PIED-À-TERRE

This pied-à-terre in Jean Nouvel’s building near The High Line has spectacular views of the Hudson River and Manhattan but was a conundrum to live in. Nicknamed the “Vision Machine” the compositional facade of huge tilted window frames and the exterior landscape dominate the apartment. The default experience was looking – almost falling – out not being inside. To counterbalance the awesome industrial riverscape we designed an interior that weaves together the domestic and natural worlds. Oversized, unusually narrow, and abnormally long furniture is in form and scale not the normal stuff of residential interiors and our materials and colors are drawn from a palette of both nature and billboards. This back talk with the view enlivens the original mute whiteness of the rooms and lets the mind wander in more directions than out the window. The whiteness is also overwritten with wall panels that mutely interact with the shadows and composition of the heroic window frames but harbor niches, windows, and secret cabinets for the client’s private world.