A Punchy Pre-War Coop

Upper West Side, Manhattan, NY

A contemporary painting by Hilary Pecis contrasts

with the historic detailing of the mantelpiece.

Seastone wallpaper from Rule of Three covers

the ceiling of the entry gallery, which is home

to a floating Ondass Sideboard from Espasso.

Completed: August, 2021

Photography: Matthew Williams — Styling: Hilary Robertson

Prewar Apartment Renovation — Architecture & Interior Design

For a young family’s prewar co-op unit on the Upper West Side, the directive was to respect the building’s history but make the interior bold with lots of wall space to display their art collection. We started by demolishing many of the small rooms and tiny closets, so common in prewar buildings, to make the spaces lighter and brighter. Then, we built on the period details while bringing in the drama. In the living room, we retained the original fireplace but added graphic Calacatta Viola marble for the hearth and surround, coated the ceilings in high-gloss lacquer, and installed panel molding on the walls to frame their art while adding a purposely imperfect layered look that seems like it developed over time. In the dining room, we went in the opposite direction: painting the ceiling, deep blue and lining the walls with navy-and-gold wallpaper. On one wall, we installed a concealed bar that lights up with sunset-inspired orangey ombré wallpaper when you pull open the door. The rest of the apartment continues this sense of discovery.

A custom tronchi glass chandelier from High Style

Deco and a painting by Mel Bochner in the

dramatic dining room.

Grass-cloth wallpaper from Calico is

a sunny surprise in the bar.

A serene corner primary bedroom with river views

is lit by the Lampe Suptniks by Julie Lanson.

A cozy corner of the living room is anchored by a

custom sectional upholstered in Brunswick Ivory

fabric from Holland & Sherry.

Project Credits

General Contractor: Faro Building Corp.

Millwork: Bigtime Dynamo & Faro Building Corp.

Studio DB Team: Britt Zunino, Damian Zunino, Sunny Salkar, Jenifer Jessee, Anastasia Yuferova, Greta Lieberman, Valerie Hernandez