Pied-à-terre - kitchen with a view of Central Park designed by St Charles

There is a certain expectation that a premium apartment in a prestigious location will raise the bar for interior design.

This apartment, in a new building on one of the most pre-eminent Manhattan sites opposite Central Park, was compromised by an original standard builder's kitchen. To address the matter, the owners called in kitchen designer Robert Schwartz of St Charles of New York.

"Our team collaborated with the architect and interior designer to ensure the kitchen would look like it belonged to the rest of the apartment," Schwartz says. "The owners spend a lot of time in Florida this is essentially their pied-e -terre in New York and wanted the apartment to have a Florida feel, with cooling colors and a splash of red tile."

To create more space, the dining room wall was pushed back, and a small table introduced to the expanded kitchen, between a peninsula and a large stainless steel display cabinet.

"The main cabinets are in quarter-sawn oak, which echoes the millwork elsewhere in the apartment," says Schwartz. "The hardware was custom made with sheet metal back plates to ensure it would be in the right proportion."

The oak reappears inside the stainless steel wall cabinet, tying together the two contrasting materials and adding visual warmth to the cool, crisp aesthetics of the steel.

Slabs of Miami Green granite were hand selected for the countertops. The rust red veining in the granite is matched by red wall tiles, which are laid in alternating bands of small- and large-format tiles. The rhythm of the tiles, and the addition of two antique medallions, add a sense of depth to the wall.

Where possible, appliances were integrated into the inset door panels of the wood cabinets.

Story by: Colleen Hawkes