1080 5TH AVENUE

The location of this apartment is exceptional, across from Central Park and amid the Museum Mile. The clients, a young family, acquired the apartment from the original owners who purchased it in the 1960’s. Few alterations had been made in nearly 60 years. We were tasked with elevating the living environment to the same level as the location.

One architectural feature that we had to navigate were eight-foot ceilings. The low ceiling was mitigated in two ways. First, we created coves around the perimeter of the spaces with built-in LEDs. The light cove creates depth and architectural reference points that create an illusion that the ceilings are higher than they are. Secondly, we scaled down all the casings and baseboards to extend the wall space and pushed the door headers as close to the ceiling as possible. By changing the proportions of the headers and moldings, the space appears larger and taller.

The modest but elegant millwork echoes Jean Prouvé and Jean-Michel Frank, and along with chevron flooring, it imbues a mid-century French sensibility. This new aesthetic approach refines and lifts the apartment, through thoughtfully designed details rather than ostentatious decoration.

Completed in 2022