Now is the time for cutting-edge residential designs

Real Estate Weekly, Dec 1, 2004 by Andres Escobar

Design is very much in vogue in residential real estate today. Great brick boxes are passe, as are vanilla-appointed lobbies and hallways. With current sales prices continuing to skyrocket, often for relatively modest space, New Yorkers seem to be demanding unusual amenities and luxurious elements. Even lobbies are being designed to elicit a sense of awe and excitement.

This focus on design seems to be the attitude behind much of the new residential construction here. But signature styles from a handful of well-established, talented New York designers have been repeated so often that once new approaches have become predictable. Some of this repetitive design is due to certain developers' preferences. It is understandable that an investor would elect to repeat a past success in terms of design. But that philosophy doesn't serve apartment owners, nor does it serve the design landscape for the future.

I believe it is our mandate as interior designers to push the envelope and create something fresh to reinforce the uniqueness of each project. Instead of a beige marble bathroom, I am more excited by the one I designed for a new condominium composed of stone, glass and gleaming white Corian that exuded high style and modernity. At another condominium project, I placed elegant dressing rooms, with large floor-to-ceiling mirrors and doors made of etched glass, next to limestone bathrooms. The effect was elegant and luxurious, almost like having a haute couture dressing room within ones apartment. To create warmth in a large, empty living room, I covered the walls with backlit gold onyx panels so translucent they replicated the hues of a fireplace.

As a Montreal-based designer who has been responsible for the interiors of hotels, clubs, restaurants and stores around the world, I choose to draw from a variety of disciplines when approaching a residential project. For example, my focus on dramatic apartment lobbies is related to my experience in designing hotel lobbies where first impressions are crucial. I call it the "wow factor" and, along with service and location, it is a primary reason why people choose one hotel over another. In addition, I have created apartment layouts that reflect the intuitive flow and movement of fine retail space. I have also used my experience with restaurants when approaching kitchen design.

Each of my firm's projects draws from a fusion of design styles. The best elements of hotels, restaurants, clubs and stores can be used to create cohesive residential design. On the other hand, I recently designed a restaurant and supper club in New York that uses beds for group seating in lieu of tables and chairs. The beds are made of a special foam rubber that conforms to the shape of the guest, but holds food and drinks without spillage. Once again, a fusion of styles: the comforts of home with the excitement of fine dining.

Although I only recently began designing residential projects in New York, the experience has been terrific. Not even in Europe are residential developers as visionary and open as they are here. The developers I have worked with on such projects as The Chelsea Club, Gretsch Building and several others have been extremely sophisticated about design. The Chelsea Club, a new construction on West 19th Street that will be completed next year, was a dream project because I got to work with the developers and the architect from the very beginning. The result is a dramatic, sleek design that includes a private club and lounge for residents, double-height white-hued lobby with stainless steel columns and back-lit floating glass elements, metallic leather elevator cabs with televisions and full-floor open space apartments that will be cutting edge for years to come.

The Gretsch Building was a gut renovation and reconstruction of the old guitar factory in Brooklyn. There, the developers allowed me to carve out grand spaces and add unusual elements, with the caveat that we utilize the building's history within the context of the design. To that end, our group designed a soaring lobby in black-granite with tempered glass and transparent glass elevators. And in the middle of this highly industrial image we interjected the unexpected: a reflecting pool that totally evokes serenity. Moreover, the lobby segues into a residents' library with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and an enormous fireplace. I think of this library as an amenity that reinforces a community feeling within a building. Ostensibly, it is a bonus extension of the individual units, much in the same way as the club or residents' lounge at The Chelsea Club will become. These types of amenities when designed into buildings actually humanize the environment, creating open areas in which neighbors may interact.

My experience in designing luxury condominiums in New York has been very rewarding. In the past year, we have completed over a dozen projects and my firm was recently retained for four more condominiums. In addition, I have had the pleasure to work with some of this city's savviest developers, architects and brokers. Our firm has arrived in New York at a time when design is respected and fusions of styles are welcomed.