Feature: Apartment Therapy
March 1, 2008
Both women abhor wall-to-wall carpeting and baseboards. Fortunately, the herringbone-patterned oak floors were in good condition, but "we tarted them up a bit," says Clodagh, "by enriching the color." Then she scattered various Tufenkian area rugs of her own design—some wool, some blended with silk—around the apartment and had baseboards replaced with horizontal lengths of metal, creating more graceful meeting points between floors and walls.
When it came to furniture, Atkins had only two requests: that everything be new and that there be a piano (she is a former classical operatic singer and still occasionally performs for friends). This dictated a lot of custom pieces, which Clodagh mixed with organic furnishings from Tucker Robbins (the Seven console table in the entry, a hollowed tree-trunk wastebasket in the powder room); John Houshmand (the living room coffee table); Jerome Abel Seguin (a sculptural slab of wood propped against the dining area wall); and Chista (a hand-shaped chair in a guest room, a living room end table, a "swamp oar" pull on an entry door). Midcentury modern classics, such as a Vladimir Kagan lounge in the master bedroom and Poul Volther’s iconic Corona chairs in the living room (both from Dennis Miller), provide a sleek contrast to the natural edges of more organic furnishings.
Clodagh devised a series of textural wall treatments to envelop the spaces—some of them are physically tactile. The wall behind the master bed, a gilded papier-mâché executed by Louise Crandell, is one example. Polished plaster walls by Long Island–based Borro are another. "One of the things that sets us apart," observes Clodagh, "is the amount of artisans we use on each project to give it a more hands-on energy."
Other textures are "implied," produced by creatively projected light. "We use light as art that’s working for its living," says the designer. So illuminated woven wood stalactite-like lighting by Leo Scarff in the living room, a crumpled copper mesh pendant in the master bedroom and Stéphane Pagani sconce in the powder room all cast shadows that add visual depth to walls.
Finally, punctuating the apartment are antiques and contemporary artworks, the latter yet another interest the women share. Clodagh felt that Esteban Vicente’s paintings were a natural choice for some of the rooms; it turned out that Atkins already collected his work. With this sort of synchronicity, it was easy for the designer to suggest other artists (Misrach, Cleve Gray, James Nares), with whom Atkins was unfamiliar, to complete each space.
Every room is so inviting in "my aerie," says the now remarried Atkins, "that I use the whole apartment. You sit up here and the world disappears."
Clodagh, 212.780.5300, www.clodagh.com
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