New Plans

Hi K-

Attached are the revised sketches based on the sketch you sent me. The bath upstairs is really tight, but I think we can squeeze it in there. We can also look at building out full height cabinets/doors to hide the accordion doors in the kitchen. This will require relocation of gas and plumbing lines in the kitchen as we are basically relocating each appliance. See you tomorrow. -S

The case against balustrades

S,
I love your (illuminated-from-inside?) metal-mesh-box-as-walk-in-wardrobe idea on the mezzanine. To make sure there is no other distraction when viewed from below, I propose to do away with balustrades on the mezzanine.

Idea 1:

We can build 1 or 2 long low planters (abt 12" wide x 15" high) from concrete or steel, which I will fill with this lovely plant (what is it called?). They grow to be 3 or 4 feet tall which will act as a more or less effective barrier (no guarantee for the inebriated!).

Idea 2:
Same planters as in Idea 1. And if we can find  a good (ie. cheap!) glass workshop, we can build a terrarium glass box-enclosure on top of the planters so that I can grow (or kill) some lovely orchids from Singapore.

Idea 3:
I was very inspired by Tillmann Koehn (http://www.saffroninteriorarts.com/the-artists/tillmann-koehn/), whose house/workshop was featured in the December 2010 issue of House and Garden (UK). He built a lovely steel and glass case which acts as wall divider/display case/bookshelves in his house. I will show you the magazine when we meet on Thursday for lunch. Perhaps we can build a similar one, but much lower and longer. Which I can fill with a few objet d'art.

Hi there!

Here are three ways we can look to close off either the kitchen or bathroom-

-Screened bedroom concept- Accordion style doors which fold out of an area adjacent to your bed and hidden behind a large pivot door.

-Fully enclosed kitchen

-Screened kitchen concept- Doors which slide to align and set behind the walls in your kitchen. The partial wall adjacent to the island, allows you to maintain the island and provides additional storage above the island.

The closed kitchen concept is the least desirable in my opinion.

If you decide you prefer the sliding door kitchen option and keep the bedroom entirely open ,then we could move back to the plan I sent you yesterday. We can look at either motorized black out roller shades for the large windows or we can have a fabric curtain on the mezzanine only and keep the large windows open. If we go this route, I would like to create a pocket in the wall of the closet to accommodate this drapery panel so its out of sight when not in use.

-Sergio

New Plans

K-

Attached are the new plans I sketched out which I think really hit the mark. I feel that the closet on the mezzanine not only deals with the beam in an intuitive way but could also be visibly interesting depending on what we decide that panel wants to be facing the room. Of course, I would still like to slip the metal mesh/glass concept back in! The stairs also makes sense on the other side of the room, because it allows the room to be completely visually open from the moment you walk into the apartment. There is a plumbing riser which we need to maintain, but I was still able to sink the upstairs landing and one step into the closet on the main level, but it still allows you storage beneath the stair which is perfect for coat closet storage and also gives us back the hidden tv cabinet. I studied the stair with a return, but given you need 3'0" for the stairs and a 6'0" wide landing, it really ate into the plan. I studied the 3'6" diameter staircase, but it not only encroached on the tv cabinet but we also lost the coat closet storage on the main level which the straight run staircase buys us. Anyway, let me know what you think.

-S

Plans

Hi there!

I was thinking about that pesky beam in the ceiling and how we could incorporate it into the design. So here is a new plan of the mezzanine whereby we engage it with millwork and for the most part conceal it. Given the size of the space, I think a spiral staircase is the way to go. These sketches are now to actual quarter inch scale and is more realistic space wise. We stand to gain some serious storage upstairs if we go with this plan. My only other though is, we could slide the spiral staircase North, towards that wall near the window- and add a catwalk from the stair to the bedroom against the West wall. Apologies for the crude sketches, but I knocked them out in less than an hour! Hope all is well and I'll be interested to hear your feedback.

Recycling : Urban Archaeology style

Now where can we fit this gate?

New plans

Attached are the revised plans based on our conversation over the weekend. We can discuss ceiling heights on Friday. Looking good!

-Sergio

Nema Workshop

Bond Street Loft

What I like about these renovations (but not the furniture/furnishings!) from Nema Workshop.


- Neutral palette of grey, concrete and wood
- It doesnt conform to a particular style nor decade. It will age well.
- Good use of decorative columns

Tribeca Loft

- Designing the kitchen cabinets to blend in as a wall.
- The contrast of the (oak?) surface with the other white surfaces
- The cut-out rectangle outlined in white.

http://trendland.net/2010/10/16/nema-workshop-architecture/

Vocabulary : The I-beam edge

Sergio,
I like the use of the long thin fat profile of the I-beam edge as a unifying vocabulary for the balustrade of the stairs, the balustrade for front of mezzanine, and the metal-framed-glass-wall of the mezzanine bathroom.

How about extending the same vocabulary to the kitchen as well? 
Instead of a close kitchen, we can build an open kitchen with a long island where the island is sited just below the I-beam, and the countertop of the island is of the same thickness (and possibly colour and material) as the I-beam edge. See drawings on left for possible kitchen configuration.
The same I-beam edge can also be used as drawer/cabinet handle that spans the entire width of the drawer/cabinet.

... and extending the same vocabulary to the suggested storage on the West wall.
Instead of close cabinets, a set of long thin floating shelves (with no visible support) will be better for books or for displaying objects.The profile (and if possible material and colour) of each shelf will match the I-beam edge.

Instead of blackened steel, can we consider painting the I-beam and all other similar elements a glossy white? Or a metallic brass finish? I'd like to keep the colour scheme as light as possible. This is to offset the lack of direct light coming into the flat (except in the morning). Perhaps (primarily) white, grey, brass/gold and accents of black and green?

"accents of black and greed"? God, I sound like a complete interior designer in that last sentence... :)

I found a lovely example of a blackened steel island, see picture on left.

More interesting is this steel table support from Craig Van der Brulle, I wish I can use it as the island support in the drawing I have above - what a statement it would make!

Preliminary Plans

So in efforts to keep this space as clean, sensible and open as possible- attached are two plan sketches showing what the main level and mezzanine level could look like. If you want to add major storage, we can look at adding full height storage along the West facing living room wall. Shown dashed on the mail level, is a full size Murphy bed for guests. The face of the mezzanine floor plate would be a metal I-Beam, leading to the metal staircase and handrail. I feel the upstairs bathroom wall facing the double height space and door, should be made of the same metal profile as the handrail (flat and wide) to create the frame for the wall and door- blackened steel, glass and metal mesh- to allow light into that bathroom from the living room windows. We'll discuss on Saturday in greater detail, but I think we're on the right track!

Home away from London

I've not even signed the contract yet and I am already having sleepness dreaming of how to renovate the space. I will be gutted if I dont get it. Otherwise the apartment will be!

It's been crudely tarted up when it was converted in the 70's. Everything must go. From the dropped ceiling hiding the AC ducts to the cheap parquet flooring. I have a chance to realign this loft with its 1920's industrial roots, and provide me with a home away from London town.

By the end of the demolitions, it will be reduced to a white box 19'6" wide by 26'6" deep by 13'2" high. The 10' high windows run nearly the full length of the 19'6" wall, with the entrance near the middle on the opposite wall.

Sergio Mercado is my friend and my architect redesigning this space, and this is our blog to share and store ideas, links, photographs.