Cloud nine

There's a common belief that an all-white interior is a rather sterile living environment. But it doesn't have to be this way the designer of this remodelled penthouse apartment went out of his way to ensure the all-white interior would be warm, inviting and relaxing.

Eric Gartner of SPG Architects says the penthouse, which was designed for a Buddhist owner, needed to be a refuge high above the bustling streets of New York.

"In that respect, this is much like an eyrie. The penthouse is part of the skyscape, and there is the sense of floating way above the city."

The cloud analogy is an appropriate one the interior presents a soft white-on-white palette, with colours chosen for their warm, rather than cold, tones.

"For the design team, a key challenge was matching the client's desire for an exquisite all-white interior with the philosophy of our own practice we wanted to work with a very rich material palette," says Gartner.

The solution was to introduce textural diversity. In the main living area, for example, heavily textured fabrics are paired with gleaming marble, polished chrome and glass. Elsewhere, bleached wood offsets shiny glass table tops and sleek leather banquette seating.

Contrasting sculptural forms add further visual interest. Arne Jacobsen Egg chairs, a custom-designed, bleached-wood side table and polished nickel standard lamps introduce soft curves to the room. These are balanced by the modernist, square-edged lines of the coffee table, the glass dining table and dining chairs.

A dividing wall at one side of the kitchen also has a sculptural form it features cut-outs that provide glimpses of the room beyond. Similar-shaped niches display collectables.

"The owner, who works in the diamond industry, wanted the interior to sparkle," says Gartner. "Many of the surfaces were chosen with this in mind. The shiny glass top of the dining table, for example, is highly reflective. The cumulative effect of these finishes and the white palette is an interior that is transformed by the changing light through the day. The space takes on the atmospheric quality of the sky."

However, Gartner says the renovation wasn't just about aesthetics. The original penthouse had been gutted, so the design team literally worked with a blank canvas, having to plan and install building services as well as furnishings.

"One of the major structural changes was to move the staircase from the centre of the living area to the side," says Gartner. "This ensured the living area worked as one continuous open-plan space. Previously, it was divided in two by the central staircase. We also introduced new windows above the stairs."

In keeping with the material palette, the master suite on the top floor is mainly white with a splash of orange for a touch of whimsy. The bedroom opens to a rooftop terrace.

Story by: Colleen Hawkes