Inside a Historic Palace Turned Boutique Hotel in Italy

At times, the research process for Giuliano Andrea dell’Uva’s latest hotel project in Orvieto, Italy, might have felt more like an archaeological expedition. Local hotelier Raffaele Tysserand commissioned the Naples-based founder of his namesake firm to renovate and transform a 15th-century palace in the small Umbrian town into a history-inspired boutique hotel. To get a feel for the place and its past, architect and client took to the surrounding streets. 

“We ventured almost stealthily into old noble buildings, discovering within them elegant gardens,” recalls dell’Uva. “When I saw the hotel building for the first time I was fascinated. It was a challenge that suited my nature.” The location is quite incredible as well: adjacent to the bluff-top city’s 14th-century Duomo di Orvieto, its architecture supporting an intricate facade of narrow, horizontal bands in alternating white travertine and black basalt. These defining stripes served as the inspirational basis for dell’Uva’s playful yet sensitive concept for the newly inaugurated hospitality property, the nine-key Palazzo Petrvs. 

Designers Look to the Past to Create a Timeless Hotel

The former private home, once owned by and named for the wealthy notary Petrvs Facienus, had long been abandoned. However, when dell’Uva began to peel back its prior 19th-century renovations, the three-story, 16,000-square-foot interiors revealed original frescos and Renaissance-era painted wood ceilings. Tysserand requested a place that would “offer guests the feeling of a contemporary grand tour experience”—luxurious, comfortable, well-appointed spaces that “didn’t alter the original context,” dell’Uva notes, so he returned its rooms to their original proportions and called in a team of artisans to restore the historic detailing. Where frescoes were not discovered, the architect plastered the walls in a natural clay finish and laid terra-cotta floors, both allusions to the city’s Etruscan heritage and continued artisan culture. The natural color of these materials provides a soft, warm palette off which the custom and vintage Italian and Nordic furnishings can riff. 

Thus, a studied exercise in contrast drives the environment. At the center of the large lobby, the original, massive stone fireplace is a visual cue for dell’Uva’s blocky, double-sided sofa, upholstered in a forest green fabric and color-matched by a pair of fringed Hans-Agne Jakobsson table lamps from 1950 that perch atop its frame. Dynamically contemporary brass-and-glass sconces flank the hearth. In one corner is a purpose-built dining table with a black-and-white striped base and Hans Wegner seating; in another is a Marco Zanuso armchair and a Carlo Scarpa console, both vintage. 

How Palazzo Petrvs’s Interiors Reference a Local Landmark

Most of the guest rooms also have a striped detail, if not a focal point, that ties the interiors back to the cathedral—so close by that it is visible through some of the hotel windows. In one room, there’s an en-suite bathtub constructed of bands of terra-cotta painted black and white. It sits under a decoratively painted coffered ceiling that dates from 1500. In another, a custom bed features a headboard and skirt made with striped linen. In yet another, as well as in the standout stair that leads to the large suite located in the property’s ancient tower, the entire floor sports the pattern, laid in locally handmade terra-cotta tiles. “The architecture of the duomo goes beyond the stylistic elements imposed by Italian Gothic, with dichromatic horizontal lines that—rather than soaring—convey a sense of balance and unexpected contemporaneity,” dell’Uva explains. “I wanted to bring the same to the project.” 

The only non-striped space is Coro, the hotel restaurant, which is built inside the historic shell of a former church that adjoins the main building. “From my perspective, an old, deconsecrated church needs simple, solemn, and sophisticated furnishings,” continues dell’Uva, who chose to restore the structure with a deep appreciation for its architecture. He left its stacked stone walls largely bare, aside from a selection of works by Milanese artist Michele Guido. Spindly wrought-iron candelabras hang over the recycled-wood tables, upholstered benches, and more Wegner chairs.

Modern Amenities Include Spalike Bathrooms and a Courtyard

“The biggest challenge was ensuring that the changes did not affect the magic of the place,” dell’Uva elaborates. But there were some practical needs to be met. For guest comfort, each room is designed with a generous contemporary bathroom. Meanwhile, adding new waxed-iron partitions with openings for windows and doorways allowed the preservation of original stone portals and charming wooden doors without having to use them. 

Where Palazzo Petrvs does dive headfirst into totally new territory is the courtyard, though the source material is still ancient. Here, dell’Uva took inspiration from the gardens he’d toured in the other local palaces as well as traditional riads, creating a space that is centered around a working fountain. He designed benches, striped again in black-and-natural terra-cotta, with built-in planters and wrought-iron café tables and chairs with earth-red cushions. Vessels and pots overflow with local favorites, like acanthus, a typical Renaissance-era greenery. Something old and something new, it seems, is Italy’s version of an oasis. 

Walk Through the Nine-Key Palazzo Petrvs Hotel

GIULIANO ANDREA DELL’UVA ARCHITETTI: PASQUALE CAPASSO; FIORENZA MAURO.

MARTA FEGIZ: LANDSCAPE DESIGN.

ANDREA PETRANGELI: STRUCTURAL ENGINEER.

MATTEO BRIONI: PLASTERWORK.

FROM FRONT DEDAR: SOFA FABRIC (LOBBY). 

CARL HANSEN & SØN: DINING CHAIRS (LOBBY, RESTAURANT). 

NEMO LIGHTING: DESK LAMP (RECEPTION). 

THROUGH SIMON INTERNATIONAL: CONSOLE TABLE (LOBBY). 

MARINO MORETTI STUDIO: BOWL. 

FOLKFORM THROUGH ÖRSJÖ: LAMPS (SUITE). 

DORNBRACHT: TUB FITTINGS, SINK FITTINGS (BATHROOMS). 

REZINA: WHITE FLOOR (BATHROOM). 

THROUGHOUT SOCIETY LIMONTA: BED LINENS. 

A Madrid Show House Prioritizes Well-being for People and Pets

Many of us love our furry friends. But, while we may fill our houses with their toys and accessories, we don’t often design interiors for them. However, for a compact apartment appearing in the annual Casa Décor Madrid show house last spring, Spanish architect Héctor Ruiz Velázquez set a chic precedent. Partnering with Ecoplen, a fellow Spanish company that manufactures smart textiles, the Studio Ruiz Velázquez CEO and senior architect conceived of the home for a family of two species—a human with a cat and a dog, not coincidentally the same pets that Francisco Pérez, CEO of Ecoplen parent company Atenzza Group, has—and planned it with their health, harmony, and nature in mind, harnessing the latest product innovations in naturally hygienic materials.

The project began with the idea of equality. “It’s typical of interior design to categorize between accessory and essential, between decoration and structure,” Ruiz Velázquez begins. “In this case, the main elements cover the needs of both pets and their guardians.” Meaning, in this residence, no space would be off-limits for any occupant. The site for the show-house project was a 290-square-foot, two-level studio in a 1929 neoclassical building, but the components can be disassembled and
reassembled with different configurations inside another envelope.

Inside a Pet-Friendly Apartment in the Casa Décor Madrid Show House

Turning to nature for inspiration, Ruiz Velázquez’s concept grew to the idea of a grove of two trees, their cylindrical trunks sheltering the private spaces and supporting a lofted bedroom in their undulating “canopy” above, wrapped in flexible fabric walls. These hanging partitions create privacy and bathe the studio in a lambent glow, softening the light from strip fixtures recessed into vertical edges of the organically shaped dropped ceiling. “The canopy becomes a wall during the day and, due to its translucent capacity, it becomes a lamp at night, giving light with different intensities,” Ruiz Velázquez explains. The wall textile is Ecoplen, which is not only self-cleaning and stain-resistant but also treated with virus-killing biocides and mineral-based photocat­alyst, a natural antimicrobial activated by sunlight, to actively purify the interior.

“The beauty lies in the forms and materials born from a context of their own environment,” says the architect, for whom natural materials were an essential design choice for a space inspired by trees and living beings. In addition to the canopy, he used Ecoplen fabrics to create soft moveable floor cushions, a pink-hued artwork, and a cat play wall that can be endlessly reconfigured with a grid of dowels and pliable textile shelves. The curving walls, structural cylinders, and kitchen are finished in Ecoclay, a natural clay-based material that is both insulating and sound-absorbing. The ground-level flooring is made of an anti­bacterial ceramic tile that Ruiz Velázquez designed, while the concrete staircase and the loft’s slab floor are covered in micro-cement, a waterproof finish mixed with minerals and resins. “All of this creates a healthy and 360-degree healing environment,” he notes.

A Biophilic Design Accessible to Four-Legged Friends

In line with its nature-based material performance, the apartment is largely earth-toned, with pops of pink, blue, and orange only in the soft furniture and accessories. Though it is filled with daylight, Ruiz Velázquez envisioned the interiors like a cave, mostly because of the thermal properties and color of the clay finishes. Sited in the curved niche between the two trunks, the sinuous stovetop and counter of the kitchen feel particularly like a natural landform. The adjacent bioethanol fireplace adds to this cozy atmosphere on the lower level.

Because of the apartment’s small size and the team’s research into the ideal environment for pet enrichment, “We decided to elevate the private areas, freeing up the main floor,” for play, gathering, cooking, and eating, Ruiz Velázquez continues. The shower, for example, which occupies the taller of the two cylinders, is set two steps up the stairs but has separate fittings for humans and dogs to wash up. Its accompanying sink is a few steps up from that. Though the nestlike loft is meant for relaxation, it’s accessible for all—particularly via the cat scratch-and-climbing pole that runs the vertical height of the residence. Its custom round bed is supported by the other structural trunk, the one that houses the water closet downstairs.

The Space Includes Natural Light and Room to Explore

Maintaining sightlines between all common areas was important for daylighting, safety, and peace of mind, so Studio Ruiz Velázquez formulated strategically placed openings in the trunks and canopy to ensure that “animal and human can always have a visual connection, even from different levels,” the architect adds. Though the built-in activity and exploration nooks, like the pet door added to the toilet room for more curious creatures, can provide stimulation, contact between pets and guardians is the main goal.

“This project in particular has a larger scope than the architecture itself,” Ruiz Velázquez opines. “It’s the purest connection of life on the planet, animals and humans living in the same home where they share not only leadership but also the same level of priority in the functional design.” Atenzza’s Pérez wholeheartedly agrees: He’s currently reinstalling nearly every element of the show house—from the cat play wall to the canopy and cylinder systems—at his apartment in Valencia.

studio ruiz velázquez: almudena de toledo; david jabbour díaz; marta garcia rios.

cement design: cement work.
proyectos y reformas: general contractor

drypets: pet bed (living area).
estufamania: fireplace.
geberit: toilet (water closet).
bang & olufsen: speaker (bedroom).

ecoplen: textiles.
cerámica saloni: floor tile.
ecoclay: walls.
axor: sink fittings, shower fittings.
zara home: accessories.

Boutique Hotel Meets Holiday Villa in This Mexican Oasis

Scouting for land with a local real estate agent in the small Mexican surf town of Sayulita, Robert Humble got an instant education in jungle topography. “We quickly realized that flat, level lots are pretty unattainable,” recalls the architect, who’s also founding partner and design principal of Hybrid, a multidisciplinary Seattle studio that designs, builds, and develops efficient, contemporary, contextually appropriate work that cultivates community throughout the West Coast and Canada. After touring a half dozen sloping sites surrounded by thick rainforest, he and his wife Nicole Johnson returned to the first—equally steep but whose lowest point from its residential street was met by a lush, undeveloped ravine. Its natural configuration assured an appealing sense of privacy. Humble’s team at Hybrid tried a few massing concepts, and the couple was sold on the location for Nico Sayulita, their and the firm’s first hospitality endeavor—and project—in Mexico, its moniker derived from Johnson’s nickname.

A series of five suites connected by a common party deck and an accessible rooftop, the 3,000-square-foot Nico is conceived to take advantage of the natural atmosphere provided by its forested site. “The empty spaces are the heart of the project,” says architect Ilse Cárdenas, coprincipal of Mexico City studio Palma, which collaborated with Hybrid on the modular system of concrete linear cubes that have been strategically stacked to descend the hill. “Everything is porous, and we closed as little as we could.” Each side of the volumes is either glazed, solid masonry, or left open to the elements, depending on purpose. The rooms feature walls of operable windows for protection from rain but also the ability to cross-ventilate, while the central stairwell is exposed to appreciate surrounding vistas but covered by a roof for comfort and safety when climbing between levels.

Nico Sayulita Reflects the Architectural Heritage of Its Surroundings

“What was important to me,” Humble continues, “is that Nico represent the architec­tural heritage and built typology of Mexico, which, in a lot of cases, is concrete columns, slabs, and infill,” that create a contemporary style with roots in Mexican modernism. This gridded building system also gave him the flexibility to continue tweaking the hospitality concept long into the design phases. What it became is something between a boutique hotel and a rentable private villa: Visitors can book a single suite, a few, or all five, and they share the rooftop with jacuzzi as well as the lap pool and chef’s kitchen, located on an open-air “social level surrounded by sunlight, foliage, and amazing views,” Cárdenas describes. Rather than a full staff, a concierge team provides a meet-and-greet and offers a host of personalized activities—from a private chef and on-site yoga class to local excursions. “It’s a guest experience that offers both the autonomy or privacy of an Airbnb with all the services of a boutique hotel,” explains Humble, who is exploring future Nico hotels in Morocco, Thailand, and elsewhere in Mexico.

The Property Invites Guests into the Jungle

Walking distance from both the town and the beach, the property is in a low-scale neighborhood, and its profile remains respectful of that density. From the street, the building appears just two stories tall. However, once inside the gate, the structure is built three additional levels down into the jungle, each height providing a unique experience in nature for guests. At the lowest story is the most private abode. Nestled in the tree canopy, this 560-square-foot suite features a romantic circular soaking tub, flooring of local brick, and three private terraces built around existing tree trunks. Each room has a different layout, arranged to take advantage of their specific vistas, sunlight throughout the day, and ocean breezes, though all contain their own bathroom, a wet bar in blackened steel, and a sitting area, sometimes located inside, sometimes outside on terraces that seem to float among the foliage.

Nature is the focus of Nico Sayulita, and the interiors let the environment take center stage. The material palette in the suites is subtle—concrete, wood, steel—and all the furnishings are handcrafted in Mexico, many custom-made. “Though we sought restraint, a lot of thought was put into each piece,” Cárdenas says. The Palma team engaged a group of Mexico City–based designers including Roberto Michelsen to create bespoke beds, side tables, and chairs, all of which use rounded geometric forms to complement the complex’s stark architectural expression. A few furniture pieces provide a pop of earthen color, like a red terrazzo drinks table by Guadalajara-based En.concreto and a striped textile on the cushions of a pair of armchairs by Zapopan-based Stown Design, but most maintain their natural patinas. A black-and-white abstract artwork by Diego Hernández Beauroyre hangs above each bed. “Bringing in these works makes the project feel Mexican and contemporary without going the Frida Kahlo route,” Cárdenas adds, referencing the tendency toward clichéd depictions of the infamous Mexican painter that travelers can find in other hotels across the country.

In Nico’s social spaces, material colors were inspired by the Pacific Ocean views. A Guadalajaran fabricator created the custom sky-blue tiles that line the pools. A stucco-clad bathroom off the party deck wears a lightly pink-brown hue. “The feeling we’re looking to convey is informality,” says Humble, who also hired Mexico City studio Trama to create the hospitality brand’s retro-inspired graphic design. “Nothing is precious or pretentious.” In the laid-back beach town of Sayulita, it’s truly of the place.

Inside a Hospitality Gem in Sayulita, Mexico

hybrid: alex herbig; scott goodner.

palma: regina de hoyos; diego escamilla; juan luis rivera; luisa rizo; constanza ponce de león; josué granados; nia jorquera; josé mendéz.

paar taller: landscape architect.

trama: custom graphics.

abm acero: steelwork.

adrián ramírez siller: general contractor.

taplong: tub fittings (jungle).

inblock: bricks.

la laguna: tile (pool).

stown design: lounge chairs (horizon), coffee table (papelillo).

anna cuadra home accents: armchairs (papelillo).

through decada: chairs (rooftop), bench (papelillo), green chairs, table (pool), daybed (horizon).

en.concreto: tables.

grupo urrea: sink fittings.

westinghouse: ceiling fans.

cemex: concrete.

perdura: wall coating.

grupo argos: decking.

A Residential Complex Soars Over the Waterfront in Brooklyn

As the East River snakes between the shores of four of New York’s five boroughs, it shapes islets, tributaries, and peninsulas along its way. These surprisingly saltwater banks that have historically been ports for the domestic and international shipping routes docking in the Big Apple today are prime real estate—so long as the buildings meet 100-year flood-plain requirements. Manhattan’s were the first to be developed, with a close stock of steel-and-glass skyscrapers, brick public housing, and seawall-protected esplanade parks. Queens followed suit with a focus on residential towers, their unobstructed views of the Manhattan skyline affording enviable urban sunsets.

But it’s Brooklyn, the city’s second-priciest and most populous borough, that is making big waves in luxury waterfront living—its in­no­vative buildings giving residents a skyline of their own to boast. Since the 2005 residential rezoning of the Greenpoint and Williamsburg shores, towers, parks, and even some beaches have made northern Brooklyn one of the hottest markets for young professionals, generationally wealthy coeds, and even the odd celebrity (Adam Driver, Patrick Wilson). Now, on the bulbous landmass where it meets Queens at Newtown Creek is Eagle + West, a ground-up, 860,700-square-foot complex of high-end, market-rate, and affordable rental apartments by OMA (architecture), Marmol Radziner (public and amenity spaces), and Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners (apartment interiors) is helping contribute a renewed relationship to its misnomer estuary.

Eagle + West Offers Luxury Waterfront Living in Greenpoint 

The project’s site, the 22-acre Greenpoint Landing, has naturally sweeping vistas of its surrounding skylines and waterways, so its architectural challenge came in arranging its massive program—745 apartments across two towers and a low-rise, plus two retail spaces, a parking garage, and 42,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor amenities, including two pools, coworking spaces, a podcast studio, and a playground—to respect its neighboring town houses, which top out at seven stories. Zoning allowed for both a 400- and a 300-foot-tall tower set 40 feet apart. OMA New York partner Jason Long increased that distance to 60 and imagined their profiles as “fraternal twins,” stepping back and toward each other in seven- to eight-story terraced and cantilevered blocks like puzzle pieces that don’t quite fit. These 40- and 30-floor siblings are connected by a two-story, 210-foot-long Vierendeel truss-and-glass bridge that houses the indoor pool, a lounge for the outdoor pool, a fitness center, and a double-height reservable room for resident functions, all topped by a 1,000-square-foot green roof.

“We created a composition that changes as you move around it,” Long says of Eagle + West’s monumental massing, “because it opens and closes in a series of different gateways as you look through the building, either toward the Manhattan skyline or out over Brooklyn.” To mitigate the scale of the towers, fronting the lower density streetside is a seven-story structure of affordable-housing units with its own gym and event spaces. And where there is an entrance to a residential lobby (there are three), the facade is notched inward, like the triangular cantilevers overhead and the shadows cast by their facades, shingled in white precast concrete.

Ample Amenities and Private Balconies

To complement the incredible waterway views, an indoor-outdoor living experience at Eagle + West was important. Beyer Blinder Belle, also the project’s executive architect, conceived 150 unique apartment layouts for the range of studios to three-bedrooms, with oak flooring, concretelike countertops, porcelain-tile backsplashes, and two color palettes—dawn and dusk—to take advantage of their 8-foot-square picture windows. The diversity of options is “about not pigeonholing prospective tenants,” BBB senior associate Kimberly Cornell explains, “because everyone has a different sensibility.”

Native Plants Create a Biophilic Haven

Radziner’s firm took a similar approach to the project’s landscape design, which he describes as “not too buttoned-up.” Wind-resistant plants like prairie dropseed, little bluestem, and purple coneflower along with deciduous, native trees like red maple and pagoda dogwood create a varied, seasonal tapestry within their hardscape bounds and at the ground level. Along the waterfront, Eagle + West adds a new landscaped plaza to Greenpoint’s public esplanade. On a late-summer day, as new residents were just settling in, many of its tables and chairs were already occupied by neighbors.

Inside Eagle + West, Greenpoint’s Newest Residential Development

beyer blinder belle architects and planners: carlos cardoso; cassie walker; andrew jacobs; james sullivan.

marmol radziner: leo marmol; ashley nath; aista sobouti; matt jackson; morgane manoha; abby rutherford; martina roth.

oma: yusef ali dennis; christine yoon; remy bertin; jingyi bi; sam biroscak; titouan chapouly; ken chongsuwat; marie-claude fares; yashar ghasemkhani; anders grinde; wesley leforce; chong ying pai; nathan petty; andres rabano; laylee salek; alan song; wo hong wu; soojung yoo; steven young; juan pablo zepeda.

thornton tomasetti: facade.

focus lighting: light­ing consultant.

mtwtf: custom signage.

lolita cros; picture room: art consultants.

desimone consulting engineers: structural engineer.

cosentini associates: mep.

langan engineering & environmental services: civil engineer.

scanga innovative woodworking: millwork.

new line structures: general contractor.

de sede: sectionals (lobby 1), tan lounge chairs (lobby 2).

allied maker: wood floor lamp (lounge 1).

emmanuelle simon: gray barrel chair.

adam otlewski: shaded floor lamps (lobby 1, lobby 2, reserve room).

stahl + band: cocktail table (lobby 2).

pulpo: round side table.

suite ny: dining chairs (reserve room).

abra lighting: custom cantilever light.

&tradition: green sectionals.

juniper design group: ceiling fixtures (mailroom), table lamps (great room).

ahrend: chairs (coworking lounge).

filzfelt: wallcovering.

serge mouille: sconces.

stone source: floor tile.

maharam: rug.

gordon: chairs (great room).

caesarstone: counter­top (kitchen).

treefrog veneer: cabinetry veneer.

florim: backsplash tile.

kährs: flooring (kitchen, living area).

rustico tile: decking (pool).

artless: bench.

walker zanger: pool tile.

sto: ceiling surfacing.

heath ceramics: mantel tile (great room).

abc stone: mantel stone.

netzero: fireplace.

moroso: chairs, sofas.

made by choice: round side table.

amara rugs: custom rugs.

hakwood: wood flooring.

anthology woods; shinnoki: oak paneling.

dunn-edwards; ppg industries; sherwin-williams company: paint.

bpdl: concrete facade panels.

interpane: facade glass.

Ippolito Fleitz Group Fills a Shanghai Apartment With Color

When Ippolito Fleitz Group was commissioned to transform the marble-clad interior of a five-bedroom, six-bathroom model apartment in a Shanghai high-rise, the addition of color was a certainty. After all, IFG, which was cofounded in Stuttgart, Germany, by Interior Design Hall of Fame members Peter Ippolito and Gunter Fleitz and today has additional studios in Berlin and Shanghai, is well-known for punchy interiors, whether residential or commercial. Further layered with varied textures, a fluid floor plan, and charming built-ins and architectural recesses, the 7,500-square-foot penthouse is as unique as the art collector family that quickly purchased it.

“We feel lucky to shape people’s lifestyles through design and let them live in that story,” Dogan adds. In the end, the residents—a married couple and their young son—moved their personal collection of art and heirlooms into the dedicated architectural spotlights and have begun creating their own storylines. They were so inspired by IFG’s concept that they bought the apartment turnkey—green paneled wall and all.

Inside a Colorful Model Apartment by Ippolito Fleitz Group

Tom Dixon: pendant fixtures (media room)

gabriel: navy headboard fabric (bedroom)

gt.deco: custom furniture workshop

adding plume lighting design co.: lighting designer

Tick Tock: Inside a New York Boutique for a Swiss Watchmaker

Stepping into AP House in New York is like entering the intricately detailed mechanism of an Audemars Piguet timepiece: Each part placed just so creates something truly out of the ordinary. Here, in the city’s Meatpacking District, a former industrial area turned high-style shopping district, the expectation is yet another luxury boutique. How­ever, what Bonetti/Kozerski Architecture has instead formulated for the Swiss watch company is a showroom that redefines the traditional bounds—and experience—of retail.

“We started with a question: What if Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet had an apartment, and you could go visit?” architect Enrico Bonetti recalls of the concept for the 5,100-square-foot boutique, one of 13 AP Houses around the world. That home, as Bonetti and cofounder Dominic Kozerski have envisioned it, would be open-plan, relaxed, and dedicated to indoor-outdoor entertaining. It also would be an ideal envi­ronment to admire and showcase their craft: men’s and women’s watches, which sell for between four and six figures.

AP House Melds Retail and Hospitality Design 

Occupying the second floor of a landmarked 19th-century brick building, AP House feels like the spacious living quarters of a lounge-loving friend. Dinner parties can be imagined with guests gathered around the nearly 17-foot-long solid-sapele dining table, a custom piece by Bonetti/Kozerski that was installed by New York City firemen, sitting on an equally impressive bench or supple armchairs by Umberto Asnago. Gossip could be swapped over coffee at the quartz-topped bar or while sunk back deep into the semicircular sofas set around the 1970’s Charlotte Perriand cocktail table, while someone fingers the keys of the Steinway & Sons baby grand piano in the corner. On a sunny summer day, alfresco entertaining would be an easy sell on the 2,800-square-foot terrace that is furnished with outdoor pieces by Bonetti/Kozerski’s collection for Sutherland.

In all these locations at AP House, such acti­vi­ties are possible. To give the client the flexibility to offer multidisciplinary hospitality experiences, the firm equipped the space with a state-of-the-art chef’s kitchen and all the necessary back-of-house functions for special events. In all these locations, too, watches are sold.

The Design Reflects the Inner Workings of Watches 

Watches are, after all, the stars of this shop, and visitors are surrounded by them, whether at first obvious or not. Bonetti and Kozerski tapped their expertise in gallery design (a few blocks north is the Pace Gallery headquarters, the architects’ most recent effort), and partnered with an Italian exhibition-case specialist to create museum-quality displays for Audemars and Piguet’s raison d’etre. From the oak-paneled entry-cum-gallery, curated with rotating artwork, one steps into an oval, golden jewel box where historic Audemars Piguet timepieces (the brand was founded in 1875) loaned from its dedicated museum in Le Brassus, Switzerland, are on view in a series of sleek half-dome vitrines. They all stand to attention around a central installation of an exploded watch caliber.

Elsewhere, above the communal table is a run of dual-glass pendant fixtures, both decorative and functional, and a statement chandelier sets the conversation sofas aglow well into the night. Hidden LEDs glimmer softly around the perimeter, where brick walls hung with Audemars Piguet–curated art are an homage to the street-front facade.

“When we first visited the site, we were struck by the historical brick facade and the overall horizontality that flowed out to the terrace,” Kozerski says of the former industrial space that once played host to a market. “So, our initial approach was to take those elements and amplify them.” Some exposed steel H-beams have been lacquered black, and the front wall’s original arched windows add a handsome, quirky sense of proportion. Like any good New York loft, hints of former grit are visible among the glamour. Here that glamour just happens to be a work of art one wears on their wrist.

Walkthrough AP House by Bonetti/Kozerski Architecture

bonetti/kozerski architecture: lorenzo bellacci; mat tarczynski; nathalie coppens; stephanie po; nanxi su; carolina hasbun

L’Observatoire International: lighting designer

derive engineers: mep

archstone builders: general contractor

craz woodworking: custom table, custom bench (dining area), console (lounge)

lasvit: custom pendant fixtures (dining area)

giorgetti: chairs (dining area)

sacco carpet: custom rug

ik studios: custom bench (gallery)

ozone light: chandelier (lounge)

i 4 mariani: sofas

Dedar: sofa fabric (lounge), chair fabric (sitting area)

cassina: cocktail table (lounge), blue armchairs (sitting area)

sutherland furniture: outdoor furniture (terrace)

perennials: seating upholstery

gandia blasco: pergolas

thomas hayes studio: stools (bar)

liaigre: beige chairs, floor lamp (sitting area)

henge: cocktail table

goppion: custom displays

secco sistemi: storefront, windows

marc phillips: custom rugs

promotech: vitrine fixtures

pureedge; viabizzuno: lighting