of this apartment began organising parties, performances and other events in a similarly industrial space in Bushwick.

      He then decided to create a dedicated space for himself to live and work, as well as host other artist friends who needed square footage to bring their ideas to life.
      Hand-troweled earthen clay plaster covers the bathroom volume”Neither just a private studio nor an art gallery, the space is equipped to welcome gatherings that operate between a dinner party and a public performance,” said the project team.
      “Artists appropriate the space and become hosts themselves, expanding the communities which the project brings together.”
      Inside, the bathroom is lined with blue penny-round tilesThe apartment is organised as a largely open-plan space, with private areas concealed inside inserted volumes.
      Red-stained pine plywood panels hide the bedroom, which is accessed via a concertina door, and also contain storage.
      Moveable furniture helps to arrange the apartment for performancesThe bathroom occupies another volume that’s covered in hand-troweled earthen clay plaster outside and lined entirely is blue penny-round tiles inside.
      An open kitchen with grey cabinetry sits below a framework of coloured wood, featuring smokey polycarbonate panels that are lit from behind.

      Vipp Studio in Manhattan functions as both showroom and apartment

      This frame extends into the living area to form a floor-to-ceiling shelving unit, on which books and objects are displayed, and a projector for screening videos onto the opposite wall is housed.
      A variety of moving furniture pieces, including an ochre-toned sofa on wheels, help to choreograph the events and arrange the apartment as desired by whoever is using it.
      The owner and his artist friends are able to transform the space to present their work”The space will not advertise its performances,” said the team.
      “Some neighbors might not know of its existence. Others will hear about an event through friends. Some might find themselves there often and will develop networks of neighbourliness within it.”
      Performances are open to the public but not advertisedBrooklyn has both a thriving arts scene and a wealth of defunct industrial buildings for hosting exhibitions, performances and events.
      Herzog & de Meuron recently completed the transformation of a derelict power plant in the borough into arts centre, while the Public Records creative venue added a bar and lounge on an upper floor of its former warehouse building earlier this year.

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      One Wall Street skyscraper completes conversion from offices to apartments

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      Work to convert an art deco skyscraper from offices to residential use has completed, becoming the largest building in New York City to undergo this type of adaptive reuse.

      A total of 566 homes now occupy One Wall Street, designed by Ralph Walker and completed in 1931, in Lower Manhattan’s Financial District.
      The completion of One Wall Street’s conversion was marked by the reveal of a new model apartmentDeveloper Harry Macklowe of Macklowe Properties is behind the transformation, which encompasses one million square feet (92,900 square metres) of residential and 250,000 square feet (23,200 square metres) of commercial amenities.
      “In the heart of the iconic financial district, One Wall Street, one of New York City’s most significant buildings, both in history and sheer size, has set the standard for residential conversions, marking yet another historic success,” said Macklowe.
      The apartment was designed by Guillaume Coutheillas of FrenchCalifornia”The goal was to incarnate empty spaces into thoughtfully redesigned residences that will stand the test of time and continue to answer future demands of modern living.”

      The building’s opening was marked by the reveal of a new model residence, designed by Guillaume Coutheillas of FrenchCalifornia.
      Residence 3404 features three bedroom and multi-aspect viewsResidence 3404, one of the building’s largest, includes three bedrooms and multi-aspect views of New York harbour.
      Coutheillas envisioned the interiors as if Macklowe himself were to live there, blending European influences using warm neutral colours.
      Amenities in the tower include a “sky pool” with a glass ceilingMany of the furniture and decor items were sourced from Mexico City studio Atra and are debuting in the space.
      Other model residences completed last year were designed by Elizabeth Graziolo of Yellow House Architects and French architect and designer Cyril Vergniol.

      Residential skyscrapers on the rise in Manhattan’s Financial District

      A 6,500-square-foot (600-square-metre) co-working space available exclusively to residents and their guests was outfitted in partnership with architect Deborah Berke.
      More amenity spaces cover the 38th and 39th floors, including a 75-foot (23-metre), glass-enclosed Sky Pool with a wraparound terrace, and a private restaurant, bar and dining room for residents.
      One Wall Street was designed by Ralph Walker and completed in 1931The Financial District, known locally as FiDi, is named for being home to the New York Stock Exchange and many global banking headquarters.
      However, the area has gradually seen a rise in residential developments over the past decade.
      The skyscraper is the largest office building to be converted for residential use in New York City’s historyMany of Manhattan’s office buildings are still struggling with low occupancy rates following the Covid-19 pandemic, so this type of office-to-residential conversion may become more common in the near future.
      The photography is by Colin Miller.

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      Dumbo Loft by Crystal Sinclair Designs features a book-filled mezzanine

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      Interiors studio Crystal Sinclair Designs has renovated a loft apartment in Brooklyn’s Dumbo neighbourhood to include a mezzanine with a wall of books and a bedroom behind a glass partition.

      Upstate New York studio Crystal Sinclair Designs overhauled the space for a well-travelled lawyer and writer.
      The loft’s high ceilings enabled a mezzanine library to be addedThe client purchased the loft during the early Covid-19 pandemic in Dumbo, an area that has seen extensive conversion of buildings into luxury apartments.
      Sinclair’s aim was to retain the industrial look of the space, while incorporating a mix of furnishings that offer a European flair and nod to some of the locations where her client has spent time.
      Crystal Sinclair Designs retained the industrial materials and kept surfaces bright”[She] wanted to incorporate certain elements that are representative of the places she’s lived and worked before,” Sinclair said.

      “To that end, we worked in a nuristani mirror and a tribal qashqai rug purchased in Afghanistan, a statement chandelier from Italy, and her entire and not insubstantial library.”
      In the kitchen area, arabascato marble contrasts a farmhouse-style islandThe concrete shell was largely left exposed, balanced with antique pieces like an easel and a leather wingback chair to add more story and a “lived-in” feel.
      “The space itself led the way,” said Sinclair, who founded her eponymous studio with her husband, Ben. “The idea was to draw attention to the high ceilings with floor-to-ceiling drapes and a metal/glass partition wall. As the space is bright, we decided to paint everything white.”
      Floor-to-ceiling glass panels divide the living space and the bedroomThe 1,190-square-foot (110-square-metre) apartment features a concrete coffered ceiling that reaches over 14 feet (four metres).
      Thanks to this height, an L-shaped mezzanine could be added to provide a space to store the client’s book collection.
      One wall is covered in wooden battens that create a relief patternA ladder beside a window provides access to the upper level, where bookshelves displaying the extensive library almost cover the whole wall.
      Underneath are a row of tall cabinets, and the kitchen that features slabs of white and grey arabascato marble that contrasts a wooden farmhouse-style island.
      The eclectic selection of furniture was chosen to help give the space a lived-in feelIn the living room, a cream boucle sofa is paired with a Moroccan rug, while a giant crystal chandelier hangs overhead.
      The corner bedroom is partitioned from the rest of the space by floor-to-ceiling glass panels housed within black metal frames.

      Andrea Leung conceals “secret spaces” within renovated Tribeca Loft

      A white linen curtain can be pulled across to obscure the neutral-toned sleeping area from view. A desk also runs the length of a wall, for the client to use on the days that she works from home.
      Elsewhere, original structural columns are wrapped in tiles around their lower halves, and a section of wall is covered with wood battens that create a relief pattern.
      Linen curtains can be drawn to provide privacy in the bedroom”We played with it and kept everything bright and airy,” Sinclair said. “All we needed to do was to layer in order to give the space depth and purpose.”
      Loft apartments are typified by high ceilings, large windows and expansive open floor plans, and are commonly found in former industrial neighbourhoods of Brooklyn.
      Antique pieces help to imbue the spaces with a European flairOther areas of New York City, like Tribeca, are similarly full of historic warehouses and factories that have been converted for residential use.
      In these types of buildings, recently completed projects include an apartment by Andrea Leung with “secret spaces” hidden behind a mirrored wall and a penthouse by Worrell Yeung where industrial finishes are contrasted with the “pure minimal lines” of new fittings.
      The photography is by Seth Caplan.
      Project credits:
      Interior design: Crystal Sinclair DesignsStylist: Mariana Marcki-Matos

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      No Architecture inserts “garden folly” into New York duplex apartment

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      Wooden structures supporting net hammocks rise up through the two-storey interior of this apartment in New York’s West Village, designed by No Architecture.

      The Urban Tree House residence comprises two units in a skyscraper overlooking the Hudson River called 165 Charles Street, designed by Richard Meier & Partners and completed in 2005.
      A spiral staircase connects the pair of timber towers added into the double-height living space”We combined two units by first, redrawing all rooms into a cohesive ‘matrix plan’ and second, inserting a ‘garden folly’ that relates the interior to the adjacent Hudson River Greenway,” said New York-based No Architecture.
      Spanning 3,512 square feet (326 square metres), the apartment’s new double-height living space is surrounded by 22-foot-tall (6.7-metre) glass walls on three sides.
      Net hammocks are suspended above seating areasTo reduce the scale of this volume without blocking the light from entering, the architects added two “tree houses” constructed from vertical, horizontal and diagonal timber beams.

      One of the structures aligns with the home’s floor plan, while the other is rotated to face the park and the river beyond.
      One structure is aligned with the floor plan and the other is angled to face the park and river beyondBoth incorporate elevated hammocks made from black netting stretched between the beams, which are accessed via a spiral staircase between the two towers.
      “Like inhabitable diagrams, these installations can be read as two fragments of a 3D gridded matrix – the timber framework expressing x-, y- and z-lines of interconnecting spatial relations,” said No Architecture.
      Rooms are made flexible thanks to operable walls, like a bookshelf that rotates 360 degreesUnder and around these structures, tall plants add to the tree house aesthetic, and furniture is coloured in grey and neutral shades to match the exposed concrete columns and ceilings.
      This palette continues throughout the apartment, which includes four bathrooms and four bedrooms that the architects refer to as “chambers” due to their multi-functional capabilities.

      No Architecture arranges Flower House in the Berkshires around hexagonal courtyard

      The flexibility is made possible by a series of operable walls that can be shifted to control levels of privacy or connectivity.
      For example, giant moveable bookshelves divide the open living space and adjacent chambers. One slides sideways on tracks, while the other rotates 360 degrees.
      Douglas fir panelling is used throughout the apartmentThe same concept is applied to several of the doors, which are detailed to match the full-height Douglas fir panelling found in many of the rooms.
      “Across these multiple iterations, the architectural question of the ‘wall’ no longer functions primarily as separation, but also –through the added quality of motion – as connection,” No Architecture said.
      A neutral and grey palette complements the exposed concrete structureThe studio was founded by Andrew Heid in 2014, and has completed projects across the US – from a family nature retreat in rural Massachusetts to a house designed around a glazed garden in Oregon’s wine country.
      The Urban Tree House is one of many homes that incorporates net hammocks as playful furniture to occupy spare space – see six examples here.
      The photography is courtesy of No Architecture.
      Project credits:
      Team: Andrew Heid, Chengliang Li, Chuhan Zhou, Feng Zhao, Kun Qian, Nadya Mikhaylovskaya, Theo Dimitrasopoulos, Trendelina Salihu, Wanpeng Zu, Xiangxiang Wang, Zhe Cao, Ziwei DengCollaborators: GMS, Gallon Engineering, Blueberry Construction

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      DDG and IMG outfit penthouse in art deco-influenced Manhattan skyscraper

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      Arched openings frame views of New York City from this duplex penthouse apartment in a Carnegie Hill residential tower, designed and developed by American real estate company DDG.

      The penthouse sits atop the newly constructed 180 East 88th Street, an art deco-influenced building that tallest residence north of 72nd Street on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
      The arched opening that crowns 180 East 88th Street frame views from the interiorSpilt over two storeys, its 5,508 square feet (512 square metres) of interiors were designed by the tower’s architects and developers DDG and staged by New York firm IMG.
      The residence also enjoys an additional 3,500 square feet (325 square metres) of exterior spaces across multiple levels — including a private rooftop terrace overlooking Central Park.
      A sculptural staircase connects the two storeys and the roof terrace of the penthouseHuge arches in the grey-brick facades that wrap the building’s crown are visible from the inside, thanks to large expanses of glazing that enclose the apartment on both floors.

      There are views across the city in all directions, the most dramatic of which is of the Midtown skyline to the south.
      The kitchen features a golden cooker hood that echoes the building’s pinnacleThere are two living spaces, a large dining area and a separate eat-in kitchen, five bedrooms and a den, and four full and two half bathrooms.
      The two internal levels and the roof terrace are connected by a curvaceous staircase that rises through centre of the penthouse.

      Grey brickwork to clad Upper East Side residential tower by DDG

      Spaces are neutrally decorated, with sculptural light fixtures and expressive artworks adding visual interest.
      In the kitchen, a golden cooker hood echoes the colour and shape of an architectural feature on the building’s pinnacle.
      Expansive terraces enjoy unobstructed views across ManhattanCompleted earlier this year, 180 East 88th Street includes 46 half- and full-floor residences, along with amenities such as a partial indoor basketball court and soccer pitch, a game room, a residents’ lounge, a private fitness and yoga studio, and a children’s playroom with a slide.
      The building’s exterior design was influenced by “the boom in high-rise masonry construction in New York in the early 20th century”, and is one of many recent skyscrapers in the city that have ditched glass in favour of more solid-looking materials.
      Full-height glass walls allow the vistas to be enjoyed from the majority of rooms”Paying homage to the lost art of traditional craftsmanship, the intricate exterior features a striking hand-laid brick facade made of 600,000 handmade bricks by Denmark’s master brickworks Petersen Tegl,” said a statement from DDG.
      Manhattan has no shortage of luxury penthouses, with some of the most notable including a residence at the top of Rafael Viñoly’s 432 Park Avenue and the premium unit at Zaha Hadid’s 520 West 28th Street development.
      The photography is by Sean Hemmerle.

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