Chelsea Loft Residence | Gabellini Sheppard Associates

The open informality of this 1920s industrial loft is overlaid with a sumptuous program for living, entertaining, and the displaying of contemporary art. Located adjacent to the elevated High Line pedestrian park, this 4,000-squarefoot Chelsea residence was commissioned as the primary residence and personal gallery for a young professional couple. Its open plan takes advantage of northern and southern light exposures, rendering the central living area as a naturally and theatrically lit residential courtyard. Graphically iconoclastic works by prominent contemporary artists such as Cindy Sherman, Anselm Kiefer, Terry Winters, Mike Kelley, and Thomas Ruff create an aestheticallycharged graphic presence within the serene living environment. The surrounding ensemble of private spaces—three bedrooms, three bathrooms, with storage and service areas— rises on a natural-finish Brazilian walnut plinth. Translucent glass sliding panels form a changeable threshold of privacy connecting the living area with the elevated master suite, which is defined by textural warmth and a continuing visual art narrative. The Jack Pierson sculpture Stardust animates this transitional public-private space. Finished in honed botticino marble, the master bathroom is conceived as a carved spa chamber. The monolithic hewn marble bathtub and the shower, defined by full-height glass panels and flush teak flooring, epitomize the timeless pleasure of the bathing experience. A massive, eighteenth-century gilded French panel mirror adds a baroque counterpoint to the elemental bathing suite defined by pure geometries and harmonic materials. The apartment’s two guest bedrooms, enclosed in full-height matte translucent glass panels, are positioned along the gallery that wraps around the main living space. A satin-finish, stainless-steel wall frames the entry, giving way to seamless white plaster walls throughout the residence. The material palette also includes naturally tinted, poured concrete flooring in the main living and dining area; translucent sliding glass panels for all interior doors; and honed botticino marble in the master bathing suite and supplemental guest bathrooms. Between the articulated ceiling beams, ambient light coves combine with focused gallery lighting to enable a variety of atmospheric states. Sculptural lightness pervades the intersecting planes of floor, wall, and ceiling defined by quarter-inch reveals. The living room sofa, lounge chairs, and upholstered circular cocktail table are selected from the B&B Italia and Maxalto Collections. Dining chairs in walnut and woven grass are custom-made by George Nakashima Woodworker, complemented by black satin-lacquer and stainlesssteel kitchen cabinetry by Boffi. Adding to the sculptural, whimsical sensibility of the space is a custom-made, bubinga wood table, highlighted by the specially commissioned, Tord Boontje “Blossom” chandelier that hovers above.