UN Plaza Duplex

In a building designed in 1966 by Wallace Harrison and Max Abramovitz, UN Plaza Duplex apartment is an example of good interior architecture, and quality execution that has lasted 40 years. The interior’s modern approach reflected the character of the tower facades which are in the Miesian tradition of sharp lines. This project was one of the first on the east side on Manhattan to have the twin tower residential design and utilized mostly glass facades.

There was an immediate feeling of a well-balanced layout upon viewing the space. Yes, good architecture can stand the test of time! The apartment did require a complete upgrade but had kept its charm. The client was starting a new chapter in his life and he fell in love with this Modernist concept.

The location on the edge of the East River with unobstructed North, East and South views from each room, lead us to the decision to keep furniture, storage units etc. to a minimum and concealed behind sliding panels.

We conceived the apartment as a continuous space, strategically delineated by freestanding volumes (that contain columns and pipes) all sitting on a large white marble floor, with walls that created separation but also unity around living spaces.

We created an eat-in kitchen out of the existing galley layout by moving all base cabinet units, cooktop, sink, dishwasher to one side, and all the tall units, storage and refrigerator, to the opposite wall with an amazing result. We also transformed the wall between kitchen and dining area into a storage unit for china with large sliding doors and some fixed panels to cover building pipes.

We kept the original spiral staircase with a newly designed parapet and rail along the curved wall. The staircase doubles as an optical illusion leading to a beautiful, bleached, zebra wood floor throughout the upper level.

We designed the upper level corridor to attract a great amount of light and suddenly the entire space looked much larger and luminous even in corners before that were very dark.

The master bathroom was created by combining existing bathrooms into one large luxury spa with a steam shower, Boffi tub for two, and a sauna. All enriched with large white Thassos marble on floors and walls.

The choice of our layout, materials, and colors, gives a feeling of an even larger and palatial home. With the client’s artwork selection, the overall mood of the space is modern but very comfortable and chic.