Entering the wide-open, white-walled rooms of this New York maisonette, surrounded by modernist furniture, sculptural lighting, and expertly curated art by midcentury masters like Le Corbusier and Jasper Johns, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that you’re not in a trendy downtown neighborhood or chic pocket of Brooklyn, but rather the heart of the Upper East Side. “I think that was really the point,” says Ariel Ashe, the Ashe Leandro cofounder who oversaw the design of this airy duplex in a brand-new building by Steven Harris Architects. After all, the clients had already done buttoned-up traditional—newly empty nesters, they were moving into the city from a grand house in Westchester—and were ready for a fresh chapter. “We didn’t bring anything from their old house,” says Ashe. “It was a totally different style.”
In the entry, an oak and aluminum Charlotte Perriand–style sideboard holds a Tito Agnoli desk lamp and bronze Picasso sculpture.
Adrian Gaut
The vibe of the family room is sculptural comfort, with a custom wood-base sofa, curvaceous Ruemmler armchair and vintage Forme Libre coffee table. The painting is by Sam Gilliam, and the midcentury wall sconce is vintage.
Adrian GautWhile all furnishings were new to the clients, they weren’t exactly new new—many of them are vintage designs from iconic names like Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand. “A lot of our original inspiration came from French midcentury design, the colors and the materials and the shapes,” says Ashe. There are modern pieces, too, like a sofa with a monolithic stainless-steel base on the living-room side of the first-floor great room. “It had that blockiness of the period that we were after,” notes Ashe. And while “it’s definitely not a TV-watching couch,” she allows, “it is comfortable.”
The open living area encompasses family, dining, and formal living rooms; the dining room, anchored by an oak table by Louise Liljencrantz for StudioTwentySeven and Pierre Jeanneret armchairs, is separated from the family room by a custom partition with a narrow shelf on one side and a TV on the other. The linear pendant is by Michael Anastassiades.
Adrian GautTV-watching happens in the family room at the opposite end of the space, where Ashe assembled a cozy collection of items including a custom wood-base sofa, wool-upholstered stools, and a plush merino wool rug. The TV is hidden by a Jean Prouvé–inspired partition that Ashe designed to visually separate the space from the dining and living areas beyond. “We felt it would be better to break up the two living areas, since they had different functions—one is really for the family, and the other is for entertaining,” she explains.
The kitchen, designed by the building’s architect Steven Harris, is centered around a stainless-steel island; the pendants are Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce.
Adrian Gaut
A Jasper Johns painting and 1960s Paul Mayen sconce hang above the banquette, which is upholstered in a Dedar stripe; the table is custom Rob Pluhowski and the chairs are Pierre Jeanneret.
Adrian Gaut“It’s definitely an empty-nester apartment, but it can be a family one, too.”
Ariel Ashe
Lots of entertaining takes place here: The owners are philanthropists and frequently host dinners and parties to support their favorite causes, so keeping the space guest-friendly was key. There’s no shortage of surfaces on which to place a cocktail, and the floor beneath the dining table was left intentionally bare for easy cleanup. (“Honestly, I don’t really like rugs in dining rooms,” says Ashe. “You don’t have to deal with food and drinks spilling on them, but I also just think it looks prettier without them.”) In the warmer months, the clients can open the three sets of doors that lead to the garden, nearly doubling the amount of space.
In a guest room, the red of the custom Jean Royère–style sconce is picked up in the Samuel & Sons piping on upholstered panels that line the walls to create a daybed effect. The bed is dressed in a C&C Milano quilt and vintage suzani; the Saarinen Tulip Stool is from Knoll.
Adrian GautUpstairs, there are enough bedrooms for the clients’ children to each have their own while visiting, but Ashe intentionally designed the spaces to double as offices or sitting rooms. In one, a bed is tucked into the corner, and the adjacent walls covered in upholstered panels, turning it into a daybed when not in use by overnight guests. “It’s definitely an empty-nester apartment, but it can be a family one, too,” says Ashe. A clean slate that’s also a welcoming retreat? Sounds like the best of both worlds.
A Celestia linen ceiling light by Tobia Scarpa for Flos floats cloudlike over the primary bedroom. Ashe designed the custom wall-to-wall headboard; the bench is from Ruemmler, the line she founded with Reinaldo Leandro and Mia Dalton. The sheets are Matouk and the bedspread is Society Limonta.
Adrian GautTHIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN VOLUME 20 OF FREDERIC MAGAZINE. CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE!
