As NYC dwellers and architects, we are amazed how effortlessly we can “time travel” from the sleek, steel, and modern skyscrapers of Manhattan to the old-time charm of the historic districts throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. For us, that’s part of New York City’s magic. It enchants us every day.
A penthouse loft in a former Greenwich Street warehouse offered us the opportunity to blend modern New York with its historic past. The large open space had been used as a painter’s studio. Except for a small kitchenette and bathroom, the bare, open penthouse loft revealed exposed brick walls and a topography of ceiling joists supporting the roof above. Copious amounts of light from both western and southern exposures streamed into the space.
The raw and open space allowed us to create discreet areas within a larger space. Working closely with the clients, our team at Turret Collaborative Architects brought a thoughtfully designed, handcrafted living and work environment tailored to a growing TriBeCa family.
Access to the upper living spaces is provided by a custom blackened steel and oak ship’s ladder that sits discretely off the main foyer entry giving the couple the opportunity to go straight to work without ever disturbing the continuity of private life in the spaces below. The soaring 17-foot ceilings, abundance of wood-framed windows, and custom Arrigoni wide-plank Bavarian oak floors envelope a vast and open entertaining expanse.
At the south end of the loft is a two story glass and steel wall that allows light to flood into the loft from the south, while defining the master bedroom suite in its own separate wing. A split bedroom layout offers two bedrooms at each end, with the master suite commanding an enormous dressing room/closet and equally huge private bath.
The suite is composed of both a double height master bedroom and den which can be used simultaneously when the door between them is opened. A custom blackened steel surround on the bedroom side includes a sliding panel when privacy is desired. When required, curtains along the glass wall in both the master bedroom and den can be drawn to allow for complete and total privacy.
One end of the dining room features a 6 foot long gas fireplace while the other is anchored by a built in piece of millwork that acts both as a credenza for storage of plates and linens on one side, and an a/v cabinet on the other with a concealed TV that can be raised with the touch of a button. A structural glass skylight directly above the dining area floods the room with additional light from the outdoor terrace above.
It was the client’s desire that the kitchen be the heart of the space. Cooking and entertaining for family and friends is an integral part of the client’s private life. As such, the kitchen island is center stage and a central monitoring point for a growing family of four. The dining room, and living room spaces are immediately adjacent to the kitchen.
Designed in conjunction with Poliform of Italy, the white acrylic cabinet surfaces, calacatta marble counters and sleek Gaggenau appliances provide the backdrop to the act and art of cooking, one of our client’s passions. Small touches like the custom calacatta chevron mossaic backsplash and concealed outlets that pop up from the main kitchen countertop island add distinctly personal touches.
A glass sided rooftop pavilion brings light and connectivity into the inner reaches of the living space below. Surrounding the pavilion is an amazing 1500 square foot outdoor terrace. The pavilion helps to partition the space off into four discrete zones: an outdoor living room, formal dining area, sunbathing deck and outdoor kitchen and bar. Custom built and fully landscaped, this outdoor oasis features Ipe wood decking, a custom Wolf stainless steel BBQ, full kitchen, and irrigated Ipe planters bursting with lush plantings – oh, and magnificent views of both the city and Hudson River.
Both the glass structural skylight above the dining room and the glass and steel pavilion transmit soft, glowing light from the interior space below.
More generous ceiling heights above the two bedroom cores created an opportunity for two home offices. These upper spaces are encircled by starfire frosted glass guardrails allowing walls below to blend seamlessly with the glass above.
TCA was commissioned to custom design each of their work stations. Each desk is comprised of a tapered blackened steel tube base with cantilever arms that support the desktop surface, hovering above, on pins located at the end of each arm. To add to the sense of lightness the desktop surface, made of lacquered mdf, is beveled back to reveal an imperceptibly thin edge.
Duravit sinks, luxurious marble baths with radiant heat floors, steam showers and deep soaking tubs create spa-like bathrooms.
The closet acts as a buffer space between the master bedroom and bath whose walls are entirely clad in slabs of Calacatta marble. The tub is the centerpiece of the bath with a waterfall tub filler emerging from the enclosing stone walls. Immediately next to the tub is a wall of glass which conceals the private toilet compartment and a steam shower with an integrated stone bench. The floor and wall niches in the wet areas features the same custom Calacatta chevron marble found at the kitchen backsplash. A custom oak vanity and mirror wall with integral cove lighting completes the spa like experience.
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