Inspired by their travels in Asia, a professional couple expecting their first baby asked interior designer Todd Raymond to establish a calming, Zen-like milieu in their sprawling second-floor loft, which is conveniently located steps from the High Line in Chelsea’s Gallery District. Last updated in the 1990s, the 4,200-square-foot space had dark millwork, vibrant paint colors and boisterous floral wallcoverings that did not resonate with the new owners. “We had only four or five months to finish it before the baby arrived,” Raymond describes. “We hit the ground running.”
In pursuit of a clean slate, Raymond and his team first removed much of the old millwork and built-in cabinetry, stripped away the wallcoverings and refinished the orangish-red flooring into a light shade protected by a clear coat sealant. Raymond explains, “We tried to keep the materials simple and the lines very clean and sleek so that there was a certain calmness.” In addition, they redesigned the reflecting ceiling plan, adding more spotlights to foster the mood and ambiance their clients wanted.
In the spacious formal living room, a round area rug anchors a pair of shearling-covered chairs and a curvaceous sofa upholstered in mohair, which is positioned to face the greenery on the adjacent outdoor terrace overlooking the street. A wall of wool sateen drapery in chocolate brown emphasizes the height of the ceilings while playing off the color of the rustic wooden beams. “It’s not overpowering, but it adds a really nice backdrop in this formal setting,” he notes. “We love bringing in some drama and bling.”
The verticality of the drapery’s ripple-fold pleats echoes the ribbed millwork that clads the lower portion of an exposed structural column. The column also supports a custom oak cantilevered table, which Raymond and senior designer Nicole Barthelme designed to accommodate their client’s 11th-hour request to incorporate a small table for more intimate family dinners. Raymond states, “We thought outside the box.”
That’s also the case for the formal dining room. Rather than float the custom black walnut table in the center of the room, the designers placed it against the far wall, pairing it with metal-framed leather chairs and a long banquette upholstered in a rust-colored velvet that nicely complements the wood beams. A trio of bouclé-covered chairs create a spot for guests to enjoy an after-dinner aperitif. “The idea was to really get them to move around the space, to use the whole apartment,” he adds.
A neutral fabric wallcovering lines the far wall, where a 15-foot oak credenza with a sleek profile provides extra storage. Above it, a pair of minimalist metal shelves and a vertical oak shelving unit lined with glazed tile glints when illuminated by the newly added spotlights. A wall-to-wall oak media cabinet likewise defines the cozy family room, which is simply furnished with a sectional sofa and a green velvet womb chair around a pair of wooden cocktail tables.
The minimalist design scheme flows into the primary bedroom, where a textural wallcovering that wraps into the window jambs creates a subtle yet impactful backdrop for an upholstered wall-to-wall headboard and a cozy bouclé-covered chair near the window. “This room is like a cocoon – a sanctuary where they can escape at the end of the day,” Raymond notes.
Completed in time for them to move in with their new baby, the owners are overjoyed with the result. Raymond is just as thrilled with the transformation, crediting the clients for trusting him to implement their vision and sharing, “They are lovely guys who gave us the freedom to push the project forward. This is a little slice of heaven in the middle of Manhattan.
Photography by Read McKendree.
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