UN PLAZA:
Returning to Modernism in Manhattan
The first modernist tower we worked on, this project presented the unique opportunity to strip away unnecessary frills that had been added to this interior over the years, and restore the interior to the same modernist ideals it had originally had, while incorporating and adding new freshness, design moves, and a sense of quiet sophistication and extremely honed practicality.
Warm and subtle tones and textures throughout add to the feeling of quiet luxury; a lightly curved articulated wooden desk runs the length of a wall that features bookshelves hidden behind thoughtfully-made cabinets, while the new kitchen is a study in cool marbles and classic white cabinetry. Crafted details throughout, like a bronze cabinet pull that once belonged to the client’s mother, or a sculptural wooden vanity in a rich walnut, offer depth and weight to the residence.
Photography by Nicholas Venezia.
We approached the floor plan with a sense of surgical creativity, rethinking the previously-cramped foyer space and transforming it into an expansive and welcoming vestibule that now has sightline all the way through the unit; finding space for a home office where there had once been only cabinetry; and opening the kitchen to the rest of the living space.
