DHD Channels Luxury Hotel Suites for an Art-Filled Manhattan Pied-à-Terre

The clients, a creative couple who live in New York part of the year, knew what they wanted for their pied-à-terre loft: a luxury hotel suite environment with a downtown vibe—a home for their art collection but also an artistic space in itself. Located in a 1904 cast-iron building that had been converted to 20 condominiums in 1986, the apartment had exquisite bones but a tired interior in need of a complete overhaul. “Nothing was straight, level, or in good condition,” says David Howell, president of DHD Architecture + Interior Design, who took on the project. “We had to build everything, which was liberating because we had so few restraints.”

The layout was changed to prioritize the living space: “It was cubelike, with great proportions,” he notes. An eclectic mix of vintage and new furnishings was added, along with a treasure trove of sculptures and paintings. “We had a lot of freedom to pick our creative collaborators,” DHD partner Steffani Aarons says. “And they had freedom to create something they felt resonated with the space.” Case in point: a partnership with local industrial designer Lindsey Adelman, which resulted in the custom light sculpture that now anchors the living room. Aaron’s prizes such cross-pollination. “What other creative people bring to the design inspires and pushes our team,” she explains. As can be witnessed here.

Design Principals: Steffani Aarons; David Howell

Project Designer: Melissa Pinto

Metalwork: Face Design & Fabrication

Contractor: Eric Gray