USA Houzz: Sneak a Peek at a Spacious Manhattan Loft
This loft apartment update is so stunning and successful, its Kiwi owner can't wait to do another renovation!
When the owner of this loft, in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighbourhood, first called architect David Howell, his intentions were to sand and refinish his existing floors. By the time they were done, they had completely renovated the entire apartment, leaving the client with the renovation bug and a new addiction to shopping for furniture and accessories.
“The renovations took much longer than my client originally anticipated, but he really enjoyed the process every step of the way,” says Howell. “His Saturday routine became going for a coffee and then wandering down to the BDDW [furniture company] showroom, where he would text me photos of pieces he liked – I really enjoyed them.”
The client’s favourite pieces made their way into the home, which now has new floors, raised ceilings to better accommodate his 198cm height, a new air-conditioning system and a completely reconfigured layout.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A man and his girlfriend
Location: New York City
Size: About 853 square metres; 2 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms
That’s interesting: This converted loft building was once two historic Tribeca warehouses; the renovations seen here were completed in 2012
“The renovations took much longer than my client originally anticipated, but he really enjoyed the process every step of the way,” says Howell. “His Saturday routine became going for a coffee and then wandering down to the BDDW [furniture company] showroom, where he would text me photos of pieces he liked – I really enjoyed them.”
The client’s favourite pieces made their way into the home, which now has new floors, raised ceilings to better accommodate his 198cm height, a new air-conditioning system and a completely reconfigured layout.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A man and his girlfriend
Location: New York City
Size: About 853 square metres; 2 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms
That’s interesting: This converted loft building was once two historic Tribeca warehouses; the renovations seen here were completed in 2012
The original steel beams, exposed joists and masonry walls reflect the history of the building, which was two commercial warehouses in its former life. “We were respectful of the beauty of what was already there,” says Howell. “We just made it more opulent and made it make more sense spatially.”
The aforementioned original flooring was engineered and honey coloured; Howell replaced it with a prefinished ebonised walnut.
The aforementioned original flooring was engineered and honey coloured; Howell replaced it with a prefinished ebonised walnut.
Howell reconfigured and expanded the kitchen. "The previous kitchen occupied the corner where the high cabinets are now," Howell says. "A door into the client's master bedroom completely cut off the space; it was right where the sink is."
Howell wanted the kitchen to be lighter than the floors but not white. Thus, he chose oak cupboards with a custom stain that is somewhere in the middle. The hardware provides strong, straight lines that honour the original warehouse elements of the loft and the opulent feel of the redesign.
Also to keep the kitchen light, upper cupboards weren’t used all around. Howell clustered the high cabinetry and refrigerator in the corner, freeing up space to leave the back kitchen wall as open and light as possible. A simple ledge follows a line created by the range hood. The splashback is the same Caesarstone as the benchtops, which lends continuity and reflects the light.
Also to keep the kitchen light, upper cupboards weren’t used all around. Howell clustered the high cabinetry and refrigerator in the corner, freeing up space to leave the back kitchen wall as open and light as possible. A simple ledge follows a line created by the range hood. The splashback is the same Caesarstone as the benchtops, which lends continuity and reflects the light.
In the dining room, an oval table from BDDW breaks up all the rectangles. The chairs are vintage, and the client found the glass teardrop chandelier during a trip to Los Angeles.
The former fireplace was a very small corner unit. Howell enlarged it and wrapped the corner walls in a stunning Chinese quartzite to make the fireplace fit the scale of the loft.
The former fireplace was a very small corner unit. Howell enlarged it and wrapped the corner walls in a stunning Chinese quartzite to make the fireplace fit the scale of the loft.
Opposite the dining room, a silk rug the client bought in the Far East defines the living room area, and its texture and colour palette tie the textiles and metallic pieces together.
The exposed joists provide a steady rhythm that works well with the rectilinear furnishings. Drapery rods are hidden between the joists, allowing the drapes to flow from floor to ceiling, and white sheers between the windows trick the eye into seeing a wall of light.
The exposed joists provide a steady rhythm that works well with the rectilinear furnishings. Drapery rods are hidden between the joists, allowing the drapes to flow from floor to ceiling, and white sheers between the windows trick the eye into seeing a wall of light.
A sculptural bronze side table picks up on other bronze pieces used throughout the home; a large coffee table stands up to the scale of the sectional and wide-open space.
A second Far East silk area rug grounds the rectangular bedroom. Wall-mounted nightstands with ebonised handles from BDDW float over the floor so as not to interrupt the rug and exposed border of walnut flooring.
Also floating in the master bedroom is this built-in shelf unit, which tucks in right beneath the soffit and doesn't clunk up the room's layout. It provides much-needed storage and display space without interrupting the rectangular shape of the room and the rug.
The shower in the original master bathroom was so large that it dominated the room and threw off the entire configuration. “There was a poor hierarchy of spaces in here,” Howell says. He created an oversize bathroom that felt right to his tall client, including high benchtops, a large bathtub and a raised ceiling.
“Sometimes, you need to grab extra space vertically … extra centimetres overhead are really important for him,” he says.
“Sometimes, you need to grab extra space vertically … extra centimetres overhead are really important for him,” he says.
Both Howell and his client hail from New Zealand and were familiar with the Sydney sandstone aesthetic seen here.
“These tiles are a porcelain version of Sydney sandstone,” Howell says. The tile on the floors is a more abrasive, slip-proof version of the wall tile. The simple colour palette lends a relaxing feel.
The bathtub surround is natural stone. The edge also serves as a shower bench; clear glass lends continuity and keeps the space feeling as large as possible. Howell also planned the convenient niches made of matching stone.
“These tiles are a porcelain version of Sydney sandstone,” Howell says. The tile on the floors is a more abrasive, slip-proof version of the wall tile. The simple colour palette lends a relaxing feel.
The bathtub surround is natural stone. The edge also serves as a shower bench; clear glass lends continuity and keeps the space feeling as large as possible. Howell also planned the convenient niches made of matching stone.
Stacked stone keeps the lively print from overwhelming the space and adds a contrasting rough texture.
"My client had never renovated a space before, but he had such a great time renovating this place that he's caught the bug; he's already eager to renovate another space," Howell says. It sounds like he'll be extending his new Saturday showroom browsing routine indefinitely.
"My client had never renovated a space before, but he had such a great time renovating this place that he's caught the bug; he's already eager to renovate another space," Howell says. It sounds like he'll be extending his new Saturday showroom browsing routine indefinitely.
This first impression includes bronze and walnut via the table and mirror, elements that repeat throughout the space. “My client carried this console table all the way home from the BDDW showroom,” says Howell, laughing. “That’s not something you see every day in New York City.”
Captain’s mirror: BDDW; table: Chall Hall Table, BDDW