The leading authority for the Architecture & Design community
February 27, 2019
Text: Jesse Dorris
Champalimaud Design Brings Art Deco Drama to The Kent Condominium Tower in NYC
The lobby’s Preciosa chandeliers illuminate Stamford Modern benches and white polished lacquer tables by Cuff Home.
Alexandra Champalimaud is known for her audacious approach to hospitality, including such luxurious properties as Raffles Singapore, the Hotel Bel-Air, and the Plaza Hotel’s Legacy Suites. When New York City’s new Kent condominium tower came calling, she knew just what to do. “These spaces are a home and will be decades from now,” she says. “So, the design direction needs to feel rich and contemporary today, but also embody a sense of timeless for tomorrow. It certainly is not easy!”
Art Deco’s geometric legacy was a starting point, says Champalimaud Design partner, Winston Kong. “The slatted bleached teak walls in the pool, the book-matched marble in the locker room, each was instrumental in shaping the experience.” As was, of course, the use of opulent materials, including the lobby’s stained rosewood walls and flooring of French Vanilla marble with borders of Belgium Black, alicante, and rouge griotte. “The challenge,” notes Kong, “was to create a space that will resonate with current and future residents, and stay impactful five, ten, twenty years from now.” Odds are, the challenge was met.
Sofas in the pool area are by Harbour Outdoor, with Summit slipper chairs in the back, along with side tables by Gloster and cement drum tables by McGuire.The Albion gray marble locker room includes Kohler sinks with Grohe fittings and porcelain tile by Floortech; the lockers are oak veneer.Custom blackened metal and glass doors announce the spa, with walls of cerused oak brightened by a custom brass applique and a custom CF Modern bench.The Tenant Lounge offers club and wingback chairs by Lily Jack and Circa Lighting floor lamps, united by a Liora Manné rug.The Tennant Lounge’s fireplace is surrounded in Sequoia Brown marble and a custom banquette in Demar leather, which are in turn surrounded by custom storage of ebonized oak; the coffee table is by Phase Design.Powell & Bonnell stools pull up to a counter of marble, beneath a Hubbardton Forge pendant, in the pantry of the Tenant Lounge.The Drawing Room’s ebonized walls form a dramatic backdrop for Richard Hoblock’s oil on canvas, a Denman Design custom green sofa, a custom Louis Interiors tall-back wing chair, and a Rug Art carpet.
