NYC Window on the future

Words Simona Siri — Photos Giorgio Possenti

In spite of the elegant neighborhood, this penthouse overlooking Madison Avenue at 86th Street is far from a museum. Though a grand spiral staircase extends through all three levels of the apartment, with six-meter ceilings in the living area, the atmosphere is almost cozy, intimate, a place for a real family, without striving for aesthetic perfection.

This interpretation is confirmed by Lenka Soares, the interior decorator who completed the project in slightly more than a year. Born in Rio de Janeiro but a new Yorker for decades, Lenka gains clients by word of mouth within the large Brazilian community living in Manhattan for work, like the owners of this flat. «They’re of Brazilian origin, but they actually come from Belgium, where they have lived for many years». This might explain the lack of American opulence. Instead there is a rigor that is never chilly, enhanced by a South American spirit seen above all in the choice of works of art. Over the fireplace in the living area (an original piece that has been conserved) hangs a painting by the Venezuelan artist Carlos-Cruz Diez. The dining room features a work by Abraham Palatnik, a Brazilian pioneer of kinechromatic art. In a zone of passage of the living area has a piece by Sao Paulo-based street artist Eduardo Kobra. Even the chairs are Brazilian, by Sergio Rodrigues. Finally, on the wall opposite the fireplace, a famous photograph of Marilyn Monroe by Bert Stern reminds us we are still in the United States.