Clients usually hire designers for their vision, but a designer often acts as more -- part philosopher, poet, storyteller, confidant, and friend. Designers have the ability to paint an entire scene in your mind – instilling trust before the first line is drawn or the first object purchased. From that point, the design process unfolds.

In this extensive renovation, the aim was to create an environment of ease and grace reminiscent of an old-world Parisian artist’s atelier. A primary objective was to find ways to highlight the 15th-floor breathtaking Central Park views, with tree-tops forming the world’s most beautiful lawn. Given the client’s love of flora and fauna, moments of nature abound throughout: from the dining room mural of a garden forest scene to the floral compositions in the verre eglomise (back painted mirror) lined dining room cabinets. However, for every surface that’s highly-decorated, there’s another one that’s spare, or covered in a simple matte French stucco.

On the apartment’s sprawling terrace, we installed a greenhouse that was cast in France entirely in bronze. (It will never have to be painted.) This, together with enlarged windows facing the south side of Central Park, increased the apartment’s natural light.

With a view that some things are too special to discard, we also used repurposed materials and furniture. For example, we created a bi-level kitchen island from two French marble-top consoles, one 17th and one 18th century. We carved a hole into the taller console to accommodate a hammered copper sink and faucet. Boiserie panels repurposed from an 18th century French chateau line the library walls, an ancient Roman stone basin and spout sits in the powder room, a combination of driftwood slabs with custom glass elements compose the bar, and a rare antique fireplace mantle from southern France stands at one end of the solarium tea room. The result was an eclectic environment with spectacular pieces bringing layers of history to the high-rise home.

The client, a gardening enthusiast and the founder of a New England educational community organization rooted in land stewardship, food & farming, sought a New York City apartment where she could entertain and inspire dialogue about food’s integral lifestyle role and sustainability. That meant the kitchen had to be inviting, a kind of room-size cornucopia. Walls came down, allowing us to transform the apartment-sized galley into a large open kitchen. To integrate the kitchen with the rest of the apartment, we avoided upper cabinets and instead used an 18th century armoire/breakfront for storage.

Of course, an open plan requires careful placement of furniture. We created intimate seating areas within the spacious apartment, such as a window seat and a diminutive desk that could accommodate tea for two, and by the use of a Ralph Pucci upholstered lounge chair on wheels. And, for flexibility, we chose pieces that could morph from one thing to another. Notably, the 12-person hunt table can become a buffet for informal gatherings. Traditional furnishings aside, the spirit of the apartment is innovative and forward-looking.