Never judge a book by its cover they say. Axis Mundi takes that adage seriously. The circa 1920s facades of these townhouses by Percy Griffin may read neo-Georgian. But behind the door of this particular residence, glass and oak are paired to impart a warm contemporary aesthetic that better showcases the client’s collections of art by Andy Warhol, Arman, Robert Longo, Alex Katz and Lucio Fontana, and furniture by modernist icons Jean Prouvé, Charlotte Perriand and Roland Rainer. Axis Mundi gutted the genteel, compartmentalized (read: dark) inner scheme, blowing it wide open to impart a new loft-like interior architecture outfitted with an exposed oak-and-Caesarstone kitchen and plenty of integrated, clutter-concealing custom storage along many walls. The glass—sandblasted on Poliform doors and a main-floor bridge, then descending in transparent railings along a new oak staircase to a garden level—invite light in and encourage it to ricochet freely throughout. Project Team: John Beckmann and Richard Rosenbloom, with Nick Messerlian Photography: Andrew Garn © Axis Mundi Design LLC