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      Schissel Montgomery Architects renovates Brooklyn flat for art gallerist

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      New York City-based architecture office Schissel Montgomery has completed a minimalist renovation of a three-bedroom apartment in the Park Slope neighbourhood.

      Named Wendy’s, the studio decluttered the 1,300-square-foot (120-square-metres) apartment’s living spaces to create “a quiet, generous background for art and life”.
      Schissel Montgomery Architects also converted one of the bedrooms facing the street into a study.
      The kitchen uses only lower cabinets to create a sense of openness
      The renovation centres around a new kitchen, which is partially open to the living and dining space. Previously, these two areas were separate.”The intervention focuses on creating connections between the shared spaces of the apartment and selectively removing materials accreted over time,” said the studio.
      A key move was to declutter the apartment’s living roomA new banquette along the wall integrates storage beneath the seat while consolidating the previously separate spaces.
      At the end of a corridor, the studio repurposed an existing bedroom to create a study for the owner. Furniture selections here include a table by midcentury designer Eileen Gray and a Barcelona Daybed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

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      Since the apartment is at street level, Schissel Montgomery designed sheer fabric curtains to cover the bottom portion of the windows.
      This gives residents more privacy, while still admitting light into the space.
      The new study occupies a former bedroom at the far end of the apartmentThe project has a restrained palette with light wooden floors, white painted walls and selectively curated furnishings and artwork.
      “The intervention focuses on creating connections between the shared spaces of the apartment and selectively removing materials accreted over time,” Schissel Montgomery explained.
      The entrance includes a full-height mirror and built-in storageCustom details include a handmade concrete enclosure to protect the building’s steam pipe.
      It is made of stacked, textured cylinders that resemble a classical column’s fluting motif.
      Custom details include a concrete sleeve to cover the building’s steam pipeAnother additional at the apartment’s entrance is a floor-to-ceiling mirror that was to expand the space and brings more light to a darker area of the apartment.
      “The intervention uses painted surfaces, whitewashed floors and window sheers to maximise bounced light in the space,” explained Schissel Montgomery.
      The pipe enclosure nods to similar classical columns visible from within the apartmentThese pipes are left exposed in many New York City apartments and can become so hot that they are hazardous to residents, in addition to being unsightly.
      Schissel Montgomery was established in 2019 and is led by two graduates of Columbia University’s architecture school, Michael Schissel and Talene Montgomery.
      Other apartment renovations in the Brooklyn area include a townhouse by GRT Architects that is filled with eclectic art objects and a monochrome interior renovation by local firm Arnold Studio.
      Photography is by Daniel Terna.
      Project credits:
      Architect: Schissel Montgomery ArchitectsConstruction: WK Renovation

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      Studio Four opens up “dark and compartmentalised” 1970s residence in Melbourne

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      A series of portal openings improve connections between rooms and bring extra light into this 1970s residence in Melbourne renovated by Australian practice Studio Four.

      Studio Four aimed to renovate the home, which was designed by Australian architect Wayne Gillespie in 1972, to improve the internal plan and bring it up to date for contemporary living.
      A series of portal openings provide views of the garden beyond (top and above)”While the existing house was of solid build, the interiors felt lightweight by comparison and did not flow or function as desired,” said Studio Four.
      “Some spaces, in particular the existing kitchen, were dark and compartmentalised and did not fully harness the possible connections with the garden.”
      Solid wood furnishings create a sense of warmth in the otherwise monochrome kitchen
      Located in the city’s South Yarra neighbourhood, the Cunningham Street Residence was designed by Gillespie as his first independent project and his first home.
      The architect, who died in 2001, was known for his use of pure, clean lines, and combining classical design features with modern technology.
      A planter is integrated between the dining table and kitchen island”The client’s brief was to provide a holistic solution,” explained Studio Four.
      “Their brief was to strengthen Gillespie’s original vision, as opposed to creating an alternate vision that would directly contrast it.”
      The kitchen was relocatedStudio Four replanned the rooms to enable the occupants to spend time both together and separately.
      For example, the existing kitchen was relocated to the centre and rear of the home so it could be used as a central space for the family to gather in.

      Ruxton Rise Residence in Melbourne is arranged around a planted courtyard

      To make the spaces appear larger and more connected with each other and the outside space, the architects inserted a series of portal openings between the spaces.
      It decorated the spaces with a palette of light and neutral colours.
      One of the portals features an integrated reading nook”The design response reflects the integrity of the existing built fabric. The focus is on the experience rather than the form, and all emphasis is placed on the quality of the experience rather than a visual statement,” concluded the studio.
      “The result is a house where the architectural form and its interiors act as one, and the transition between built form and landscape is blurred.”
      The bedroom features panoramic views of the trees outsideStudio Four, which is led by directors Annabelle Berryman and Sarah Henry, has a track record of creating homes that blur indoor and outdoor space.
      Previous residential projects include an all-white family home with a garden at its centre, and a grey-brick home with a central olive tree-dotted courtyard.
      Photography is by Shannon McGrath.

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      David Thulstrup revamps Donum Home at Sonoma County winery

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      Granite, oak and rattan are among the materials found in a California winery’s hospitality building that has been refurbished by Danish designer David Thulstrup.

      The Donum Home facility is part of the 200-acre (81-hectare) Donum Estate, which sits within the rolling hills of Sonoma County, just north of San Pablo Bay.
      The Donum Home winery building features rattan elementsFounded in 2001, the winery is well known for its pinot noirs, along with the dozens of distinctive sculptures that dot its estate. The collection features work by famed artists such as Doug Aitken, Yayoi Kusama and Ai Weiwei.
      Donum Home – which functions as a venue for tastings, dining and entertainment – opened in 2017 with a design by Matt Hollis of MH Architects in San Francisco. The modern-style building has a crisp profile and white cladding.
      Sonoma County’s hills can be seen from the winery
      In advance of the winery’s 20th anniversary this year, designer David Thulstrup – who leads an eponymous studio in Copenhagen – was brought in to freshen up the interior.
      The project entailed adding new finishes and decor, along with reconfiguring the space to form three new tasting rooms. The aim was to create an environment that felt refined yet relaxed through a careful use of light and local materials.

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      “The outcome is an honest, simple and not over-designed place that reflects its surroundings, while also paying an ode to my Scandinavian roots without any Nordic clichés,” said Thulstrup.
      Rooms feature neutral colours and earthy materials, such as oak-and-rattan screens designed by Thulstrup, and walls and floors covered in oak.
      A rounded walnut table is surrounded by woven chairs in a tasting roomIn one room, a rounded walnut dining table by e15 is surrounded by woven chairs by Thulstrup. An exuberant light fixture from Louis Poulsen hangs overhead.
      In another room, a streamlined walnut table by Thulstrup is paired with a row of simple pendants designed by architect Peter Zumthor for Viabizzuno.
      Original artworks feature all through the buildingFor the building’s great room, where skylights usher in soft daylight, Thulstrup created a table made of California granite.
      Floating near the ceiling are three mirrored-glass balloons that were created by Danish artist Jeppe Hein. The sculpture, called Three Colours for Donum, moves gently with the wind and refracts sunlight.
      Skylights bring soft light into the building’s great room”Their mirrored surfaces reflect the surroundings and you at the same time, so you become a part of the artwork,” said Hein.
      The Donum Home also features a custom, hand-blown-glass vase by Danish artist Lene Bødker, and artwork by Chinese artists Yue Minjun and Liu Xiaodong. There also is a neon piece, titled Surrounded by You, created by UK artist Tracey Emin.
      A neon work by Tracy Emin can be seen through a doorwayStudio David Thulstrup has designed a wide range of spaces and decor, including a photographer’s studio inside a former factory building and the Michelin-star Noma restaurant in Copenhagen.
      Last year, the studio teamed up with Danish furniture brand Møbel to create a pair of tables – one made entirely from ceramic and the other from powder-coated steel.
      Photography is by Eric Petschek.
      Project credits:
      Designer: David ThulstrupStyling: Dung NgoClient: The Donum Estate

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