5TH AVENUE

Location:  New York
Floor area: Approx, 3,000 sqft
Completion: In Progress

Design Concept: This Fifth Avenue apartment, with Central Park views to the front and idyllic courtyard garden views to the rear, is currently under full renovation.  The original plan is being transformed from a series of awkwardly scaled and sequenced rooms into a streamlined cohesive home which will accommodate a family including three grown children and a dog.  The owners asked us to improve flow and function while maintaining the inherent pre-war characteristics of their 1925 historic building.  Of primary importance to them was to retain a traditional concept of discrete rooms, while establishing a more modern, flexible layout.

Site Conditions:  Our clients chose this apartment for its outstanding exterior views, which had been neglected.  From the start it was clear that we needed to reconnect rooms with views and re-engage the occupants with their surroundings.

Design Strategy: Our initial focus was to recreate properly scaled main spaces in order to establish a clear sense of hierarchy.  We then reproportioned passageways and interior views to unite public to private rooms.   Throughout the apartment we redesigned trim work and cabinetry to be appropriately grand in scale but clean and simple in profile.  We applied a consistent neutral palette to balance classic details with timeless design principles.