Studio Kiss - ASAP House

Summary: Transform tired 1970's "suburban style" ranch into sleek modern beach house. Project: Interior renovation (excluding bathrooms) of a three bedroom house in Montauk, NY, including kitchen reconfiguration. New deck across front of house including access sliders from living area and master bedroom. New windows throughout. New siding. Review: Positives: Architect was respectful of client needs regarding proposed solutions. Deck solution was especially cool and has earned kudos from client, neighbors and even the contractor. People stop and take pictures! In sum, the house is transformed. Negatives: A few fits and starts regarding project management issues and communication with contractor but nothing too dramatic.

Studio Kiss has worked on two residences of mine in the past 15 years: a 5-storey townhouse in Upper Manhattan; and a one-bedroom apartment on the Upper East Side. These two projects represent the ends of the spectrum for residential design work and Studio Kiss was equally adept at both. For the townhouse project, it provided a conceptual design for using 5,500 square feet of space on 5 floors that made modern family living extremely convenient, while at the same time remaining loyal to the original design of the space. Due to Studio Kiss's layout, the house design matched the daily rhythm of the occupants. For example, by having the Master Suite with walk-closet, jacuzzi, and gym on the top floor, it was possible to wake, exercise, shower, and dress for the day before leaving the floor. On the way down, the children could be stirred from bed and brought down to the kitchen on the garden level before being wisked off to school. The reverse was true in the evening: A glass of wine in the garden, followed by dinner in the kitchen or the formal dining room one floor up, followed by TV or computer time in the family room or library above that, followed by turning in for the night on the top floor. The flow was down in the morning and up in the evening, making it very easy to live without an elevator. The apartment interior design project was equally successful. Studio Kiss asked about my style and taste (simple, modern), and put together a collection of mid-century modern furniture that transformed a box-like space into a warm, colorful, and comfortable living space. In short, Studio Kiss's strengths include a three dimensional critical view of any space, large or small, combined with a wealth of knowledge about design, style, and influences. The result is always something unique, aesthetic, comfortable, and economical.