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Houzz Tour: A New York City Flat Filled With Artwork and Retro Touches
Sleek white walls provide the perfect backdrop for this homeowner’s art and midcentury furniture collections
The instant architect Luca Andrisani saw its wall of windows and views of lush green trees beyond them, he made an offer on his future home in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighbourhood. Then he drew up a plan: knock down the wall separating the living room from the dining room to enhance the views and draw in extra light. In doing so, he created an ideal showroom for his ever-growing collection of art, photography and vintage midcentury furniture.
A wall with a standard-sized door originally separated the living room from the dining room. Andrisani removed the wall and created a custom floor-to-ceiling built-in cupboard using the same white lacquered cabinets found in the kitchen.
Taking down the wall allowed for a more open-plan space that draws in additional light from the windows. Matching goat-hair rugs in the living and dining areas help connect the two spaces.
Rugs, Tretford.
Taking down the wall allowed for a more open-plan space that draws in additional light from the windows. Matching goat-hair rugs in the living and dining areas help connect the two spaces.
Rugs, Tretford.
Andrisani’s affinity for vintage midcentury furniture is very much in evidence. In the living area, a Milo Baughman sofa and two armchairs combined with a chaise make for a sleek look, because of their low profiles and chrome accents. The two barrel-back armchairs are covered in a plaid wool to add texture to the neutral-toned space.
Chaise, Vladimir Kagan.
Chaise, Vladimir Kagan.
Because the kitchen opens directly onto the living space, Andrisani wanted it to blend into the background as much as possible. Many of the white lacquered cabinets are handle-less to cut down on visible hardware, and the dishwasher and refrigerator are concealed behind panels.
Splashback tiles, Tex by Raw Edges Studios, Mutina.
Check out 10 kitchens that break the mould
Splashback tiles, Tex by Raw Edges Studios, Mutina.
Check out 10 kitchens that break the mould
Andrisani used a computer program to design the pattern for the splashback. The tiles were then numbered on the back and glued together off-site before being installed in the kitchen. ‘It would have been much, much harder to create this pattern without the aid of technology,’ Andrisani says.
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Discover how to work patterned tiles into your kitchen
The dining table, with chrome legs and a white back-painted glass top, is one of the few new pieces of furniture in the apartment. ‘Using back-painted glass for a tabletop adds a deeper, more layered effect than frosted glass,’ Andrisani says.
Due to the mint condition of the six vintage Milo Baughman chairs, he kept their original fabric. The Venini glass chandelier adds a spark of more traditional elegance.
Dining table, Fritz Hansen.
Due to the mint condition of the six vintage Milo Baughman chairs, he kept their original fabric. The Venini glass chandelier adds a spark of more traditional elegance.
Dining table, Fritz Hansen.
Positioned against the staircase leading to the master and guest bedroom, a vintage sideboard from Mexico has an intricate carved pattern at its base and a thin surround of white lacquer on all sides. It is topped with glass lamps from Murano, Italy, and a collection of gold-leafed ceramic bottles that the designer chose because of their slightly melted appearance.
Lamps, Barovier & Toso.
Lamps, Barovier & Toso.
The master bedroom’s window wall includes tartan curtains to block light at night and a sheer panel to filter light during the day. The blue in the fabric of the midcentury chair co-ordinates with the digital photography over the bed.
Bed, Lazzoni. Bedding, Frette. Blanket, Hermès. Curtains, Prismatek.
Browse tips for window dressing
Bed, Lazzoni. Bedding, Frette. Blanket, Hermès. Curtains, Prismatek.
Browse tips for window dressing
The bedside table is made in a mix of white lacquer and wood, while the silhouette of the tripod table lamp is similar to the pattern on the doors. ‘I didn’t notice the similarities until I placed the lamp on the table. It was one of those happy coincidences,’ Andrisani says.
Blue artwork over bed, Umberto Ciceri.
Blue artwork over bed, Umberto Ciceri.
The intricate sideboard opposite the bed has light-blue ceramic handles, continuing the touches of aqua used throughout the room. A vintage Pipistrello lamp, sometimes called a bat lamp because the silhouette of its shade looks similar to bat wings, can be raised to become a floor lamp.
Besides adding accessories and recessed lighting, the only big change Andrisani made in the master bathroom was removing the bathtub in favour of a shower, which is now tiled with glass mosaics.
In the serene guest bedroom, crisp white bedding from Frette and floor-to-ceiling sheer curtains, ensures that the Andy Warhol print of Marilyn Monroe above the bed provides all the colour.
TELL US…
What do you think of this Manhattan apartment? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
TELL US…
What do you think of this Manhattan apartment? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Who lives here Luca Andrisani
Location Manhattan, New York City, USA
Size 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Designer Luca Andrisani of Luca Andrisani Architect
The all-white apartment is a gallery-like space for the architect’s ever-evolving collection of art and photography. ‘Colour or patterns on the wall would distract from the works,’ Andrisani says.
In the hallway, a Karl Springer-designed parchment bench rests underneath a photograph by Japanese artist Izima Kaoru. The work is from his series entitled Landscape With a Corpse. For this series, the photographer asked models to imagine their own death and had them dress in high-fashion couture to portray the scene.
Umbrella stand, Fornasetti. Artwork above umbrella stand, Marko Spalatin.