Jewel Box
New York, New York
Completed 2019
Design Team
Brian Messana, Toby O’Rorke, Viktor Nassli and Hanna Medve
Collaborators
Mechanical Engineer: M.A. Rubiano
Lighting Designer: Zerolux
Our response to the challenges presented by this tiny studio apartment confirms the old adage that necessity is the mother of invention. Working with a scant 420 square feet, we were able to forge multiple experiences and moments of discovery from a space that might otherwise exude the depressing banality of a dorm room, where the bed is omnipresent and the quotidian functions of everyday life all unfold within a single, undifferentiated expanse. The linchpin of our solution is an independently articulated volume, floating within the space, which conceals the bed and mediates the procession through the apartment, delaying the revelation of a hidden kitchen, compact living room, and beautiful city views of the West Village. Clad in unlacquered brass on the outside and warm gray cowhide on the interior, the abstract cube that houses the bed chamber reads like a mysterious, minimalist sculpture—a jewel box within a jewel box. Folding doors open the container on three sides, averting claustrophobia while allowing for different levels of engagement with the surrounding spaces.
Once we removed the apartment’s existing walls, plumbing fixtures, appliances, and interior finishes, we reconceived the home along the lines of a ship’s berth or a boutique hotel room, places where efficiency and ingenuity work hand in hand to maximize physical functionality and the sense of gracious, open space. The north and south walls were built out like massive storage units, concealed behind discreet panels veneered in European fumed oak. The northern unit accommodates clothing, books, and a television, while the southern unit hides the entire professional-grade kitchen, appliances and all. In addition to camouflaging the visual jumble of life’s necessities, the storage walls provide a welcome layer of sound-proofing from the neighboring apartments. In contrast to the darker fumed oak used on the vertical elevations, a floor of wide white oak planks establishes a calm, cohesive foundation for the apartment’s architectural calisthenics.
A custom oak table along the window wall at the far end of the apartment can be variously configured as a simple work desk or, when called for, as a dining table for entertaining guests. The bathroom, barely five-by-eight feet, is clad entirely in Carrara marble. A large, backlit mirror floating above the sink, a mirrored door, and the continuous marble envelope help nurture the illusion of a larger space. More than mere sleights of hand, all these precisely crafted architectural interventions work in tandem to conjure a palpable wow factor, full of surprise and delight, in a miniscule space that most people would expect to possess neither.
Photographs by Stephen Kent Johnson
Press
2023
Maranzana , Chiara. “Alcova Preziosa Precious Alcove.” Abitare (April, 2023).
2020
“Best of Year: Small Apartment.” Interior Design (January 2020).
Sunshine, Becky. “Small Wonder.” Sunday Times Style (January 5, 2020).
2019
“Best Apartment Transformations of 2019.” Interiordesign.net (December 2019).
Lassell, Michael. “The Top Brass.” Interior Design Homes: Best of Kitchen and Bath (November 2019).
Awards
2024
Future House International Residential Awards
Winner, Residential Interiors
2023
Jewel Box. Award of Merit. Society of American Registered Architects, California Council
2022
Third Award, Global Design & Architecture Design Awards
2021
Winner in Apartment Interior Design, SIT Furniture Design Award
2020
Longlisted to the Frame Awards 2020 for Small Apartment of the Year
Award of Excellence, Society of American Registered Architects, New York Council
Professional Gold Award, Society of American Registered Architects, Pennsylvania Council
The American Architecture Award, The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies Design Awards
Honor Award for Architectural Interiors, Residential Design Magazine’s Architecture Awards
Honorable Mention for Interior Design/House Residential, DNA Paris Design Awards
2019
Winner for Small Apartments, Interior Design Magazine’s Best of Year
Winner of the Annual American Institute of Architects, New York City Chapter, Interiors Residential Review ,Exhibition
Winner for Interior Design/Apartment Interiors, Architecture MasterPrize
Award of Honor, Society of American Registered Architects, National Design Awards
Winner for Small Apartment, Interior Design Magazine’s NYCxDESIGN Awards