Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Geometry and Art in Chelsea
Loft remodel leads to innovative ways with walls, light and space
New York architect George Ranalli took on the remodel of this Chelsea apartment for artists he knew well. Robert Kirschbaum and Jacque Metheny, a painter and a sculptor, had lived in the trendy, open loft for quite a few years. When a baby came into the picture, they needed a more functional family space.
Ranalli reworked the floor plan to create new living spaces and implemented innovative interlocking Finnish plywood paneling on the existing plaster walls. The paneling was designed to help walls hold up under the wear and tear that comes with having a child around, but it became a defining part of the loft's interior design and a geometric backdrop for art throughout the gallery-like space.
"As artists, their work has a profound level of intricacy and visual detail," says Ranalli, whose own product designs have been featured in museums nationwide. "I wanted to make sure that their home reflected and complemented this aesthetic. "
Ranalli reworked the floor plan to create new living spaces and implemented innovative interlocking Finnish plywood paneling on the existing plaster walls. The paneling was designed to help walls hold up under the wear and tear that comes with having a child around, but it became a defining part of the loft's interior design and a geometric backdrop for art throughout the gallery-like space.
"As artists, their work has a profound level of intricacy and visual detail," says Ranalli, whose own product designs have been featured in museums nationwide. "I wanted to make sure that their home reflected and complemented this aesthetic. "
Finnish plywood was chosen for the wall treatment because of its durability, affordability, beautiful grain and ease of installation. The design was cut with rounded corners for safety and affixed in interlocking pieces to areas of wall that would undergo the most wear.
"The interlocking panels were designed to provide a vibrancy to the panels themselves," says Ranalli. "This allows the viewer to have an actively engaging aesthetic experience, which ties this type of work to the longer craft and design traditions throughout history."
"The interlocking panels were designed to provide a vibrancy to the panels themselves," says Ranalli. "This allows the viewer to have an actively engaging aesthetic experience, which ties this type of work to the longer craft and design traditions throughout history."
The kitchen counter (which can be seen here as well as in the previous shot) extends into the living area so that Kirschbaum and Metheny can work in the kitchen while still being a part of any party they're hosting. Ranalli's signature geometric detail is visible just below the extended countertop, adding a point of visual interest to an otherwise simple structure.
Ranalli also custom-designed the furniture in the couple's master bedroom with the same defined contour and honey-colored plywood seen in the paneling throughout the home. The nightstand echoes the style with its secret-compartment-like drawer.
This unique details on the bathroom wall are also hideaway storage spaces — simple shelving below, and a medicine cabinet above. "This shape is an idea I have been exploring and working with in several projects — both interior and exterior," says Ranalli. "That is, to re-imagine a contemporary idea of ornament as an essential ingredient to rooms and buildings."
Ranalli's panels help frame three of the couples' pieces — a painting and sculpture on the wall, and another sculpture on the floor — in a corner of the main living space. This, combined with the gallery-like feel of the space, allows their collection to feel smoothly incorporated into their home.
Although the space feels open and airy, the unit doesn't have much natural light. The structure is long and thin, with windows only at the front and back. Ranalli thought about adding windows on one side, but there was a building slated to be built very close to the couple's unit, which would have blocked any natural light.
Instead, Ranalli created a spacious feel with frosted glass windows in the middle section of the loft. This added light and the warm color of the plywood adds a textured glow to the space. "The effect is a vibrant and stimulating experience — which is what any design feature is intended to provide for an interior," says Ranalli.
Although there are few windows in the home that access natural light, Ranalli's careful placement and use of lighting fixtures to coincide with the installed glass features creates the illusion of light where there was none before.
Here, more incognito storage units are placed along one of the hallways in the apartment. These beautiful wood paneled storage units are functional as well as beautiful, and help eliminate the need for additional furniture.
More intriguing spaces:
Houzz Tour: A Family-Friendly Mid-Century Home
Houzz Interview: Creating Space With Art
Houzz Tour: An Art Lover's Inviting Abode
More intriguing spaces:
Houzz Tour: A Family-Friendly Mid-Century Home
Houzz Interview: Creating Space With Art
Houzz Tour: An Art Lover's Inviting Abode
Ranalli's custom plywood woodwork is visible on the near and far walls in this image. Although it has become somewhat of a trademark in some of his residential work, this was the first home where he used this exceptional technique.