West Chelsea

Located in Manhattan’s Zaha Hadid building along the High Line, this apartment takes its cues from the building’s remarkable views and its sensual exterior metal skin. The result is an immersive, light-filled space that celebrates the ‘craft’ of a sparsely curated set of materials: natural oiled oak, tonally shifting glass and patinaed steel. This serene refuge is home for a California native, bicoastal couple who share a passion for the patronage of architecture, art and design.

The plan has a simple ‘parti’, organizing spaces to accentuate views in multiple directions from any vantage point: connecting a sense of the High Line, Chelsea, and Hudson River all at once. While the eye is drawn outward to views, light continually focuses the senses inward to the center where a translucent art piece by Veronika Kellndorfer sits. The architects selected this work to occupy the pivot-point of the apartment, in some ways an homage to Zaha and her admiration of modernism. This translucent, hovering image of Lina Bo Bardi’s Brazilian home speaks to a legacy of revered, female architects; each one inspired by the next.

Meticulous artisans from California, Wisconsin and New York joined forces to intersect regional traditions and skills.  Moving walls dissolve into disappearing panels of wood, steel and glass revealing the next space’s flow of light. A bathtub and four sinks were carved from solid stone blocks, punctuating the tactile experience of each bathroom. All of these elements act as a nod to the transformative, sensual, and graceful nature of Zaha’s façade.