Pied-à-Terre – Greenwich Village, NYC

GREENWICH VILLAGE – NYC

Pied-à-Terre

The Ottoman Empire, with its richly figured carpets and ornaments, was the vision this Colorado couple had for their two-bedroom condominium in a Greenwich Village building renovated by designer Victoria Hagan, who had preserved its prewar character.

We decided to articulate the room separations by using casings, moldings, and a portiere to create a greater sense of sequence to the rooms. To further emphasize room separations, we changed coloration from one room to the other, with the entry  lacquered a vivid cinnabar. Judiciously placed mirrors expanded and lightened the spaces.

The clients were very interested in vintage textiles, so we introduced layering of Persian rugs and embroidered or tapestry wall-hangings. A selection of patterned textiles, woven or embroidered rather than printed, and often antique in appearance, are carefully juxtaposed. Many of the upholstery and pillow fabrics are actually new, but they have a luscious, aged look.

The result is not a recreated Turkish interior, but a place where imagined travel meets the incomparable comfort of home, in this case, a second one in one of the most charming neighborhoods New York City has to offer.

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An antique Tabriz area rug with stylized floral pattern in indigo and cream, is keynote of this richly patterned and textured room. The custom Belgian sofa is from Jonas. Interesting objects–two pairs of mounted oryx horns; a cross-legged Aesthetic Movement table–add detail and depth.

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A provenance with panache: this Italian walnut Baroque chest of drawers, 19th century with 18th century elements, is from Loring House, Massachusetts, home of the Codman family.

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An antique Tabriz area rug with stylized floral pattern in indigo and cream, is keynote of this richly patterned and textured room. The custom Belgian sofa is from Jonas. Interesting objects–two pairs of mounted oryx horns; a cross-legged Aesthetic Movement table–add detail and depth.

"You guys are amazing. It's really kinda thrilling to be in the presence of your genius, vision, passion, professionalism. Thanks."

– Client

The dining room became a study which can be used for occasional entertaining, centered upon the Empire round table the clients brought from Colorado. Chairs are from a 1930s ocean liner. Meant to be flexible, the table may be set up as a dining table, buffet, or bar. At right, a portiere in Kravet’s double-sided “Interweave” fabric marks the separation from the bedroom.

A place for reflection: a contemporary photograph of a Chinese dam joins a patinated brass ceiling fixture and a crystal orb.

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Outsider art, insider ceramics: a charming primitive painted in a hand-made “tramp art” frame joins Arts & Crafts Movement pots.

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Nothing less than sumptuous, the king-sized bed features Williams-Sonoma’s faintly curving “Sutton” upholstered headboard. The crimson, persimmon, black and cream stylized floral pattern bed covering is an antique Suzani. The slightly shimmering “Fiori” wallpaper is by Rose Tarlow.

Senior Designer Craig Strulovitz
Photos by Gross & Daley

High-Rise Duplex Apartment – NYC

MIDTOWN EAST – NYC

High-Rise Duplex Apartment

The challenge posed by this 4000 square foot duplex near the United Nations, in one of a pair of towers built by architect Wallace Harrison in 1966, is that its exterior glass walls epitomize modernity, while its apartment interiors are organized into more traditional rooms. The building, once inhabited by the great decorator Billy Baldwin, treads an odd ground between the radiant utopia represented by the U.N. complex and the old-world gentility of nearby Beekman Place.

When client Caroline Hirsch, proprietress of Caroline’s Comedy Club, acquired the duplex apartment on a very high floor, with its incomparable natural light and views, we had to invent a language of architectural detail which would respect the modernity of the building’s skin while creating a greater sense of texture and material richness within the rooms, which, as Hirsch remarked, were “like a blank canvas,” devoid of ornamentation. Our strategy was inspired by looking at a certain early Cubist Picasso painting which evinced architectural clarity yet had a warm, rich palette.

We shifted interior walls and partitions to better correspond to the building’s mullion grid, reinstating and clarifying the classical layout of the public rooms and kitchen on the lower floor, bedrooms above. Then we introduced eight-foot mahogany doors with thick frames and custom nickel hardware; and in the library, oak paneling against which Modernist works of art are hung. The palette, muted, is calibrated from white to ivory to beige to taupe to brown to shades of blue. The 20th century furniture forms a quietly elegant counterpoint to Hirsch’s ambitious art collection, which takes pride of place.

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The living room is a tour de force of understatement, a sumptuous composition of palest greys, silvery blue tones and creams, accented by early-to-mid-century French and Scandinavian ceramics. The armchairs are from Holly Hunt, and the sofa is upholstered in a rich velvet by Gretchen Bellinger.

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At the foot of the dramatically curving staircase, carpeted in velvety cut pile, a massive torso by Rodin signals the superlative array of modern art collected by Hirsch.

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In the entry, a mirror above the ebonized console presents an alluring reflection of the winding staircase. On the console, an eclectic selection of small fine and decorative art works includes an Antique Greek head and a 20th century glass lamp.

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In the living room, a bronze torso by Enzo Piazzotta tops an American mahogany center table. A gilded x-framed stool adds a grand geometric note.

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A 1955 painting by Joan Mitchell in a gilded frame hangs above the mantelpiece.

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Art Deco ceramics, and glass in tones of deep chocolate and burnt orange, decorate an ebonized console.

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In the dining room, 1930s Jules Leleu chairs circle a custom oval table. The French forties bronze chandelier complements a Max Ernst figure, also in bronze; the painting is Ross Bleckner’s Flow and Return (2001).

"Glenn’s broad knowledge of architecture, interior design and lifestyle were immensely important to a successful and enduring project. His focus on quality, understatement and comfort has created a gracious & livable home."

– Client

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A sparkling view of the United Nations–one of many spectacular views in this duplex–enlivens a quiet workspace with desk and chairs.

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Works by Franz Kline, Giacometti and Lipschitz hang against a wall paneled in golden oak. The sofa is upholstered in Clarence House velvet.

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A highly polished library table is accompanied by a round-seated Biedermeier chair and a biomorphic 1950s table lamp.

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The master bedroom is a subtle, luxurious expanse of neutrals: palest biscuit and cream tones. The sweeping curtains are in fabric by Rogers & Goffigon; the bed linens by Frette, Hirsch’s linens of choice.

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Jaunty red and white striped linens adorn a guest bedroom, along with quiet American antiques and 20th century ceramics.

Senior Designer Craig Strulovitz
Photos by Gross & Daley

Family Apartment – Upper East Side

UPPER EAST SIDE – NYC

Family Apartment

Originally this eleven room apartment was two apartments in a building designed in 1923 by architect Mott B. Schmidt on Manhattan’s Upper East Side off Park Avenue. The co-op had several beautifully proportioned rooms and 110 feet of southern exposure. The clients, a family, sought a design for the interior that would be both livable and stylish.

The spare yet luxurious Neo-classicism of French 1940s design appealed to these collectors of contemporary art. They also had inherited a collection of American furniture and decorative arts. The designer’s brief was to achieve an airy, spacious aesthetic in the public rooms, while integrating the family’s earlier furniture and art into the cozier private space of the master bedroom.

In every space, works of fine and decorative art–mostly twentieth century– initiate us into the careful layering of eras and textures which characterizes the apartment as a whole. As well as French 1940s pieces, the residence features custom furniture of the highest quality. The meticulous detailing of architecture and fixtures throughout the apartment attains a high level of quality, materiality and finish. It is a home for art lovers, as comfortable as it is beautiful.

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The 30-foot living room’s palette of creams, browns and silvery tones unifies the subtle mix of custom and 1940s furniture and contemporary art. A custom steel and limestone coffee table by Richard Shapiro vies with the gentler curves of the “Breck” sofa from Jonas Upholstery and the “Vermeer” end table from Nancy Corzine.

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The upholstered furniture is tailored but welcoming, covered in warm-hued fabrics—greens, beiges, and purples—that use texture or unassertive pattern to create additional visual interest. Tables, chairs, and case goods in solid dark-stained wood offer strong, graphic silhouettes. Walls are painted in warm and soothing, yet art-friendly shades of taupe.

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In the entry hall, gleaming dark wood floors contrast with a custom interpretation of a Gio Ponti rug of 1954, made originally in cowhide, now handmade by Martin Patrick Evan. Large photograph of a rough, peeling wall is by German artist Frank Thiel; the large work on paper at left is by Julian Schnabel. Glass and brass light fixtures are custom, from Daniel Berglund.

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In another corner of the living room, the furniture is assertively midcentury modern. The splendid, massive library table is 1940s French, of limed oak, complemented by Russell side chairs from Dessin Fournir, upholstered in olive leather. A strong sculptural note is architects Herzog & de Meuron’s solid birch “Hocker” stool, a contemporary classic which echoes the forms of African art.

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An Italian fruitwood cabinet, c. 1927, by Gio Ponti and Emilio Lancia is the setting for a Louise Bourgeois drawing presented on an easel. Elegant plain curtains in Holly Hunt’s “Colonial Pewter” fabric frame the tableau for these Modernist icons. Scandinavian ceramics complete the vignette.

"Over the years Glenn has worked with us on two projects - a sprawling Upper East Side Co-Op and a Soho penthouse loft. They could not have represented two more different challenges, but each could not have been more successful. Glenn has impeccable taste - he was both sensitive to our needs and aesthetic and to the integrity of the space in which he worked."

– Client

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Gilt-framed family portraits flank the entry of the Dining Room, with a view into the living room. The pear wood dining table is from Holly Hunt; the custom Russell side chairs are from Dessin Fournir.

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The superbly proportioned Library is enveloped in the warmth created by the soft browns, camels and ambers of the wools and leather used for upholstery, rug and curtains. There is hint of the safari lodge in the stylized tiger design of the custom wool carpet and the tropical hardwoods of the furniture. The brass chandelier, by Sarfatti, is Italian, from the 1950s.

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A collection of white-glazed Chinese pottery graces an antique secretary – a family heirloom. The custom wool and silk rug from Tai Ping, is woven to resemble a needlepoint pattern. The crisply pleated curtains are in “Palazzo Check” from Holly Hunt; the custom strie wallpaper is from Farrow & Ball. More family heirlooms, a Queen Anne chair and footstool, complete the space.

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The pair of generously proportioned custom “Briarcliff” armchairs by Jonas are upholstered in a lively stripe from Larsen Fabrics, flanking a three-tiered Art Deco side table in chocolate faux shagreen.

Senior Designer Craig Strulovitz
Photos by Gross & Daley

Riverfront Loft – Tribeca

TRIBECA – NYC

Riverfront Loft

Glenn Gissler Design transformed this 2,500 square-foot, 2-bedroom loft apartment in Tribeca for a family of three. Located in a freshly converted former warehouse building, the loft’s principal rooms enjoy Hudson River views and an abundance of natural light through six large west-facing windows, making the remaining walls ideal for displaying a newly acquired collection of fine art.

Gissler worked with his clients to acquire a number of artworks by recognized leading American Abstract Expressionist movement artists to be placed within the calm background. A large, lively canvas by Larry Poons hangs above the living room sofa, while striking works by Theodoros Stamos and Milton Resnick are seen in the entry off the dining area.

A large, lively and colorful canvas by Larry Poons hangs above the sofa, flanked by Ombre Italian Lamps from the 1950’s in acidic yellow and greens that add an element of surprise to the room’s palette.

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The soft green treatments mimic the hues of the Hudson River and frame the view. Anchoring this end of the room is a pair of Roman Thomas chairs upholstered in a Pollack fabric. A 19th Century Uzbekistan Suzani embroidery placed on the purple ottoman adds a layer of history and decoration.

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The upholstered furniture is tailored but welcoming, covered in warm-hued fabrics—greens, beiges, and purples—that use texture or unassertive pattern to create additional visual interest. Tables, chairs, and case goods in solid dark-stained wood offer strong, graphic silhouettes. Walls are painted in warm and soothing, yet art-friendly shades of taupe.

"We are grateful we selected GGD and would certainly recommend them to others. "

– Client

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The symmetrical Dining Area has a pair of large framed mirrors to create the feeling of openness in the room. Above the dining table hangs a branching bubble chandelier by contemporary designer Lindsey Adelman. A large Amethyst specimen is displayed prominently as the centerpiece on the dark-stained dining table from Holly Hunt.

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The first view of the apartment is of Theodoros Stamos painting from 1946 title ‘The Sacrifice’ hung above circa 1830 Chinese Alter Table.

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The entryway and dining area have a bold mix of objects but the focus of on the rich painting by American Abstract Expressionist painters Milton Resnick and Theodoros Stamos.

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In the master bedroom the palette is a combination of soft green and pale peach and the light reflecting off of the Hudson River sparkles in the Mercury Glass Lamps and 1960’s Venini Chandelier.

Senior Designer Craig Strulovitz
Photos by Gross & Daley

Chappaqua Colonial

CHAPPAQUA, NY

Colonial Revival

After living in a suburban home for more than 15 years, the owners of this family home felt the desire to accommodate the changing needs of their active family. The 1920’s Colonial Revival house in Chappaqua, New York had had some modest alterations over time but it was time for bigger changes. Working with architect David Graham, we helped massage existing spaces, expand others, and provide new furnishings in all of the public rooms.

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The Kitchen is the heart of this home and gracefully integrates a complex array of functions and details into a charming understated space. There are an abundance of windows with views to the back and side yards, as well as a skylight over the sink making it a delightful and sunny place to be in the daytime space, and with the layered approach to lighting, a warm and inviting space in the evening. Honed black granite counters recall soapstone sinks of another era, with the glossy mini-subway tiles and brushed nickel bin-pulls provide function and decoration to the kitchen.

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The modest-scaled front hall is furnished and accessorized simply to reinforce its cottagey appeal. The pattern of the antique Heriz carpet provides decorative practicality for a well-used space with the blasters and railing read graphically against a crisp white background.

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The multi-functional Family Room is adjacent to the Living Room and is differentiated by its taller beamed ceiling and the focus on a large screen television. We used a warm palette, with wood furniture and patinated bronze in the curtain hardware, chandelier, and table lamps to add charm and detail. The adjacent sunroom has floor-to-ceiling windows, and French doors to the back yard.

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While still a casual space, the Living Room is a more refined than the family room. We installed a custom wood bolection fireplace surround, and integrates a range of contemporary and vintage pieces for a curated eclecticism.

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The classic silhouettes of the upholstered furniture are covered in warm, understated, but rich textiles without bold patterns, giving the room a more updated traditional appearance. The bold-scale and simple lines of the vintage mercury glass table lamps and the framed photograph are more contemporary and help to keep the room fresh. The most dramatic piece of furniture in the Living Room is a vintage-style articulated chair upholstered in leather. The custom table lamps from Daniel Berglund provide a functional source of illumination for this bay window tableau with its array of objects from different cultures and time periods.

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The classic paneled Library is in rich contrast to the adjacent rooms. The French 1940’s desk and upholstered armchair and ottoman make it a great space for reading, writing and working on the computer. A custom chandelier made of discarded jet-engine parts is an industrial accent for the room.

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The bright and open Breakfast room is open to the kitchen. A custom shaded-chandelier hangs over a large farm table that is surrounded by Windsor chairs.

"During a major renovation of our home 18 years ago, we were fortunate to engage Glenn Gissler Design from construction thru completion. What resulted was a spectacular family home - warm, inviting and most importantly, timeless. A home design that looks as beautiful in 2019 as it did 18 years ago. Glenn and his design professionals worked on all aspects of the job with a keen eye to sublime design and clean lines - all done in a professional and timely manner. I highly recommend Glenn Gissler Design and his entire team! "

– Client

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A window seat with swing-arm wall sconces with white glass shades provides a place to take your shoes off, to set a package down or to sit and read while looking out to the backyard.

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In the working portion of the Kitchen there is a large island for food preparation with three vintage industrial stools for seating and a bold large-scale Halophane fixture for perfect illumination. Additional lighting is provided by vintage-style surface mounted fixtures that are applied to the painted bead board ceiling throughout the eat-in kitchen. The pantry storage has perforated metal fronts that tie in with the custom range hood and industrial-style appliances. The striped carpet runner on the back stairs provides some retro-color to the room.

"After 19 years the Kitchen you designed for me still looks beautiful and modern – I am proud to be the owner!"

– Client

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The Master Bedroom has a tray ceiling with space ‘borrowed’ from the attic above. A built-in window seat provides a great view to the back yard as well as storage below. An antique Empire table desk and floor lamp proved an alternate place to work or read. A flat-weave scatter rug is set upon the carpeting to add color and interest, along with the pair of Sang du Boeuf ginger jar bedside lamps.

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A vintage French light fixture hangs in the apex of gentle pyramidal ceiling of the Master Bathroom adding interest and illumination. The antique Persian area rug gives texture and pattern in contrast to the other surfaces in the room and the vintage Chinese barber’s stool and the shapely oversized bathtub add sculptural elements. While the unconstructed roman shades soften the room.

Senior Designer Craig Strulovitz
Photos by Gross & Daley