Photo credit: Paul Rocheleau
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If you have ever wandered around in the West Village it is likely that you have walked right past one of my favorite houses in New York City – hiding in plain view!
I have had the pleasure of visiting this house on more than one occasion and want to share some of the things that make it so special….
That may sound like a contradiction, but there was thoughtful intention behind these potentially contradictory goals.
This loft has a challenge that is not uncommon with lofts – a lot of space but not a lot of windows: in fact this dining area is over 30 feet from the nearest window!
To help bring the sense of openness and light to this area I had an enormous mirror made to sit behind, not over, the large sideboard.
Because the dining area was floating in a very large open space, I employed a number of ‘tricks’ to ground the space. I interrupted the large expanse of ceiling employing drywall reveals from Fry Reglet to quietly mark the space. To further reinforce the center, I hung an antique iron chandelier over a substantial 70″ diameter ‘Aspen’ table from Holly Hunt Studio. The table is surrounded by ‘Russell’ side chairs from Dessin Fournir, upholstered in a Great Plains ‘Toscana’ leather.
The robust French 1940’s oak sideboard designed by Charles Dudouyt, came from Henry Maus Antiques. A collection of multi-cultural artifacts including a cast iron fireback from Amy Perlin, some mid-century ceramics, and an oversized mercury glass vase are reflected in an enormous mirror from Bark Frameworks. Patrick Naggar designed the ‘Bubble Wall Sconces’ from Ralph Pucci.
The space between the two pocket doors that lead to the Kitchen became the place for a very special drawing by the Abstract Expressionist Joan Mitchell. The drawing came from the estate of Jean-Paul Riopelle, a French painter, who had a long and stormy relationship with Mitchell for nearly twenty years in France – it is a gem.
Unlike many New Yorkers, I really do like Times Square – not the tourists, not the shops, or the restaurants; I am not even a huge fan of big Broadway shows – I just LOVE the spectacle of the space, the lights, and the energy of it all.
As a follow up to my recent post about historical preservation in the city, I want to share a ‘self-invented self-guided walking tour’ I took when I was still an architecture student in he early 1980’s of some magnificent spaces on the much less frenetic EAST 42nd Street…
Image courtesy nyc-architecture.com
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This image is not war torn Europe after either of the World Wars.
It is an image from 1965 of the demolition of the original Pennsylvania Station in New York City, designed by McKim Mead and White.
And here is an image of the magnificent space that was lost….
Sometimes we really just want to have some fun!
Two siblings, a boy and a girl, use this interior bathroom in a New York City apartment. While the public spaces of the apartment are understated, my clients and I decided to go for some hot colors in this bathroom.
I assert that “storage is a key to mental health” especially in New York City apartment, and to avoid any interpretation of favoritism with kids – everything needs to be absolutely equal! The vanity and medicine cabinets were designed to give both children equal storage, and lots of it. Outlets inside of the medicine cabinets power up electric toothbrushes out of sight, and the center drawer holds a blow drier that is plugged into an outlet underneath the counter so the unsightly cords are hidden when not in use.
The white subway tiles, and white penny-tiles are from Nemo Tile Company. The penny tiles on the floor have a dark grout to emphasize the shape of the tiles and camouflage the dirt that gets into grout.
The custom polished nickel ‘Sonoma’ wall sconces with glass shades are from Urban Archaeology.
The rectangular sinks are from Kohler, and the ‘Etoile’ low-profile faucet set with cross-handles is from Waterworks. The rectangular undermount ‘Iron Plains’ sinks are from Kohler; the countertop is Thasos.
A ‘Beach Street’ storage bench from Restoration Hardware provides storage for additional towels and tub toys.
Lets not forget about the colorful elements of this room – ihe inset panel on the vanity is Benjamin Moore Habanero Pepper # 1306, the wall color is from the Donald Kaufman Color Collection – DKC-63. The custom shower curtain is made from ‘ Granville Stripe’ from Hinson Fabrics.
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Now for the fish ‘swimming’ on the wall; they are vintage ice fishing decoys – used in an off-beat sport in the mid-west. The owners had a handful (that were supplemented by purchases on eBay), custom mounts were made to install them on the wall.
Framed drawings of fish and flower is by the children – one each – so everything is even-Steven!
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Madeline Weinrib was focused on her painting career during the 1980’s and 90’s, and then in 1997 she created a line of contemporary area rugs for ABC Carpets as a means of expressing her painterly sensibilities into a woven medium.
The rugs were a big success both commercially and with the design industry media; she seemed to have hit a sweet spot in the marketplace with her bold patterns and bright colors.
Now, more almost two decades later, and with a staff of over 30 people and a much more complex operation, Madeline began seeking support on running the business from someone inside the industry, someone who could understand and appreciate the creative process.
She found that person….
