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Upper East Side Townhouse No. 1 — graciously accommodating art and life

New York, NY
Type: Houses / Townhouses
Theme: Living with Art

Located on a discreet block on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, this brick townhouse was completely renovated for a family with a generous social life. The family’s art and design collection—with a focus on postwar Italian modernism—enlivens the home throughout.

The ground floor includes a large open kitchen with a bronze and transparent glass window wall that echoes the entry vestibule. End grain fir block flooring gives the space a rich materiality. A collection of vintage glass pendant lamps punctuates the room. Through the large bronze glass-doors, a two-level rear garden features a concrete plinth that steps down to a brick lower level with a custom bronze and glazed lava stone table. A muted gray brick wall encloses the garden with simple plantings.

A deep blue carpet gives a white ribbon staircase a highly graphic quality, and unites the house floor-to-floor. On the private floors, all the family’s activities are graciously accommodated with spaces that reflect how they live. The roof features a small study and an intimate deck surrounded by a three-season garden with an abundant mix of edible, decorative, and native plants.

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Key People

Deborah Berke

Catherine Bird
Project Lead

Aaron Plewke
Project Manager

Caroline Wharton Ewing
Interiors Lead

Collaborators

TenBerke
Architect, Interior Designer

Old Structures Engineering PC
Structural Engineer

Kohler Ronan Consulting Engineers
MEP Engineer

Renfro Design Group
Lighting Designer

Kimberly Von Koontz Landscapes
Landscape Designer

Recognition

Robb Report
September 10, 2019

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Theme: Living with Art