January 01, 2014 · Andrianna
New York Design Hunting
Her instructions were to create a clean, crisp space that didn't completely erase the apartment's original character. "I wanted this to be more of a restoration, not just a renovation," says Shamaris, who runs an eponymous store in Soho that specializes in earthy furniture and accessories from Southeast Asia. As a result, Leeser created a space that "has three directions."
"It's a careful balance between the materiality of these Southeast Asian things that she collected, the classical atmosphere of the existing building, and a modern, minimal, clean look and functionality," says Leeser.
He demolished walls to open the space up and modernised with amenities like a glass Valcucine kitchen and central air-conditioning. The design team reproduced moldings that were unsalvageable, reinstalled existing crystal doorknobs on new resin doors, and uncovered the original cast-iron radiators. Shamaris retiled the foyer, kitchen, and bathroom with custom concrete--"Why would I buy tiles when the ones I make are so much nicer?" she asks--and added bold texture by manufacturing her own full-height doors from weathered teak with a shell inlay.