An Art-Filled Loft in Chelsea

New-York based architecture firm Worrell Yeung collaborated with Jean Lin, founder of design gallery and curatorial practice Colony, to renovate and design this classic New York City artist’s loft, where the interiors were designed to complement the clients’ art and textiles collections. We speak with Max Worrell and Jejon Yeung to find out more about the project

Design Anthology: How did you first meet the client?

Max Worrell (MW): Jean Lin actually introduced us to the clients. They’re customers of her Chinatown gallery Colony and so she already had a relationship with them. When they bought this new apartment, she helped them put together a list of potential architects; we were on that list and were lucky enough to get the job.

What was their brief to you for the project?

MW: Since the apartment was essentially an open loft, the clients asked us to create a two-bedroom, two-bathroom home that could accommodate the family. Though it was an open loft, before the renovation it was still quite dark inside, so the clients asked us to maximise natural light throughout. They also wanted a home that was fresh yet sophisticated and that would showcase their growing art collection. The clients have two young children, so it was also important to ensure the house was kid-friendly and easy to maintain as well.

What’s unique about the building and the location?

MW: The apartment is a relic of old New York City, a classic artist’s loft in Chelsea that had been converted from an old mercantile building. A manually operated freight elevator opens directly into the apartment and large windows overlook a tree-lined street.

What state was the apartment in before the renovation?

Jejon Yeung (JY): The apartment hadn’t been touched for 40 years, so it needed some work, but it also had lots of character and details like the wooded columns and beams that we wanted to refurbish and highlight. There were many makeshift solutions that didn’t meet current safety codes, and the floor and ceilings were very uneven and in some places even had gaps where you could peer into the units below and above.

How long did the renovation take and were there any particular challenges during the process?

MW: The renovation took approximately nine months to complete. We ran into some infrastructural challenges that aren’t uncommon in renovations of New York’s old buildings, but we had a great contractor and team that were able to solve problems on the fly.

Were there any particular challenges in making the space childproof?

JY: The clients certainly have great taste and were after a level of refinement in the design, finishes and furnishings. We considered elements in relation to the scale of a child’s reach and quickly honed in on materials that could hold up against wear and tear, like natural stone, fully tiled walls in the children’s bathroom and dark-stained ash millwork that would be more forgiving to scuffs. Even the raked plaster walls have a hardiness to them that endures better than typical sheetrock walls.

Can you tell us about some of the pieces in the space and which were custom made or sourced?

JY: We wanted the kitchen to be filled with beautiful standalone objects, and after designing the kitchen space we engaged high-end kitchen manufacturers who ultimately couldn’t accommodate some of the subtle detailing and finishes we were after, so we ended up custom building it. In the powder room, one of the old timber columns became exposed and we had fun developing a freestanding sink carved out of a block of green marble to complement it. Jean really pushed for a black table in the dining room, and so we asked Vonnegut/Kraft to make their white oak Relevé table in a black stain.

Can you tell us about the clients art and textile collections and how you collaborated with Jean Lin on the curation?

JY: One of the clients has Peruvian roots and they’d collected these amazing Peruvian textiles over the years with the intention to one day make something out of them. They’ve also amassed an impressive contemporary art collection of works that are visually bold and colourful. The colours and patterns of the artworks and textiles just so happened to combine extremely well with the materials palette we’d developed with Jean. Several of these textiles were repurposed as upholstery. We sampled many materials, but the general approach was to use architectural finishes that are rich in texture but restrained and muted in their colours and variety, receding into the background as a backdrop for the art and textiles to be the accents and focal points.

Images / Eric Petschek