Take a Peek Inside the Art-Filled Penthouse of One of the Tallest Residential Buildings in New York

Few skylines are more storied
than New York City’s, with its spiky, sloping curvature renowned
the world over. 

So it was no small thing last
year when a new addition shot up just north of the Empire State
Building on West 57th Street. Overlooking a scenic stretch of
Central Park, the building was the latest to assume its place on
what’s become known in real estate-circles as Billionaire’s
Row. 

At 91 stories high, the luxury
residential property is said to be the thinnest building in the
world. With a mirrored facade and feathered silhouette, the
structure makes a straight shot for the sky, its uppermost floors
eventually disappearing into the clouds. 

The building was conceived by
SHoP Architects—known for their designs of the Barclays Center in
Brooklyn, the Google headquarters in Silicon Valley, the American
Copper Buildings, and the Museum of Sex—with interiors handled by
Studio Sofield, a New York-based design firm. To the delight of New
York purists who grumble about the city’s rapid transformation in
recent years, the tower isn’t just another run-of-the-mill high
rise taking up space—rather, it flanks the landmarked, low-rise
Steinway building designed in 1925 by Warren & Wetmore, the
same architects who masterminded Grand Central
Station. 

Naturally, the crown jewel of
the property is the penthouse, a 5,270-square-foot duplex apartment
that’s home to expansive terraces, sprawling views, three bedrooms,
four-and-a-half bathrooms, and a bevy of luxe finishes including
white macauba stone floors, a copper soaking tub, and an jeweled
onyx powder room.

To enliven the space even more,
developers JDS and Property Markets Group joined forces with
Gabriel & Guillaume, an art and design gallery based between Paris
and Beirut. (The gallery showed in New York for the first time at
last year’s Salon Art+Design show.)

For the penthouse project, they
decided to outfit the apartment with bold artworks and vintage
design pieces, envisioning a “livable gallery” that would make the
vast space come alive and feel more
lived-in. Presented in
conjunction with design agency frenchCALIFORNIA, the works are rare
pieces from 1900 to 2019.

Among them are
a sofa by Zaha Hadid from the late
1980s, a Gio Ponti 1930s bookcase, a rare collection of furniture
pieces from Brazilian designer José Zanine Caldas, and works by
Gino Sarfatti, Ico Parisi, and Ettore Sottsass.
Chelsea’s Valérie Cueto
Art Advisory also curated a collection of paintings, photographs,
and sculptures from major artists such as Diane Arbus, Robert
Mapplethorpe, Hans Hartung, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Rudolf Stingel,
Max Ernst, and Henri Laurens.

“The landmark penthouse is a
one-of-a-kind residence that perfectly highlights the thoughtful
restoration of the pre-war Steinway Hall at 111 West
57th Street. Every aspect of the home has been
meticulously composed to showcase the luxurious finishes, gracious
layouts, and extraordinary history and provenance of this cherished
New York City landmark,” said Amy Williamson, a sales director at
111 West 57th
Street. 

“The reality is that no one
wants to live in a cold, stark building—so we designed a space
where people could hang art, play, and really live,” added
Sofield Studio’s vice president, Emma O’Neil, in an interview with
ADPro last fall.

While in-person visits are on
hold for the time being, visitors can view the space virtually via
a tour that illustrates how art
can help to inspire a feeling of home. “We wanted to give viewers the experience of
visiting the home of a sophisticated and international art
collector,” Gabriel & Guillhaume said in a statement. “Seeing
collectible design pieces mixed in unexpected ways enables our
clients to envision better how they can live with such daring
pieces.”

See some of highlights
below. 

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of the Tallest Residential Buildings in New York appeared first
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