Is this New York apartment a party house or sophisticated SoHo loft? It's a bit of both

(Image credit: Photography: Nicole Franzen / Styling: Katja Greefe)

By Livingetc 2021-01-24T07:40:58Z

THE PROPERTY

This sophisticated party house and New York apartment is a converted former industrial space in SoHo, now a neighbourhood of modern homes. An entrance area leads into the open-plan living space, with a kitchen, dining area, living room and smaller seating area. There are two bedrooms, both en suite, and a WC.

ENTRANCE

With velvet banquette seating that wouldn’t look out of place in a Manhattan club and a kitchen island shaped like a cocktail shaker, this SoHo loft home is all about partying and having fun.

Interior designers Amanda Jesse and Whitney Parris-Lamb, founders, Jesse Parris-Lamb, had a blast creating this apartment that comes into its own on a Saturday night, but their challenge was to also include more restful spaces that are perfect for lazy Sunday mornings.

‘The owner wanted it to feel more like a hotel lobby or nightclub than a conventional home, but we ensured it’s a soft, comfortable and high-end place for day-to-day life, too,’ explains Amanda. With a creative mix of materials and luxuriant colours, this exceptional home has a balance between night and day, and the public and the private

Mindful of the building’s industrial roots and the city’s Art Deco heritage, Amanda and Whitney also wanted to work these elements into the story. Deco-feel screens in steel and micro-fluted glass also help maintain a smooth flow in what is predominantly an open-plan space, cleverly concealing storage and a WC.

But the duo were careful not to go down the pastiche route. ‘We studied a lot of authentic deco designs, but we didn’t want ours to feel like a reproduction,’ says Whitney.

SEATING AREA

The deco theme continues in the cosy smaller seating area, where heavy textures and rich materials lend a particular intimacy. ‘At night, this little corner sparkles with glossy wood, polished copper and mirror glass,’ says Amanda.

It’s a good example of how materials were key to bringing atmosphere into this home, particularly as the overall backdrop – the walls and floors – was to remain industrial grey concrete.

Whitney and Amanda’s solution was to go deep into texture and colour. ‘We chose super- saturated textiles and opulent finishes,’ says Whitney. But as they progressed, they and their artistic plasterers developed a finish that brought ‘the light-play and movement of Venetian plaster’ to the concrete.

By the entrance, the circular banquette that wraps around a structural pillar has a dual personality. First of all, the mohair velvet ‘transforms from a warm olive in the day to pure gold in the moody evening light,’ says Whitney.

Then there’s its functionality. After dark, it acts as a welcoming hub where guests enjoy their first cocktails. But, like every self-respecting metropolis superhero, come Monday morning it’s back to being quietly good-looking and useful. ‘It’s where the owner sits to put on his shoes before he heads out to his day job,’ smiles Amanda.

KITCHEN

Manhattan hotel bar style meets loft living in the kitchen, where surfaces and detailing also come to the fore. The monolithic kitchen island feels refined thanks to the scaled-up fluting and gentle curves. ‘Early on, we nicknamed it the “silver bullet” as it was inspired by an art- deco cocktail shaker,’ says Amanda.

The cabinets are in walnut with stainless-steel fronts that have been sandblasted and waxed for added patina.

BAR AND SNUG

The high-shine design is bespoke by Jesse Parris-Lamb.

MASTER BEDROOM

Rich shades of ochre and plum warm up the concrete backdrop.

MASTER ENSUITE

A vintage Paul Frankl credenza provided the inspiration for the vanity unit.

POWDER ROOM

This small space gets the saturated, high-gloss treatment, with vivid tiles complemented by an equally dramatic black basin and distressed copper fixtures.