Jay and Jaclyn Lieber worked with Erla Dögg Ingjaldsdóttir and Tryggvi Thorsteinsson of Minarc to design a house using the designers’ mnmMOD panels, which can be assembled with a screw gun.
White lighting elements, finishes, furnishings, walls, and moldings create a feeling of modern openness to this traditional floor plan in New York. Architect Stephan Cassell helped the transplanted couple see past the "43 layers of paint" to the modern potential within. “These old buildings always have interesting layouts that work well,” Cassell notes, “and have a certain elegance to them." See the transformation.
Indoor Sunbathing“In the morning, the eastern light comes into the small terrace by the kitchen,” De Smedt says. “If I have work to do at home, which I do a lot, I’ll sit at the dining table and just look out. And in the summer, I’m out on the terrace. On clear nights, I’ll head upstairs. There’s a skylight and you can see the stars. Even in the city, you totally can! The skylight really changes the condition of the interior. If you light that gap in the evening from the outside, it’s as if there is daylight.”
The Inconstant Gardener“I have a lot of cacti, which is probably because I don’t have a green thumb,” admits De Smedt of his sculptural flora. Inspired perhaps by his neighbors’ greenhouse just across from his patio, the architect’s next project for the apartment involves turning the terrace into something of an oasis—as long as the plants are hardy. “I have an idea to grow some ivy.”
This fold-down desk and storage unit, from Busso, seems ideal for a small space. Busso is a former frame company with a new focus on furniture.
Open enclosures and connections to adjacent living spaces keep the home inviting and airy rather than densely packed—a key feature for an owner of two dogs: Ben, a whippet, and Flynn, an Irish gypsy dog.
Oriented to absorb the afternoon sun, floor-to-ceiling doors comprise two-thirds of the home’s west-facing walls, which open to an elevated deck overlooking Island Bay. Combined with extra-thick building insulation, this passive element provides sufficient heating for the home, even during winter months—a true feat given the region’s cold seasonal winds.
The home also extends into outdoor panoramas, even—and especially—from the ground floor, where a westward-facing deck cantilevers out into the lush landscape.
The plan allows for a full length tub in the bathroom – usually a luxury in a studio apartment. Micro-unit LaunchPad. Clei s.r.l/Resource Furniture; Designed by Pierluigi Colombo and architecture by Amie Gross Architects. Photography by John Halpern. Courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York
From Japanese company Yamazaki, the Recycling Bag Stand is an innovative accessory designed with urban living in mind. The simple accessory unfolds to a standing position that can hold several plastic bags—from grocery shopping, takeout, and other errands—enabling users to directly recycle plastic containers, cans, and other items into the bags.
Via Urbis, photo by Brooke Holm