OWNER’S PRIDE
The Owners: A private family
The Home: An apartment suspended in the sky Location: Manhattan, New York Interior Designer:
Shalini Misra The Firm: Shalini Misra Ltd.
Often described by visitors as a house floating within the clouds, this apartment in Manhattan is surely a dream abode for the family. The family wished to emphasise the breathtaking views of the surroundings that drove the concept for the design. To emphasise this defining feature, designer Shalini Misra selected a colour palette that mirrors the tones of the sky and the clouds. It opened up the space to create a light and airy feel, using glass and wall mounted furniture and strong vertical elements in the furniture and lighting. Upon entering the apartment, you’re greeted by an oversized bronze floor mirror. Artfully placed, the mirror reflects the golden sheen of a two-toned chequer wood veneer by Maya Romanoff that covers the wardrobe doors and a recess in the ceiling. This veneer is playfully reflected again in the vintage bronze chandelier centered over the space. From the entrance you move into the main living areas, the hallway, living and the dining rooms. Each room is visually connected with the same light blue silk wallpaper. The wooden flooring throughout is stained with light muted grey that complements the light blue of the walls.
Reaching the living room from the hallway, the height of the apartment is immediately visible, with views of the Central Park and the surrounding skyscrapers stretching out into the distance. To increase the flow in the apartment and to draw the eye to the viewpoints, one of the two kitchen entrances was opened adding more space and natural light between areas. Some tiles were removed in the kitchen in order to connect the main dining and living space to the eating area of the kitchen. The most eye-catching piece in the living area is a hammock commissioned from Jim Zivic. Suspended from the ceiling, this seating choice frees up floor space in a similar way to the other wall-mounted furniture.
The kitchen features vintage American elements, with a custom-made, diner-style banquette seating area. The back was stretched as high as possible, to enhance the height of the room and to exaggerate rather than just replicate the iconic American quotidian piece of furniture. Above the banquette are open shelves featuring metal framework, commissioned from an Italian company. The bedrooms provided an opportunity to deviate from
the fluid design of the common areas. For the master bedroom a cherry blossom patterned wallpaper was commissioned from Fromental. Barbara Barry for Kravet’s linen silk mix fabric was used for floor to ceiling curtains in neutral and blue tones. The pattern, texture and colour of the curtains coordinate beautifully with the bed linen, headboard and carpet, which are all customdesigned to synchronise together. Chests of drawers were commissioned by Victoria Hagen with the customisation of blue leather wrapped drawers to combine them seamlessly with the blues in the bedroom scheme.