New York State Award 1966 Council on the Arts

Known for their holistic arroyo to design, Matt Berman and Andrew Kotchen, the founding principals of the New York firm Workshop/APD, transformed a young family's Greenwich Village apartment into a modernist and light-filled habitation. Here, Berman and Kotchen reveal the inspiration and goals behind this loftier-tech project.

ELLE Decor: With its floating staircase and the glass mezzanine that hovers harmoniously over the living expanse, this apartment feels more than state-of-the-fine art than most.

Matt Berman : We're constantly inspired by the digital aspects of our lives today, but also by how nosotros tin can use the latest technology to craft and manipulate materials and forms in our designs. In this project, we took advantage of this in a number of means, including in our design of the structural elements of the stairway, the vertical library, and the mezzanine. We used structural software to minimize the size of the steel components, which was integral to the success of the installation.

Are there other loftier-tech components here that aren't necessarily visible?

MB: In the main bathroom, we used switch-light glass for the shower walls—these tin can create privacy without distracting from the space's elegant, modern aesthetic.

Andrew Kotchen: The goal is always to make the technology invisible, which was the case in this domicile. The lighting and shade systems are from Lutron Homeworks, and everything, including the lighting, shades, speakers, and heating and cooling systems, tin can be controlled through an app-based Savant system. We want dwelling house automation—shades, glass, lights, music, Television set, audio, and more—to be bullheaded, seamless, and intuitive. And of course, these systems are always changing, then they need to exist integrated in a fashion that has minimal impact on the design of the space.

In the apartment, the lighting, shades, speakers, and heating and cooling systems can all be controlled through an app-based system from Savant. The living room is centered effectually a custom sofa from DDC and a decommissioned missile that virtually reaches the xv-foot ceiling. A chaise from KGBL and an ottoman from Jean de Merry form a smaller seating area.

William Abranowicz

In such a modernist space, how did you warm up the interiors?

MB: The architecture of the home has a clean, modern feel, which is balanced by the curated and collected decor. Each piece of furniture has a shape, textile, texture, and color that complements and softens the architectural elements. In seeking out materials that take a crafted feel—whether they are made or manipulated by hand or by technology—designs become warmer and more personal and compelling.

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What were some of the more challenging elements that you incorporated into this apartment?

AK: The integration and operation of several big door panels effectually the kitchen was a real challenge. We wanted the ability to conceal the kitchen infinite, simply we didn't desire the door panels to exist noticeable. The result is a fix of sliding and hinged planes that are about 15 feet alpine and fully integrated into the walls and millwork.

A set of sliding hinged 15-foot-tall planes are fully integrated into the walls so that the kitchen can exist concealed. The kitchen floors are poured physical slab, and the counter stools are from Counter Evolution.

William Abranowicz

Back to that gorgeous mezzanine and staircase— what was the inspiration behind them?

AK: The geometry of the mezzanine was intended to create a fluid visual connexion betwixt the spaces. The intersecting curves were inspired by the thought of a floating bird'south nest. For the stair design, the goal was to minimize material and form. By creating a serial of steel fins across the library and extending the vertical dividers of the bookshelves to form the stair treads and construction of the mezzanine above, we were able to integrate the structure for the stairs in a uniquely dynamic, streamlined fashion. Creating a fluid circulation through a New York City apartment tin can pose unique challenges. In this domicile, we kept to a simple palette of materials that helped to ascertain the transitional areas betwixt rooms. This holistic approach to design has been an attribute of our work that ties all of our projects together.

To integrate the staircase into the space seamlessly, Workshop/APD created a series of steel fins across the vertical library and extended the dividers of the bookshelves to form the stair treads and structure of the mezzanine above.

William Abranowicz

What were some of your key goals while designing this space?

MB: The way the homeowners and their friends, family, and guests would utilize and experience the flat was of form top of mind in the design process. By creating public and private spaces separated past transitional areas, it is both family unit-friendly and nonetheless fix for whatsoever use, including frequent entertaining.

AK: Our goal was to provide the owners with opportunities to display and curate their stunning collection of books and objets. We also wanted to create a home that flowed seamlessly from one room into another, while embedding the design with a sense of craft.

Is in that location anything in item yous learned while designing this flat that you'll put to good apply in time to come homes?

AK: Each projection serves as a stepping stone for the next one, which is one of the things that makes this profession so rewarding. This apartment allowed us to study and test out the structural composition of course in a unique manner, which is work we have already carried frontwards into many of our recent projects.

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Source: https://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/house-interiors/a29113164/state-of-the-art-new-york-apartment/

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