The Sun Shines on Every Room in This Glowing NYC Loft
Light and Air Architecture redesigns a Manhattan apartment with marvelous millwork and interior windows that allow natural light to filter from front to back.
Light and Air Architecture redesigns a Manhattan apartment with marvelous millwork and interior windows that allow natural light to filter from front to back.
This remodel was always going to be a family affair. "We wanted a place that was close to the grandkids in Brooklyn," says homeowner Frank, who lives with his wife, Pam, in southern California—2,884 miles away from the NYC borough.
They decided to set up a home base a bit closer to family, and this particular apartment appealed—not only because the subway ride would be a lot shorter than a cross-country flight, but for the view out the living room windows, which felt quintessentially New York to the couple. "The view just struck us—it was like everything we loved about the city," says Frank. "It’s a sculptural view," adds Pam.
Pam and Frank recently tasked Light and Air Architecture with remodeling this loft in New York City to get better natural light. "That’s exactly what we were looking for—light and air," says Frank.
Kevin Kunstadt
The views out the living room windows were a strong selling point, despite the apartment’s dated 1980s-era finishes. A view from the media room/extra bedroom shows the accordion door that opens to the main living areas.
Kevin Kunstadt
The loft is located in an 1880 building that once held offices before it was converted into apartments sometime in the 1980s—and Pam and Frank’s unit had all of the polish from that decade. The floor plan was rather compartmentalized for its 2,000 square feet, with curving drywall partitions that wasted space, and glass block walls limited the amount of sunlight that could pass between rooms.
The existing finishes "didn't thrill us," says Frank, "but you could see that you could do almost anything with it." Frank and Pam tapped their son-in-law, architect Shane Neufeld of Light and Air Architecture, alongside Jacky Hoang, to tailor the home to their needs—and above all, bring in more sun.
Light and Air Architecture introduced bleached white oak millwork throughout the home, with clever clerestory windows at the top. In the foyer (above), there’s a display niche with good storage, and the window above is to the primary bedroom. The wall at the doorway to the room is angled, so it doesn’t feel cramped by the cabinetry.
Kevin Kunstadt
See the full story on Dwell.com: The Sun Shines on Every Room in This Glowing NYC Loft
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