Double Take: Moorish Goes Modern in a Manhattan Townhouse
A Moroccan screen inspired by an ancient pattern takes high-tech effort, with stunning results
When faced with unifying six stories of a sleek Manhattan townhouse, the forward-thinking designers at SPG Architects looked back to traditional Moroccan design. “The client had hand-carved doors from Morocco that he wanted to integrate into the project,” says Tom Froese of Eljin Construction, who completed the work. Jumping off from the Moroccan inspiration, the designers took a traditional pattern from a Moroccan concrete tile and reinterpreted it on an extensive water-jet-cut aluminum screen. Here’s a closer look at the project.
Photography by Dan Levin
Photography by Dan Levin
Speaking of execution, Eljin Construction hired Stainless Metals to create the panels. “Each panel is about 48 inches wide by 72 to 80 inches high, depending on its placement,” Froese says. The screen panels are about ½ inch thick and are inlaid between 2- by 2-inch structural tube components that extend from the soffits to the floors.
The finish is anodized bronze-colored spray paint. The railing, stair stringer and treads needed to be painted onsite and needed to match. “The paint job has held up incredibly well,” Froese says. “I suppose the bigger issue is dusting.” That doesn’t seem to be an issue for this client, who Froese says is incredibly meticulous and “takes care of the place like you wouldn’t believe.”
The finish is anodized bronze-colored spray paint. The railing, stair stringer and treads needed to be painted onsite and needed to match. “The paint job has held up incredibly well,” Froese says. “I suppose the bigger issue is dusting.” That doesn’t seem to be an issue for this client, who Froese says is incredibly meticulous and “takes care of the place like you wouldn’t believe.”
Here is one of the hand-carved Moroccan doors that Froese mentioned earlier, and the stairs before the screen installation. Installing the doors correctly was a greater challenge than installing the aluminum screens.
“We loved the play of the screen; we’re often playing with the concepts of solid and void, and transparency and enclosure, in a lot of our work,” Gartner says. The screen works spatially and conceptually; Moorish-inspired pieces pop up throughout the house, and the screen provides continuity from the first floor to the roof terrace.
In another interesting play with volume, the custom-milled walnut wall on the right is composed of pocket doors, which open to transform the long narrow hallway into a space that’s open to the media room.
In another interesting play with volume, the custom-milled walnut wall on the right is composed of pocket doors, which open to transform the long narrow hallway into a space that’s open to the media room.
Some of the volumes in the house are two stories high, making the screen’s impact all the more dramatic.
For those of you who are wondering about that long, narrow window in the walnut wall, here’s what’s on the other side.
For those of you who are wondering about that long, narrow window in the walnut wall, here’s what’s on the other side.
Gartner used other Moorish-inspired patterns throughout the house. “Once the stairs had this great referential design inspiration, the other places where it happened again on a smaller scale all fell into place,” he says. This top railing is composed of smaller panels in the same pattern, and the top is wrapped in leather, as the other inside railings are.
The kitchen cabinet doors also have a repetitive Moroccan pattern, crafted from wire.
This fireplace surround is a pleasing continuation of the concept, expressed via an intricate tile pattern. “After we had the big move on the staircase, building upon it was easy,” Gartner says.
“Once we had the scale right, everything else fell into place,” says architect Eric Gartner. “The pattern was truly repetitive and meticulously conceived, so there were all of these serendipitous moments.” Well, they seem serendipitous; carefully working out the way the pattern on the computer and manipulating individual moments until everything came out just right makes it look like fate played a hand in the perfect execution.