Archive for the ‘Loft Tour’ Category
Loft Tour: Polished and Playful in SoHo
The polished design of this sophisticated SoHo loft comes from our new favorite firm SPI Design. Based in LA, Sarah Shetter and Alison Palevsky founded SPI Design back in 2004 in an attempt to bring modern luxury in a livable way to urban dwellers. We love the clean lines mixed with quirky, comical touches. In this loft they have intentionally maintained the original industrial elements inherent in the space while also creating a warm, cozy, chic environment.
Our favorite details: the nicely curated photography on display, the color coded book shelf, the photo gallery hung above the sideboard in the dining/living room and the state-of-the art kitchen that is made from sustainable materials such as PaperStone counter-tops, FSC-certified cabinet base panels, and FSC-certified birch veneer cabinet fronts. And how great is the touch of regency-glamour in the bedroom? We love the mirrored side tables topped off with mercury glass lamps. The black and silver is perfectly playful, as is the rest of the space. Enjoy! For more information on this adorable design duo, visit their lovely website here.
Above, designers Sarah Shetter and Alison Palevsky.
SPI, LLC.
Info@SPI-Design.com
P 310.396.1020
spi-design.com
Loft Tour: Nassau Street Office Turned Home
In the style of beaux-arts architecture, the Cockcroft Building (today known as the Croft Building) was built in 1905 as office space. Nassau Street was a central hub for major headquarters such as, the New York Times, Western Union Telegraphs and most notably as the “Stamp District”. In the 1920s, stamp collecting became very popular and with dozens of stamp and coin dealers along its short length. The book titled Nassau Street written in the 1960’s by Hermain Herst Jr. also describes the “golden age” of stamp collecting during this time. The building remained an office space until 2004 when the Financial District became a residential destination. The building facade remained as originally built and the interior spaces were converted into lofts.
In comes Sarah Magness, the worldly interior designer behind the new Manhattan-based firm Magness Design. She and her husband, Rob Magness, designer and founder of Grown & Sewn, reside in this refurbished, light-filled space that they have appointed with a mix of modern furnishings and organic accessories. We love the subtle feminine touches like the white, lacy bedroom and delicate glass vases on the dining room table, juxtaposed with the industrial black column in the middle of the living room. The casually elegant space exemplifies nicely the livability of a commercial-to-residential conversion.
Loft Tour: Amsterdam Sugar Warehouse
We decided the real sweet life resides not only in a European loft, but also in an old sugar warehouse nonetheless. So we had to share this loft that came to us by way of Uxus Design and the company’s (and the loft’s) owners and directors, George Gottl and Oliver Michell, who decided to keep the original wooden interior of this 18th century Amsterdam sugar warehouse.
Built in 1763 and located on the Bloemgracht canal and in the Jordaan district (the hot spot for lofts we’re beginning to realize) the loft also boasts a panoramic view overlooking the city. But an important note on the interior is it continued to remain in its original state for almost 250 years until the owners decided to add their own design tastes and choices. Uxus Design has this to say about the loft: “In keeping the original open-plan layout we created a series of dramatic curtain walls that could be opened and closed according to the needs of use. Made of luxurious Italian linen, the curtain walls are opaque when lit from the front yet transparent from behind. At night, the space becomes a series of glowing tents, creating the effect of a surreal interior landscape.”
We especially love all the natural elements that this loft oozes, what with the hard-to-miss wooden interior, animals, antlers, and coral (all found objects from markets around Europe) combined with the art collection and draped curtains gives it an overall unique cinematic and surreal gothic feel. But maybe what gets us most, is the clever way they’ve designed their master closet, scroll down to see the sweetest closet we’ve seen to date.
Posted by Kyra Shapurji
Photography by Dim Balem
Loft Tour: Pared-Down Design in Chinatown
In New York’s Chinatown, perched high above the street in a 19th-century industrial loft live architecture couple Solveig Fernlund and Neil Logan. Devoted to collecting mid-century modern souvenirs, the space accommodates the open-plan, live/work environment that suits their personal, verging-on-austere aesthetic. We love the intentional decoration seen in the eclectic collection of art that is casually leaning against the wall or hung in groups. The open shelves in the kitchen allow their china collection to serve as decoration and the floors were painted with grey gloss to reflect light, adding to the airiness of the space. The few pieces of furniture they have are all genuine vintage designs from the likes of Charlotte Perriand, Jean Prouvé and Alvar Aalto. This simple, calm oasis proves that sometimes less really is more.
For more information on the couple’s architecture firm, visit fernlund + logan here. Also, check out some of their projects we featured on the blog here.
Photography by VERNE/OWI
Loft Tour: Curated Chelsea Home
Photographer Anita Calero migrated to West Chelsea long before the current stampede of millionaires. Back in the 1990s, she rented a 2,000-square-foot loft in an artists’ condominium, which she then bought and began to reconfigure. Calero knocked wide doorways into several rooms, including the new eat-in kitchen with its major appliances carefully hidden from the adjacent spaces. The dining table and chairs are lightly restored Jean Prouvé “standard chairs,” with a faux-coral chandelier above (Calero frequents furniture dealers and flea markets). Of course, this kind of archaeology isn’t possible in the ultra-luxury apartments rising around Calero’s building. We especially love how she has embraced the older elements of the space.
Photography by Anita Calero/GMAimages.com and Jonny Valiant
RECAP: Tribeca Loft Tour
On Sunday October 18th, Duane Park, a not-for profit organization that was founded in 1994, hosted their 10th Tribeca Loft Tour. Some of the loft buildings have been around since the mid-1800’s. Many of the buildings facades and some of the core structural elements showcased these time periods. There were converted warehouses, most of which had classical elements in the Renaissance or Romanesque style, although there were a few that had a French derived Neo-Grec aesthetic. These various architectural trends from the past can be seen in the original ceiling beams, unusual window treatments, ornate columns, and vaulted detailing. The original purposes of the buildings ranged from old spice market factories, garment industrial manufacturers, paint makers, and, even, business oriented fields, such as the old American Express headquarters.
Personally, it was a privileged and treat to visit these historically rich homes that had not attempted to cover up their past. It’s not ever day that you enter someones home and see ancient paint spattered all over the wooden floors. Enjoy!
An Artist’s Loft:
Loft completed by Dean/Wolf Architects:
Photographer, journalist, and connoisseur’s Loft featuring Valerie Carmet’s lovely mosaic tiling:
Architecture designed by Acheson Doyle Partners Architects P.C & Design, construction, and contracting by European Interior Concepts, Inc.
Artists’ C. Michael Norton & Ruth Hardinger’s Live/Work Loft:
Photography by Linden Hass
Loft Tour: The Cement Factory
To this day, Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill’s legendary live/work complex in Barcelona, Spain remains one of, if not the most impressive examples of adaptive reuse we’ve ever seen. It all started about 35 years ago when the controversial architect discovered an abandoned cement factory comprised of over 30 silos, underground galleries and huge engine rooms. He bought it and began renovation. This included defining the space by demolishing certain structures, cleaning cement, exposing previously concealed forms, and planting various greenery including eucalyptus, palms, olive trees and cypresses. Today, the factory has been successfully transformed into his personal home, as well as a multitude of offices, modeling and archival laboratories, a projection room, and a huge space known as ‘The Cathedral’, which serves as a venue for subsequent exhibitions, lectures, and concerts.
The vast space exemplifies incredible restraint. He hasn’t filled it up with too much stuff; rather the interiors are intentionally appointed with casually slip-covered white sofas, canvas slingback seating, warm oriental rugs and lush leather upholstery. The work areas feature dramatically long conference tables paired with high-tech leather seating. In terms of artwork, beautifully framed architectural prints either hang on the wall or are displayed on wooden easels. The space overall boggles the mind, so much so that we can’t believe it even exists! But it does, and Bofill has this to say about it:
“The factory is a magic place with a strange atmosphere that is difficult to be perceived by a profane eye. I like the life to be perfectly programmed here, ritualized, in total contrast with my turbulent nomad life.”
Check out the full story of “The Cement Factory” here. For more information on Ricardo Bofill, visit his website here.
Photography by Verve
The Flower Box Loft–A Pure Gem
Chroonkit Thahong is a senior presentation code developer at R/GA who practices interior design part-time. While he’s been celebrated the most for restaurant design (including SEA in Willamsburg and the Highline in the Meat Packing District), his talent comes through clearly in a couple of gorgeous lofts.
For example, there’s “The Flowerbox,” a duplex loft in New York’s East Village, which uses subtle detailing to feature some fine, pure modern style. His clients, couple who had met at MIT, desired a minimal aesthetic; Thahong proposed invoking John Pawson’s style, thinking it would give them the look they wanted. In the living space, sleek sliding glass doors and a long hidden bookcase replaced old-fashioned molding adding functionality to the interior. The room was then infused with form, including a Living Divani wall sofa, a BDDW dining set, and Donald Judd’s sculpture work. The custom-built entertainment cabinet and the birdhouse sconce, meanwhile, both use the original developer’s floor material, while the pair of brass birds perched on the stair rail were purchased on eBay.
The space’s open feel allows each piece to stand on its own while still contributing to an overall cohesion. And as light floods in during the day, Thahong’s design ensures “The Flowerbox” functions as a calm and meditative home in which a planted mind and body can truly grow!
Photography by Udom, Represented by Cornelia Adams
Loft Tour: Mid-century Modern Meets Victorian Glamour
Charoonkit Thahong’s New York loft mixes Hollywood regency with mid-century modern overtones to create a space that celebrates good design. Some gems include the 1969 VP Globe lamp by Verner Panton, the Fortuny Moda lamp, the Knoll Tulip armless chairs and the oh-so-fun black Victorian love-seat. Thahong, an art director for R/GA, has managed to infuse warmth into the otherwise over-sized, industrial space (located in Hell’s Kitchen) adding subtle touches of glamour to finish off the look. It’s proof that life without walls doesn’t mean sticking to only one aesthetic; Thahong’s space is fit for both Charles Eames and Marie Antoinette!
Photography by Udom, represented by Corniela Adams
Loft Tour: London Calling
Enter this London loft and you might feel as if you’re ready to set sail. And its nautical feel is simply why we wanted to share it with you. From the portal windows, to the varying art pieces hanging on exposed brick walls, an undulating wooden panel ceiling, a galley entrance to the open kitchen with a retro island counter and captain bar stools, the entire space maintains a balance of spaciousness with intimacy (a definite sense when in a boat’s cabin).
With a roof that offers a beautiful aerial view of London’s financial district across the Thames, we think this loft dweller must dream they’re out on the open seas. We like how they took matters into their own hands and didn’t hold back on a specific theme. A bit whimsical, yet with a definite purpose, this London loft called out to us, because, well, we’ve never seen anything quite like it. Who wouldn’t want to be “shipwrecked” here?
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