Inside a Hovering New York Metropolis Penthouse That’s Infused With Artwork Deco Attraction

Purchasing a home in a brand-new high-rise has all of the benefits you might expect: Everything in pristine and untouched condition, first-rate amenities, and the chance to customize the space to your liking. But for a certain type of buyer, it has one drawback—every unit in the building has pretty much the same features and finishes as the others.

So when you want your home to feel truly unique, as one discerning client did after purchasing an expansive top-floor unit in a new-construction tower in New York City, you have to peel back the developer-provided layers and prepare to rebuild. “He wanted to make sure that everything was top of the line,” interior designer Alexander Doherty says of his client, who gamely proposed to “rip everything up and start from scratch,” as the creative recalls.

For the New York– and Paris–based designer, this brief provided the ultimate opportunity to sculpt a refined, warm interior out of a contemporary glass box—an undertaking that took a great deal of architectural finessing. First, the team that included architect Danielle Albert and contractor Stephen Fanuka reworked the layout by knocking out two of the unit’s four bedrooms and one of its bathrooms, making way for an extended living space and library. To increase the living room’s height, they removed all the ductwork and pushed it out to the sides of the room. This allowed them to create a lake-like depression in the ceiling, covered in gold leaf, that both enlarges the space and adds a striking glimmer. A non-working fireplace was put in to provide a visual focal point. “Then it’s not just sitting on the sofa looking at the views,” Doherty says.

To further shake off the developer feeling, Doherty added custom paneling to every surface of the home in order to create an interior shell more akin to the prewar apartments he normally works on. Crown molding and carefully crafted millwork give historical weight to the residence, as redoing the walls, floors, and ceilings served as a way for the designer to introduce the most premium materials he could get his hands on. Along with the living room’s cerused oak paneling, the apartment boasts surfaces covered in Venetian plaster, high-gloss lacquer, gold leaf, palladium, Italian marble, velvet, and mosaic tile. In one standout moment, a vestibule connecting the bedrooms to the rest of the apartment is clad in black straw marquetry. The entire space was handcrafted by Jallu Ébénistes in France and shipped to the U.S., where it was assembled by the artisans on site.

As for the furnishings, Doherty wanted to channel a specific style that wouldn’t feel out of place in a contemporary structure. “The only historical style that I could really see working in a glass tower that was built yesterday in New York is something that harks back to 20th-century modernism—anything ranging from the 1920s almost to 1950s,” he says. The client wasn’t especially familiar with this period, but he remained open-minded, and the designer set about acquiring Art Deco and modernist pieces from Paris galleries and international auction houses. A set with a sofa, two armchairs, and a table by André Arbus was selected for the primary bedroom, while other French designers of the same period—such as Jules Leleu and Jacques Adnet—are also represented. Gio Ponti mirrors, suspended by chains so as not to cut into the custom walls, are scattered throughout the residence.

Key upholstered pieces were made by Jonas so as to provide a dose of modern-day comfort. “Not-precious” fabrics and large-scale rugs bring warmth, Doherty explains, ensuring that the apartment—despite its period theme—doesn’t feel like a museum. “The idea of having a sectional [sofa] immediately takes away that stiff formality,” he says. To that end, the homeowner, passionate about engineering, was keen on getting all the mechanicals just right. “A quiet AC system, windows that really close so you don’t hear the howl of the wind… The client was on board for better and better and better,” Doherty says.

After three years of work, the behind-the-scenes and the front-of-house ultimately merged to form a dwelling that’s a far cry from a typical spec home. “I was so fortunate in working with this client,” Doherty says. “He’s the only person I’ve ever met who said to me, ‘If during the process you get a better idea, do it. I am on board.’”