The 2,500 sq. ft. space embodies a spirit of casual serenity and delight in the perfection of functional and aesthetic details. The home also functions as an atelier for developing furniture and interior design concepts. Permeated by natural light, the apartment is located on the 15th floor of a 1920 Emory Roth masonry building overlooking Brooklyn’s verdant 526-acre Prospect Park. Exposures on all four sides also offer striking views of Lower Manhattan, New York Harbor, and historic brownstone neighborhoods.

Accommodating the family’s informal, social way of living, Gabellini Sheppard Associates cleared many of the previously existing walls to create an open foyer, living, and dining space of comfortable proportions. A 1⁄4-inch architectural reveal traces the meandering intersection of wall and ceiling throughout the entire apartment. This subtle graphic lining refines the articulation of space and reinterprets the wall-ceiling enclosure as an art object or furnishing. Materials and furnishings balance spectacular natural elements with modern simplicity. Wide-plank sustainable Peruvian walnut flooring forms a continuous rhythm with depth and presence. In the living room, furnishings evince a history of collaboration with fabricators to reinterpret existing designs and create new ones. Saporiti sofas recommissioned with a Savile Row menswear fabric, custom blackened-steel cocktail tables, and benches by George Nakashima Woodworkers are juxtaposed with original Kjaerholm chairs and a console table designed by the architect’s father. Achieving a rare longitudinal grain, the vivid blue llama wool rug was woven in Nepal on a quadruple-width loom. A palette of texturally distinct whites includes seamless lacquered shelving and cabinetry, honed Sivec marble countertop slabs, and ultra-fine plaster walls and ceilings. Together with original 1950s Nakashima chairs in walnut and woven grass, a 12-ft. walnut dining table crafted by Mira Nakashima inserts an organic vitality and asymmetry.

Art and the living environment mutually enhance each other. From the large-dimension Anna Gaskell photos to the combustion-calligraphy of Cai Guo Qiang, each work brings out a different quality of the surrounding space. The collection also includes work by Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Joe Scanlan, Roni Horn, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Liam Gillick, and Douglas Gordon. An intangible sense of effortlessness— rooted in technically profound sleight-of-hand—is exemplified in details such as floating bookshelves, custom-designed aluminum radiator covers, and boosted water pressure. The result is a qualitative enhancement in the perception and enjoyment of daily living activities.

Photography by Paul Warchol.