West Village Apartment

The Memphis, at 140 Charles Street, named and inspired by the Milan design style of the 80’s, is an example of a typical postmodern building in Manhattan. The apartment was the result of consolidating 3 separate apartments. When we first consulted with the client, they initially requested a minimal renovation.


The footprint of the building is a trapezoidal shape that made the plan interesting but created a lot of irregular shaped rooms. The client’s apartment had the ideal combination of location, space, and great views with a terrace in each corner.


ORA studio designed a larger living space with fluid movements, that eliminated smaller chopped up rooms and maximized their views.


The boldest design move was aligning a kitchen wall with the exterior of the building instead of the previous interior wall. This created an interesting cone shaped gallery space that accentuated the kitchen’s perspective and depth, transforming the gallery into a supplementary living space.


Another key interior architectural change was to tear down the wall that concealed the powder room and partially obscured the beautiful view of the living room, making the space bigger and adding two new spectacular vistas.


This apartment had three fireplaces which gave the space a feeling of a romantic, warm, and cozy environment. We accentuated this feeling with special design features, elegant contemporary design, precious materials, large monolithic marble, and carefully intertwined stainless steel details.


We tore down the corridor walls leading to the master bedroom and substituted them with large glass sliding doors and a freestanding walk in closet.


We also redesigned the hallway from the elevator by creating a printed graphic glass wall along the elevator door and a dark wood panel console on the opposite wall. This dramatic effect anticipates what will be revealed as visitors enter.


ORA studio transformed this apartment into a unique and beautiful home with innovative design and harmony.