New York City Lavish Amenity Space
We are nearing the completion of our project designing a luxury amenity space at the renowned address of 535 West End Avenue. This beautiful pre-war style, white-glove building is located in the Upper West Side. All of the units are either half or full floor residences that range from 3,700 to 8,400 square feet. The residents enjoy an abundance of amenities including an indoor swimming pool, fitness center, spa, game room, and an outdoor courtyard. And in just a few short months, they will have a new high-end entertaining space to host parties and events.
The Board asked for an upscale, adult-only lounge in which residents could host fundraising events, cocktail parties, conferences, and meetings. This new space, originally a studio apartment off of the lobby, was completely gutted down to the concrete slabs. We started with a blank canvas! The result will be an open-concept, multi-purpose room with a conference space, comfortable sitting area, cocktail tables, bar, and powder room.
The conference area features a faux fireplace of beautiful bookmatched marble, reminiscent of petrified wood. The stone is flanked on either side by built-in bookcases, custom designed with asymmetrical, yet visually balanced shelving. Tufted window seats are tucked into deep window sills that make up the elegantly curved facade of the building. Sunlight streams in to bathe the made-to-order 8’ wood slab live-edge walnut table perched atop solid brass wishbone shaped legs. The glowing coved ceilings overhead illuminate champagne leafing and is adorned with brass, Sputnik-like chandeliers. The floor is honed Blue Cielo marble with a black marble double border inlay. The border follows the curve of the window wall and allows for the eye to flow around the space and adds a tailored touch.
The sitting area is defined by a grey and white marbled cowhide rug from Argentina. Custom lounge chairs from The New Traditionalists are upholstered in luxe blue leather on the inside seat and fuzzy mohair from Schumacher wraps the outside. Detailed with leather straps and a contrast welt, the chairs are inviting and stylish. A buttery, soft leather banquette bench is tucked into a niche that has tufted royal blue velvet upholstered up the wall from the floor to the ceiling. Recessed lighting accents the sheen and depth of the velvet-covered wall. The addition of bar height tables and the iconic Bertoia wire collection bar chairs allow visitors the space to work at a laptop or enjoy a cocktail.
Across from the sitting area is the exquisite bar top which is made out of Kenya Black marble. Its strong veining gives the look of petrified wood. This piece creates a counter-balance to the faux fireplace across the room, made of the same Kenya Black marble, effectively relating both sides of the room to each other. To add just a touch of drama, the monolithic stone face of the bar is downlit with a warm wash of light. A few more Bertoia bar chairs pulled up to the bar provide a nice metal contrast to the stone. Behind the bar is a built-in undercounter beverage refrigerator and a striking polished hammered nickel sink with brass faucet — features that provide convenience to guests during catered events and cocktail parties alike. To reflect light and add further depth to the room, the back bar wall is finished off with antiqued mirror tiles laid in a herringbone pattern within a golden glass border. Brass cylindrical pendants hang delicately over the Kenya Black bar top.
The jewel-box powder room is dramatic, moody and intimate. The flooring is a honed and polished black marble swirled mosaic, trimmed by a polished brass pinstripe to transition to the 6” polished Nero Marquina marble border. The same polished black marble is carried up the walls in varying tile sizes, to create a marble wainscoting. To finish it off, we’ve inlayed a brushed brass bar. The walls above the wainscoting are hand finished with a moody blue concrete plaster wall treatment. The custom marble vanity gives another added touch of personalized design. The final elements are brass chain sconces mounted directly onto the antiqued, smoked mirror wall above the vanity.
Throughout the amenity space there is a special hand applied finish on the walls. It is a grey concrete plaster that is layered with wax to give a sense of depth and movement. It gives the space a unique look. All of the woodwork is grey cerused oak including the cabinetry in the bar, the bookcases, and the detailing on the custom lounge chairs. Moreover, the technical capabilities of the space were not overlooked here. The customized AV system controls the lighting, music, tv, motorized shades and phone conferencing.
The design of the amenity space was all about mixing metals — specifically nickel and brass. We took great care in adding the tiny details, tailor-made furnishings, high-end finishes, furniture, and accessories which give the space its aura of exceptional beauty and luxury. We have loved watching the details unfold and are excited to see the finished space come to life. We can’t wait to unveil this to our clients. Stay tuned for after images.