When a certain famous director decided that he wanted a pied de terre in Harlem, he found some digs that were simple and felt appropriate for his desire to have a quiet New York getaway. His friends felt that he had aimed far too low. Saddened by the simplicity, they urged him to look elsewhere for his new digs. He didn’t. Perhaps it had something to do with working with diamonds in the rough that became household names, like Lady Gaga and Madonna. He wanted a quiet and non-garish palette, easy on the spirit and eye. Passivity worthy of a Zen retreat should rule the loft. But that did not mean that there could not be sleek and modern furniture and sophisticated touches like customized millwork. Subtle paint shifts of color across the 1600 feet of space also helped create low key drama. The point was proven and the Harlem bachelor pad became a more than worthy suitor of the artistic world.
Key Takeaways:
- When one famed director bought his seemingly Humble Harlem digs, friends deplored the simplicity and urged him to move on.
- But the man who had worked with diamonds in the rough, like Lady Gaga knew the bones for spectacular were there.
- Despite the desire for a minimalist aesthetic and a sleek contemporary low key design, the overall effect is elegant and lifted by touches like custom millwork.
“To that end, he engaged the New York- and Paris-based architecture and design firm Re-a.d., working with founder and principal (and fellow Francophone) Côme Ménage over the course of six months to realize the space as a stoic treatise on comfort and luxury.”
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