Houzz Tour: Salvage Gives a Manhattan Loft Industrial Flair
Reclaimed pieces create casual elegance while honoring this former textile factory's roots
This industrial roots of this building, in Manhattan's Tribeca neighborhood, sent interior designer Liz Tiesi of Threshold Interiors straight to her favorite architectural salvage yards from Scranton, Pennsylvania, to Wells, Maine. Tiesi was involved in transforming this floor of the building from a commercial textile factory into a home and wanted to honor its industrial roots through the design. At the same time, her clients had two young children, so the space also needed to be family friendly. The result is a stunning loft full of character provided by salvaged and reclaimed treasures, including elements from a barn, Philadelphia's Independence Mall and even a Tastykake factory.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A family with children ages 7 and 10
Location: Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan
Size: 4,200 square feet; 4 bedrooms, 3½ bathrooms
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A family with children ages 7 and 10
Location: Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan
Size: 4,200 square feet; 4 bedrooms, 3½ bathrooms
"In these open lofts, there is not much privacy — you're kind of on display all the time, so we decided to cut a den into the loft that the family could retire into," Tiesi explains. The contractors hung a salvaged fire door found at Olde Good Things in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in between the large, open area and a separate cozy den.
"We wanted to be able to close off this room but have the option to keep it open," Tiesi says.
Barn door track: Barn Door Hardware
"We wanted to be able to close off this room but have the option to keep it open," Tiesi says.
Barn door track: Barn Door Hardware
This is the view from the kitchen; the den is on the right.
The family also wanted a reclaimed barn wood wall in the den. Tiesi purchased the barn wood through Provenance, and her carpenter spent a lot of time arranging the pieces before landing on this composition.
She also highlighted blues throughout the home, as seen on the other walls of the den. Another salvaged fire door from Olde Good Things is on the left.
She also highlighted blues throughout the home, as seen on the other walls of the den. Another salvaged fire door from Olde Good Things is on the left.
The room is also a great space for watching TV without the noise spreading throughout the entire apartment.
Sofa: V-Lab Professor Sofa, ABC Carpet & Home; art: Jonathan Levine Gallery
Sofa: V-Lab Professor Sofa, ABC Carpet & Home; art: Jonathan Levine Gallery
Reclaimed windows add to the industrial character and grab light from the exterior windows for the den. Tiesi found these at Olde Good Things — she recommends the Scranton, Pennsylvania, location for the best deals.
Salvaged factory pieces serve as the dining table's base, and the top is reclaimed wood. Tolix French café chairs also add industrial style. Tiesi found the Sara Chandelier at Grange, which brings in the blue via its glass shades and the industrial through the metal structure and exposed wires.
Salvaged factory pieces serve as the dining table's base, and the top is reclaimed wood. Tolix French café chairs also add industrial style. Tiesi found the Sara Chandelier at Grange, which brings in the blue via its glass shades and the industrial through the metal structure and exposed wires.
The main living space has casual elegance but still honors the building's industrial past. Chairs crafted of salvaged metal pieces welded together pick up on the other industrial accents. "Believe it or not, these chairs are really comfortable — the angle of the backs are pitched perfectly," Tiesi says.
Metal chairs: Corey Daniels Gallery; armchairs, coffee table: Desiron; sofa table: ABC Carpet & Home
Metal chairs: Corey Daniels Gallery; armchairs, coffee table: Desiron; sofa table: ABC Carpet & Home
A large marble-topped island grounds the kitchen. The marble is reclaimed from historic Independence Mall in Philadelphia. There is a salvaged metal trough found at Provenance in the middle. "The owners had seen a modern trough elsewhere and loved the idea, so we sourced one that went along with the industrial look," Tiesi says. "It's great for filling with ice and champagne or beers for a party, or lining up little plants — they can just keep switching it out."
The kitchen's exposed brick wall is original to the building. Tiesi commissioned RangeCraft in New Jersey to create the metal vent hood and backsplash. Floating wood shelves keep the brick exposed, while the wood shelves play off the limba wood lower cabinets. Mirrors behind and lighting underneath the shelves help brighten the kitchen.
A metallic penny tile backsplash reflects the LED lights mounted under the shelves. It also complements the steel cabinetry pieces and steel appliances.
Several types of antique glass are used around the loft; this metal cabinet has antique chicken wire glass doors. Tiesi collaborated with Superior Woodcraft on the kitchen.
"I love a powder room to be a little jewel box," Tiesi says. She combined metal tiles (a challenge to install, as it turned out, but the workers conquered the task) with blue wall tiles.
She was able to salvage the door on the right from the original building, and had the Provenance crew strip it down to the metal. It still has the original glass (you can catch a glimpse of it on the right side of the previous photo as well). By the way, the team also just completed replacing that ceiling with reclaimed tin ceiling tiles, but there's no photo of it yet.
Mirror, vanity: Kallista; sconces: Restoration Hardware; white tile: Artistic Tile; other tiles: Casale Tile
She was able to salvage the door on the right from the original building, and had the Provenance crew strip it down to the metal. It still has the original glass (you can catch a glimpse of it on the right side of the previous photo as well). By the way, the team also just completed replacing that ceiling with reclaimed tin ceiling tiles, but there's no photo of it yet.
Mirror, vanity: Kallista; sconces: Restoration Hardware; white tile: Artistic Tile; other tiles: Casale Tile
Eye-popping bedding from Kevin O'Brien takes center stage in the master bedroom.
Bed, dresser: Room & Board; mirror: ABC Carpet & Home
Bed, dresser: Room & Board; mirror: ABC Carpet & Home
Tongue and groove poplar boards add a rustic touch to the master bathroom, while a Minwax stain adds more of the loft's blue accent color. A salvaged sink lived its former life in the Tastykake factory in Philadelphia. Tiesi had the folks at Provenance, where she found it, strip it down to keep the rustic look.
One thing Tiesi notes about salvaging is that it can pose some unforeseen challenges — for example, she mounted Dornbracht faucets to the walls without too much trouble (in the factory, the water came down from overhead) but she and her plumber had quite a time finding just the right piece to fit the drain hole.
Faucets: Dornbracht; shutters: Olde Good Things
One thing Tiesi notes about salvaging is that it can pose some unforeseen challenges — for example, she mounted Dornbracht faucets to the walls without too much trouble (in the factory, the water came down from overhead) but she and her plumber had quite a time finding just the right piece to fit the drain hole.
Faucets: Dornbracht; shutters: Olde Good Things
The clients loved the wavy glass seen on canopies on the street in industrial areas, and wanted to bring it into the bathroom. The shower is on the left, and the W.C. is on the right.
Tiesi sourced the glass at Provenance and had a metal crafter create the frames around the panels. As it turned out, the heavy weight of the doors made hanging them another salvaging challenge, but they were worth the effort.
Tiesi sourced the glass at Provenance and had a metal crafter create the frames around the panels. As it turned out, the heavy weight of the doors made hanging them another salvaging challenge, but they were worth the effort.
The cast iron tub is another salvaged piece. The original porcelain was in great shape, and Tiesi had the folks at Provenance strip it down to the cast iron on the main body of the bathtub — again, to lend an industrial feel.
Whether one is cooking, lounging or taking a soak, all of these beautifully refurbished pieces are a constant reminder of the recently refurbished building's industrial past.
Light fixture: Capitol Lighting; faucet: Dornbracht
Whether one is cooking, lounging or taking a soak, all of these beautifully refurbished pieces are a constant reminder of the recently refurbished building's industrial past.
Light fixture: Capitol Lighting; faucet: Dornbracht
All of the flooring is reclaimed hickory, sourced through Provenance Old Soul Architectural Salvage in Philadelphia, one of Tiesi's favorite sources.