“We decided to reconnect
the apartment with its warehouse
origins.”—ERNESTO SANTALLA
try from the kitchen with a floating hall closet. “When we think of
a room, we think we have to put up walls,” Santalla observes. “But
you can create rooms or areas without walls and maximize space.”
His clients preferred a spare, streamlined look, so Santalla eliminated baseboards throughout and concealed wires and switches
wherever possible. Custom, built-in cabinets float on the walls
at both ends of the apartment (the office and bedroom); all builtins—including the bedstead and the cabinet in the living area that
holds media equipment—are made of sand-blasted oak and drywall. They are painted white to blend with the walls.
One of Santalla’s goals was to showcase the owners’ extensive
abstract art collection. Dominating the main room, a custom
platform attached to the glass-topped desk provides the base
for a life-sized figurative sculpture by Amsterdam artist Nelson
Carrilho. In the kitchen, a steel sculpture by Yubi Kirindongo of
Curaçao stands sentry on a corner of the cabinet, while a resin wall
sculpture by British artist Keith Milow occupies one wall and a
large-scale canvas by Milow creates a focal point behind the desk.
A sliding panel on the floating wall facing the living area displays
a painting by French-born artist Philippe Zanolino; when open,
it reveals the TV and when closed it showcases a complementary
piece beside it by the same artist. Magnets lock the wall into place.
The custom kitchen houses stainless-steel Miele appliances on
one wall. A nook below the Kirindongo sculpture accommodates a
dining table from the clients’ previous home that’s been trimmed to
fit the space. It can be pulled out for company.
Santalla describes the bedroom as “an intimate space where you
can still feel the amplitude of the apartment.” Keith Milow paintings on aluminum sheets hang above the floating cabinet while an
abstract by Zanolino hangs over the bed. An adjacent den has been
replaced by a large master bath and walk-in closet with a floor-toceiling, semi-custom elfa shelf system. The bath is tiled in porcelain and boasts a long vanity where Kohler sinks and fittings are
illuminated by Viabizzuno lighting.
Sleek, modern furnishings include a B & B Italia sofa, a glasstopped Fontana Arte coffee table on industrial wheels and Barcelona stools—all grouped on a pieced cowhide rug made in Argentina and purchased through Contemporaria. Eames management
chairs in black leather can be rolled up to the desk or the nearby
dining table as needed.
Detailing throughout reflects an edgy, industrial aesthetic. Extraheavy doors with Soss hinges hang flush with the walls to create a
sense of visual seamlessness. Extensive track lighting maximizes
the effect of the art, and old-growth hickory floors with eight-inch
planks have a satin finish that reveals the wood’s imperfections,
adding an element of texture and contrast. “Throughout the space,”
Santalla says, “we looked for the simplest expression possible.” ?
Photographer Geoffrey Hodgdon is based in Deale, Maryland.
SEE PAGE 189 FOR RESOURCES.
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