Upper West Side Duplex

Re-configuring spaces within a home is a second chance. Old building methods, different family sizes, and outdated ways of living can be renewed with optimism and generosity.

This residence, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan a stone’s throw from Central Park, combines two previously separated apartments into one home for a family of four.

The long, narrow building necessitated a design that would draw vistas and light deep into rooms when possible supplemented by day-light balanced, indirect artificial light..

New York, NY

Completed 2014

A rich existing walnut floor and exposed brick were the only elements maintained on the Garden level. With low ceilings and a long floor, simple white planes with indirect pockets of light balance the natural light from the street and provide a perc…

A rich existing walnut floor and exposed brick were the only elements maintained on the Garden level. With low ceilings and a long floor, simple white planes with indirect pockets of light balance the natural light from the street and provide a perch for artifacts.

The kitchen is centrally located at the confluence of the family room, living room, and main stair. This location required an open layout that could afford movement through the kitchen as well as visual access to movement of family around the house. A cube of storage divides the formal living room from the less formal family areas. It houses the pantry, coat closets, and a powder room for guests.

Details of the custom kitchen millwork in the kitchen. Wood veneers are used sparingly on panel edges and recesses. A combination of light gray and dark gray veneers adds depth to the counters.

The old laundry room was converted into a home graphic design studio. The original door opening to the backyard was replaced by an over-sized casement window that framed a flowering, ornamental tree in the back garden.

The previous stair served the entire building and was steel framed, clad in carpet, and poorly lit. The design maintains the position of the existing stair, separates it from the rest of the building circulation, and rejuvenates it with walnut cladding to match the existing wood floor. The space has been re-shaped to include art recesses and to give it a more domestic quality.

The upper floor is the more private sleeping level for the family. The core of the upper floor contains two full bathrooms for each of the bedrooms that mark the north (garden) and south (street) ends of the building. The Master Bedroom is lined in closets and an internal window that provide light to the shower within the core.

The children’s bedroom is similarly lined in closets that provide storage as well as a acoustic buffer to the common building entrance on the other side. A pillar of chalkboard lies between the two window openings along the street, matching the slate stone elements that define an existing fireplace.

Photography by Giles Ashford Photography