Jeffrey Beers Infuses Sales Center at NYC’s One West End With Stunning Realism

How do developers entice potential buyers into purchasing apartments that haven’t yet been built? The tried-and-true method is a sales center that resembles the future residences as closely as possible. For Jeffrey Beers International, the firm charged with the interior architecture and design of One West End, a Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects high-rise condominium, the philosophy of “curbside-to-pillow” design—the art of making prospective residents feel at home from the very first moment—guided the project. So that buyers could experience what it would be like entering the building, an exact replica of the lobby was fabricated, identical down to its silver travertine wall slabs. Personally sourced by Beers in Italy, they are vein-matched so as to produce a monolithic space that feels as if it had been carved straight from the marble quarry.

Next, the apartments themselves needed to be introduced. In duplicating the open plan, Beers went as far as to recreate the actual views that will be seen through the windows. A panoramic skyline photograph, taken by drone, is installed behind faithful mock-ups of the building’s distinctive exterior glazing. The effect is further enhanced by rear illumination, which lends the image stunning realism.

The kitchen designs are glamorous but also highly functional, thanks to Beer’s long experience in hospitality. (He previously worked with the client on the Plaza Hotel’s food hall.) In the bathrooms, too, luxury is combined with close attention to operative details. Tub mixers, for example, are located so that residents can adjust the faucet temperature without getting wet. Sometimes, it’s the little things.

Design Principal: Jeffrey Beers

Project Team: Nora Kanter; Masako Fukuoka; Fern Moulton; Monika Chmielewska; Tim Rooney