Living Room Bookcase Pendant Lighting Table Chair Rug Floors Design Photos and Ideas

Finding a wheelchair accessible home in New York City can be a challenge, but after a diving accident left David Carmel paralyzed from the waist down, Carmel knew he was looking for a home that was "accessible but not institutional." Working with Della Valle Bernheimer, they made an apartment that is both beautiful and accessible, with a lightweight sliding wall that closes off the bedroom from the living area.
As an architect who specializes in universal access design and ADA compliance and as a wheelchair user herself, Karen Braitmayer was no stranger to the challenges of accessible design. Although she had been able to take advantage of her 1954 home's single-level, open layout, as her daughter (also a wheelchair user) grew up, the family's accessibility needs also shifted. The main living area includes a more formal sitting area near the entrance, the dining area, Braitmayer’s workspace, and the kitchen—you can see the couple’s daughter working at the island. In the foreground is a pair of midcentury chairs; at left is a Heywood-Wakefield that Braitmayer found at an antiques shop. Seattle-based designer Lucy Johnson completed the interiors. The windows are from Lindal, and the exterior doors are from Marvin.
The energy-efficient Dickerman Residence by Richard Pedranti Architect boasts warm wood ceilings, midcentury-inspired furnishings, and a stately stone fireplace.
"The column had to be affordable and nice to look at," note the architects. "So we bought a tree and put it right in the middle of the building. Between the tree and the facade, we have created new floors which are built in a spiral around the tree. This results in a very dynamic and open space."
This box structure creates a second, lower ceiling above the living lounge.