When your client’s upbringing in a Santa Cruz, California, hippie commune has impacted so much of her lifestyle, you can not help but let that unfettered soul seep into her home. “We are constantly creating portraits of our clients in their homes,” states Drew Stuart, spouse at Incorporated. “Architects are editors by nature, therefore we let clients compile thoughts — but it’s our job to edit out.” The builder doesn’t take all the credit, though; he applauds his client’s design assurance, apparent in almost every area in this vibrant, eclectic home.
“This home’s narrative begins with its unbiased shell,” he states. “We had that muted palette so the remainder of its unique, vibrant parts could sing.”
at a Glance
Who lives here: Kelly Black, her husband and their 5 children
Location: New York City
Size: 4,700 square feet
Design challenge: Limited elevator distance. “It determines so much of what is constructed on- and off road,” says Stuart.
Photography: Annie Schlechter
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A Roche Bobois modular couch in a patchwork of prints brings out a relaxed, laid vibe vibe in the living space. “It’s low to the floor, therefore it is somewhat like sitting down for a picnic in the grass. You can not help but stay a little while and hang out,” says Stuart.
Cabinetry: S. Donadic; dining table, seating: ducduc
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When the renovation started, homeowner Kelly Black arrived to Stuart with a box of backgrounds she was collecting and also a burning question: Would you do anything together?
Stuart pored through Black’s series and started with an Orla Kiely printing. “We showed her a rendering for the library which has been rather true to the true thing, therefore it is not like she needed to make this huge jump of faith,” says Stuart. “It was easy to convince her that we’re going to do something amazing.”
True to his word, Stuart and his group created a jaw-dropping, pattern-heavy space swathed in Kiely’s iconic multistem motif. He then pulled straight from the wallpaper’s leaf colors to design the custom built-in units and drifting walnut shelves.
Wallpaper: Multistem, Orla Kiely; armchair, ottoman: Anthropologie; floor lamp: Excel, Rich Outstanding Willing
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From the modular couch (previous photograph ), you can look up at the custom sky-blue media unit, spray painted to give it the look of a rich lacquer finish. The shelves exhibit the kids’ artwork and book collections, while drawers corral loose toys and items.
Paint: Utah Sky, Benjamin Moore
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This custom made playroom, made by Stuart and constructed by builders Johnny Donadic and Steve Donadic, is a study in the democratic process. All five children — and their friends — appeared on what they thought was the coolest playhouse: that boxy, modern structure with chartreuse splashes.
Wallpaper: Woods, Cole & Sons; chartreuse paint: Lucky Charm Green, Benjamin Moore
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Stuart juxtaposed the actual and the representation of nature and the outdoors in the home, most obviously seen in the contrast between the birch tree wallpaper (previous picture ) and also this birch tree screen, which hides storage cabinets.
“We had a man running around the forests in Minnesota, looking for the straightest birch trees he could find. I adore the knots against the birch — it is such a great contrast against the powerful verticals so that you can feel that the realness of the timber,” says Stuart.
Light fixture: Lindsey Adelman; dining table, benches: Environment Furniture; wingback chairs: Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams Ashton
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The birch screen does a great job of getting all the energy coming down the hallway from the entire apartment, Stuart states.
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The kids’ homework corner includes a cork wall to carry assignments, activity reminders and pictures. A chalkboard wall hides paper, printers and other school supplies.
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Stuart and his team transformed what he describes as a staid kitchen into an invigorating space, by integrating a Josef Frank fabric into the mixture.
The thought began when Dark asked custom cushions covers made of the Josef Frank fabric. But after seeing the blueprint, Stuart understood that the cushions couldn’t hold the scale of the pattern. “Rather we encased the fabric in glass and utilized it as a backsplash,” he states. “We had never done it before. It merely makes the kitchen so stunning and memorable.”
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The builder has a lot of regard for Black’s design assurance. “She just came to us with these huge Mexican doors. We mounted them with steel mounts, and they make the unique headboard,” he states. “She has great instincts and knew that we can make it work.”
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Designing and constructing the boys’ bunk beds proved difficult for the group because of the area’s angled wall. Along with the boys needed not just two but four beds.
The contractor built components of the bunk beds offsite and then constructed the bits in the boys’ area later. The completed structure houses the 2 boys, and their friends on weekend sleepovers. “The climbing wall won the kids over,” says Stuart.
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Stuart gave the contractor a full size template for the tree leaves and branches in the girls’ area. The wooden leaves and branches energize the distance, giving it movement — without taking up a lot of floor level space inside the room.
Loft and platform beds, drawer dresser: Alex, ducduc
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The nursery is babyproofed, therefore there are not any real trees in this nest. However, a pair of tree decals repeats the apartment’s outdoorsy theme.
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Black and white slate tiles in the guest bathroom behave as a neutral shell to the brilliant Moroccan cement tile backsplash which reaches all the way under the sink.
Medicine cupboard: Restoration Hardware; faucet: Gilford, Kohler; mild: Bilux Sconce, Fabulux
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“This is only one of the first jobs where we made as we went along rather than getting everything figured out. We are typical architects — quite anal retentive — except for this particular home we really began just with the shell and worked from there. It was kind of liberating,” says Stuart.
Entrance banquette: French walnut veneer; custom constructed by S. Donadic