Chelsea Pied-a-Terre New York City, NY

Intended to operate as a pied-a-terre, MRA’s open plan design was fashioned from a one-bedroom apartment by removing two walls. A conventional galley kitchen with its obligatory pass-thru wall was transformed into a large service bar containing basic cooking facilities, while the bedroom wall was replaced by two retractable curtains- one shear and the other opaque. Mirrors located at opposite ends of the new main space offer repeated reflections of midtown.

The owner, a busy South American financier, comes to New York City whenever he has free time and usually on short notice. As such, the space must function like a hotel room albeit a tailor made one with extensive closets and built-in cabinets that have a place for everything making it easy to keep organized.

The visual character has been influenced by the owners’ taste in South American modernism, especially Brazilia. The floor and counters are white marble throughout, including the bath and the storage areas. All interior doors are frosted glass, introducing a subtle green tint to the all white interior. This frosted color scheme is reinforced by pale blue painted woodwork while three graphic works by compatriot artists add chromatic zest. Backlighting these doors as well as backlighting from a custom element within the service counter adds drama to the space at nightfall.

The most striking feature in the design is a large ceiling canopy. Created to delineate the living area, this construction also serves to invite one into itself from the entry while drawing one out to the view. It is a structure composed of some forty, five-foot wide catenary curved fins placed five inches apart. They function to baffle light and conceal a battery of surround-sound speakers. This whole structure is, of course, also reflected in the mirrors where their reflections virtually extend its already linear design and make it a companion to the repeated city panorama.

If the pied-a-terre evokes a lifestyle suggesting dynamism, perhaps it is because the design was conceived as a portrait of the owner- at once cosmopolitan and adventuresome.