Can you describe the project? What were the specifications?
Chris Hudik: Our clients, a couple with a child, chose this apartment for its idyllic location in the center of Manhattan, in the Chelsea neighborhood and with a view of the Highline. It was a new duplex but ultimately rather ordinary. Despite the nice finishes in the bathrooms, the rest of the apartment was quite standard and lacked personality. When I look at the end result, including the mahogany entrance corridor, the bentwood door frames and the marble and stainless steel kitchen, I like to imagine that it is the apartment of a family of Ewoks (Star Wars), if they had lived in peace for millennia, and over time they had developed a simple and refined aesthetic, inspired by their interactions with the human species.
Glass and steel desk by David Weeks for USM. Solid pine chair from the 70s by Rainer Daumiller (Zebra Room).
Loren Daye: Our clients have a fascinating history, with roots primarily in Lima, Peru, and Tel Aviv, as well as family in London, Miami, and Madrid. He makes high-quality, minimalist leather accessories, while she works in the field of arts and humanities. I was particularly touched by their international sensitivity and by a marked affinity – which I share – for an aesthetic advocating restraint and singularity. I remember seeing in one of their first mood boards images of black plastic and white silk organza trash bags, samples of combed plaster wall covering, references to traditional Tunisian architecture, stoneware cups and Jean-Michel Frank furniture. All these ideas spoke to me a lot and I must say that we had a lot of fun during the research phase. I initially wanted to use a pale blue marble in the kitchen, but the Paonazzo’s ‘dirty cream’ reference had a sleeker profile when juxtaposed with the radically contemporary Tekio lamp and stainless steel cabinets.
In the kitchen, Tekio pendant light, stainless steel cabinets and Paonazzo “dirty cream” marble.
What type of furniture and decorative items did you use?
LD: We had the chance to choose some very beautiful pieces, including Pierre Paulin F303 chairs in garnet leather from Suzanne Demisch and Stéphane Danant, and a nine-legged table in transparent resin by Francesco Balzano. I also had the pleasure of introducing our clients to the world of Nata and Keti from Rooms Studio. They also chose one of their Supra stone coffee tables. All of these pieces ended up in their Miami home. Their space in New York then became a metaphor for emptiness where a gigantic glass and steel desk by David Weeks for USM coexist, a solid pine chair from the 70s by Rainer Daumiller imported by the Zebra Room store run by my husband, German stoneware vases, some stone fruits, a stack of candles. This kind of spatial vacuum is so rare in New York. It is the play of light and shadow in the apartment throughout the day that makes it habitable and friendly. Time stops there a little, and we find ourselves suspended above the city, sheltered from the outside world, with only the urban flora of the Highline and the Hudson River in our sights.
What was your decorative approach? For what ? What materials did you work with here?
CH: We chose mahogany for all the woodwork because it provided a rich contrast to the already existing white oak flooring. The rounded and generous shapes that we designed, both for the joinery elements which run throughout the apartment and for the kitchen, are quite simple and inspired by the artistic movement supergraphics from the 60s and 70s. Overlooking the Highline, the apartment reminded us of an alien spaceship hovering over the city, so we wanted to bring a bit of ’70s and ’80s futurism to it. The kitchen, with its stainless steel kitchen cabinets brushed, is the perfect illustration of this.
USM furniture. Solid pine chair from the 70s by Rainer Daumiller (Zebra Room).
What is the philosophy that binds the members of the studio?
CH: Listen.
LD: Listen, learn and watch.
What type of projects do you choose to work on?
LD: We really like atypical buildings, but I would say that the choice of our projects is primarily motivated by the open-mindedness, critical thinking and ambition of our clients.
How would you describe the studio’s “signature”?
CH: “No Signature” would be the best way to describe what we do.
LD: I agree with Chris. We are just a conduit of information in a Venn diagram of location, client, time, intention – and the alignment of the planets.
What are your sources of inspiration?
CH: Wood, moss, concrete, and the organic patterns and textures found while walking in nature.
LD: I am inspired by the controlled tranquility that reigns in certain interior spaces. Nothing stylistic beyond that, and like Chris, I’m also very drawn to wood.
David Weeks armchairs for USM.
Any upcoming projects?
LD: Our upcoming projects include a maximalist collaboration in Canada with our friends at the renowned Shim-Sutcliffe architectural firm, a log cabin tavern in North Carolina specializing in barbecue, and an agri- stone estate in upstate New York. In addition, we have just moved our studio to Hudson, in a historic building which seduced us with its large windows and original joinery dating from 1887.
2024-03-17 06:07:27
#York #apartment #precise #decor #restraint #singularity #MilK #Decoration
