Work / Residential /

The Majestic Apartment

 
 


The Majestic Apartment
New York, New York

Completed 2015

Design Team
Brian Messana, Toby O’Rorke, Viktor Nassli, Michael Chisholm

Collaborators
Mechanical Engineer: M.A. Rubiano
Lighting Designer: Zerolux

The renovation of an apartment in the aptly named Majestic, a landmark of Art Deco architecture in New York City, was calculated to bring clarity and cohesion to a promising home saddled with an antiquated floor plan ill-disposed to the free flow of space and natural light. We carved the unit into three distinct zones—kitchen/dining, living room, and bedroom—with transitions marked by three architectural blocks discreetly inserted within the existing beam configuration. The reimagined plan allowed us to remove a wall that formerly dictated circulation through a dark, cramped corridor.

The first block, rendered in white lacquer, separates the entry from the kitchen/dining space; it contains a hall closet on one side and a refrigerator and pantry on the other. The second block, also in white lacquer, divides the kitchen from the living room, accommodating a compact home office that can be sealed off from view when not in use. A monolithic storage wall of white-lacquered cabinetry traces the inside of the L-shaped plan, extending from the entry to the bedroom.

The living room and the bedroom are separated by a multifunctional cube clad in walnut—the third block. Activated from the three sides, the cube accommodates a Murphy bed and a television on the elevation facing the living room; a powder room accessible from the hallway to the bedroom; and the primary bathroom, detailed with white mosaic tiles, a Basaltina stone floor, and a custom Corian sink and vanity. The absence of conspicuous hardware—touch latches and routed grips open the volume—emphasizes the cube’s presence as an individually articulated object.The limited palette of monochromatic materials, here as throughout the apartment, creates a sense of seamless integration that in turn nurtures a mood of quiet repose. In this apartment, the air of serenity and ease camouflage the complexity of the architectural conception.

Photographs by Eric Laignel

 
 


Awards

2016

Winner for Small Apartments, Interior Design Magazine’s Best of Year

Professional Bronze, Society of American Registered Architects, Pennsylvania Council

Winner for Residential, Small Single Family, Interior Design Magazine’s NYCxDESIGN

 
ResidentialBrian Messana
Work / Residential /

The Majestic Apartment