Gramercy Park
GRAMERCY PARK – NYC
Gramercy Park Apartment
These engaged and willing clients, a couple moving from California, sought to create an interior in their prewar Gramercy Park two bedroom – with keys to the Park — that would express emotion, even passion. One of the clients was from South Africa and possessed some heirlooms belonging to his grandfather, including a grand piano and artworks, forming an interesting family legacy which introduced color and and a certain exoticism into the apartment.
Instead of using the second bedroom as a guest room, we chose to create a den for work and entertainment; this has turned out to be a delightful and much-used room.
The couple are master chefs, and multi-course dinners with carefully selected wines were a priority. We created a dining area with a banquette; a closet was transformed into a stunning bar. We furnished the terrace with pieces from Restoration Hardware, making of it another place for dining.
By actively engaging these gastronomic connoisseurs in the design design process, their evolving visual sense came to be reflected in the colors, textures and objects of this highly personal apartment.
An X-front American chest of drawers, 1950s, sets the stage for a collection of green-glazed pots and an spiraling cylinder fashioned into a table lamp. We extended the custom mirror beyond the chest for an added feeling of space. The carpet, from Stark, is in a Greek key pattern which appears almost stenciled.
Converted from a closet, the bar is a special delight, inspired by Charles James’ bar for the De Menils in Houston. The clients are oenophiles, with an esoteric knowledge of wines and spirits. The granite top is Uba Tuba from Stone Source.
Bone-colored subway tiles create a ruggedly masculine environment, accented by the antique paddle mounted on a custom stand and an industrial sconce in steel and brass