Explore the beautifully crafted entryway, kitchen, living room, and dining room of this stunning NYC apartment!
If you haven’t seen, Laliberte has been crossing state lines for our most recent project: a stunning apartment remodel in Manhattan.
The building is a gem; a high-end luxury apartment building that is also a historic landmark. The entire thing was redone, but they kept some touches of the original design from the 1920s, so there are really beautiful details embedded throughout. While we redid this whole apartment, in this post, we will be covering all of the public spaces in the home. To see what we do with the bedrooms and home office, stay on the lookout for our upcoming blog post….
The apartment has gorgeous light hardwood flooring that was quite airy, which we balanced with a more grounded design. The rooms were mostly bathed in neutrals and muted tones that were styled with some accent pieces and pops of color. The main elements that found themselves the stars of the design were walnut, brass, and leather. With these materials, we could play with some fun pieces and colors while still keeping it all tied together in a more rooted world.
Immediately when you walk through the front door, you see the foyer. On the wall was a large, ugly electrical panel. Our client wanted a mirror in the entryway, so we got the idea to hide the panel behind a large oversized mirror. The mirror was on a hinge so that there was easy access to the wiring whenever needed. Across from it, we put a custom bench designed by our creative team with a white oak veneer and dark stain. In the middle of the bench is a pop of electric blue on a small cabinet for some storage. Above the bench, a gorgeous oversized artwork graces the wall, tying into the blue tones of the bench. To complement the bench cushions and the hardwood, there was a floor runner with a lovely mix of cream and light brown.
Designing the kitchen, dining room, and living room was quite challenging. There was one large rectangular space that was supposed to hold all three, so we had to figure out exactly how we wanted to do that. The ceiling also posed a challenge as there were beams everywhere that were not symmetrical or aesthetically pleasing. Additionally, because of the structural nature of the ceiling, we couldn’t touch it.
To fix the beam issue and allow us to hang a light fixture, we decided to put in a drop ceiling made of sheetrock. We made it the same size as the kitchen island so the ceiling was lined up with it. This gave the room some much-needed balance. We also could now hang a light fixture!
As for the layout situation, we chose to split the room pretty equally into three parts. It was important for each to feel like a contained space while still having some flow into each other. We did this by keeping some integral elements and materials consistent throughout all three; the flooring, lightness, walnut, leather, and brass.
For the kitchen, we brought in some amazing Brazilian wood and dark leather stools. These were great for adding some seating to the kitchen while creating a bit of a divide between the island and the dining room table. The stools had great curvature to them, adding that organic, sculptural feeling to the area. For some light, we opted for three dangling crystal pendant lights. These small spheres balanced the darker space through their delicate nature and sense of whimsy.
Moving to the dining room, we used a similar palette as we had in the kitchen, but brought in a bit more color. We obtained a gorgeous dark wood table, perfect for entertaining. For the chairs, we chose ones that were slightly reminiscent of the kitchen stools. They were also a Brazilian brand and were sustainably handcrafted. For the upholstered back and seat, we chose a pop of jade green performance fabric. Overhead, we selected a brilliant light fixture with a brass hood.
Finally, the space transitions into the living room. Here, color explodes, full of life. However, it is still very chic and calming. The client wanted space to entertain, so we grabbed two velvet sofas and a cozy armchair. To offset the strong straight lines of the sofas, we decided to go for a custom area rug in a super organic shape. Filled with jewel tones, the rug feels reminiscent of light reflecting off a pool of water. In the corner is a little music setup with a stunning white piano. Adding an edge, magnificent chain artwork sits on the wall above, one of the many amazing art pieces that deck the walls of this expansive room.
With our new design, this brilliant apartment is ready to entertain. The foyer welcomes all who enter in while hinting at the design elements that will follow in what they see next. The kitchen/dining/living space bleeds color in a magnificent ombre, from the darkness of the kitchen to the color medley of the living room. It is an honor to design the spaces that our clients call home. Come back and sneak a peak at the more private spaces of this NYC dream apartment!
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