living room with neutral furnishings
In the living area, a Poltrona Frau sofa and Lignet Roset swivel chair surround floor lamps by Viabizzuno and a Cappellini table lamp.

June 4, 2025

Words: Jesse Dorris

Photography: Jonathan Hokklo

Walk Through A Refreshed I.M. Pei Apartment In Manhattan

As one of his first projects in his own studio, I.M. Pei built Manhattan’s Kips Bay Towers in the early 1960s. Since then, they’ve become a true classic. But while their elegant Brutalism is worthy of study, the apartments are no museum pieces—like the best residences, they evolve along with their owners. This flexibility was thoughtfully seized upon by Uli Wagner Design Lab when tasked to reconfigure the family home for a pair of NYU doctors and their three children into a nest for the two of them that’s anything but empty.

The couple raised their kids in two separate one-bedroom units in the building. Now, those two became one, connected by a formal entrance. “We introduced the same fluted or flat ash panels at both ends of the apartment,” Wagner says. “Making the materials reoccur makes the space feel larger and more generous.” Behind these panels, a living room beckons, as does a new kitchen. “We built a fully-custom one that blends in with the dining room, instead of choosing a ready-made design that is just inserted,” he says. “We purposefully didn’t want to introduce a finish that is only owned by the kitchen.”

Uli Wagner Design Lab Reinvigorates A Storied Space

living room with neutral furnishings and stone fireplace
In the living area, a Poltrona Frau sofa and Lignet Roset swivel chair surround floor lamps by Viabizzuno and a Cappellini table lamp.

Wagner replaced bathroom doors with frosted glass panels, and swelled the extant doorways into generous apertures, the better to let sunlight through the dozen original aluminum windows. “We kept the ceilings as high as possible towards those windows,” Wagner says, “to get as much reflection into the space. Then we lowered the ceiling, minimally, toward to the core and introduced a fluted wood ceiling.”

As for the original bedrooms, the couple wanted to take advantage of the space their kids left behind, while still welcoming them to visit. The solution, explains Wagner, was a trio of sleeping arrangements with storage areas, each privatized with wood or glazed sliding doors, each ready to be used as a guest room, office, workout area, or lounge areas. “We opened up the floorplan wherever possible,” Wagner explains. “We love to make the most of the real estate our clients present us.”

Natural Materials Ground The Updated Apartment

formal entryway of apartment with neutral rug and bench
An ENKAY rug defines the formal entrance to the apartment, with a fluted panel concealing the kitchen and dining area.
dining area with wooden chairs and cabinets
An Astep pendant hangs above a Jean Nouvel table and Porro Neve chairs in the dining area.
primary bedroom with white sconces and white chair
In the primary bedroom, Vibia sconces hang above a Living Divani vanity, near a Flou night stand.
electric fireplace with ceramic insert
A Dimplex electric fireplace with ceramic insert from Mirage flickers behind corner tables by Frederica and Living Divani.
study with glass table and blue painting
A painting by Leo de Goede hangs in the study, above a sleeper sofa by Bense, which also manufactured the desk.
kitchen with wooden slatted columns and floating island
The kitchen’s oven and microwave are Miele; the bar stools are Kristalia.
wooden sconce in the hallway
A Humanscale sconce illuminates the hallways.

read more