Built in 1930 in New York’s upper east side, this 3500 square foot apartment is in a beautiful Art Deco building designed by the renowned architect, Rosario Candela. Crenelations, buttresses and spires decorate the facade of the structure. The apartments within are designed with generous proportions , pristine moldings, fireplaces and in some instances staircases that make the apartments feel like multi story homes within a building. This combination of elegant but subdued Art Deco features and domestically scaled spaces was our inspiration for the interior design.

Our clients were a young couple with two young boys and a third on the way. They were reluctant to change any of the classic Candela designed proportions of the apartment but did want to update the bathrooms and add more closet space to the Master Bedroom. The aesthetic directive was “Modern Deco”. As a corner apartment, all the rooms have wonderful light and views so window treatments were kept to a minimum. The furnishings are an eclectic mix of new and old. Contemporary Holly Hunt club chairs sit next to a 1935 Paola Buffa Dry Bar in the Living Room and elegant Art Deco inspired materials such as gold leaf, bronze and marble are sprinkled throughout. The carpet from Alt for Living is richly woven with a Bhutan inspired geometric pattern in soft muted colors.

The Dining Room is probably the most dramatic room in the apartment with walls lined in dark green silk wallpaper and the ceiling painted to match. A large scale silk Wiener Werkstaette style chandelier from the Viennese company, Woka adds a soft etherial effect and all are reflected in an oversized antiqued mirror from Ochre.

A more modern approach was taken for the Family Room and Bedrooms where comfort and practicality are key for three growing boys. The focal point of the Family room is a sectional by Cisco brothers covered in grey wood cashmere fabric oozing “cozy”. A large beanbag chair, a Knoll Saarinen play table and Jens Risom chairs add to the youthful quality of the room in contrast to the very grown up aesthetic viewed in the Living and Dining Rooms.

Here, context was king. One can’t help but respond to the classic Art Deco inspired architecture when contemplating the interior design of the rooms. However, the clients didn’t want the apartment to feel like their parent’s place. We strove to respect the history of the building but still answer to the needs and lifestyle of a contemporary New York family by mixing a little of the old with the new, contrasting light and airy with moody and dramatic and combining cozy with playful.