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The Great White Way

Wanda Jankowski -- Interior Design, 7/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

"Our specialty is white. The way the light comes in and reflects off surfaces is beautiful. But we always make a white space comfortable by offsetting it," says the namesake principal of West Chin Architect. In many cases, the "offsetting" element is a material such as walnut, leather, or wool. But for this New York apartment, West Chin explains, it was contrasting color that his doctor clients requested—specifically three colors: chocolate, tangerine, and lime.

Charged with gutting and combining a pair of 52nd-floor condominiums to form one 2,000-square-foot family unit, Chin relied on white matte lacquer as a background, starting with the entry. Off to the left, the powder room satisfies the "chocolate" and "lime" requirements with a 7-foot-high floating panel of slender glass mosaic tiles. The wall behind this jewellike accent is, of course, white, as are the marble flooring and the wall-mounted fixtures. (The trap for the Corian sink and the remote flush mechanism for the toilet are both concealed, leaving the mosaic panel as clean as possible.)

The open kitchen offers a balanced selection of materials, from the rift-cut white-oak of the flooring—a common denominator everywhere but the bathrooms—to the stainless steel of the backsplash, rear counter, and sink. Gray-veined white statuary marble tops the peninsula, which doubles as a breakfast bar. Maintaining the white theme, Chin chose glossy lacquered cabinetry, base cabinets sporting aluminum pulls and upper ones fitted with touch latches. Also lacquered a glossy white, the retractable ventilation hood virtually disappears when not in use.

Other appliances are neatly integrated, too. What appears at first to be a standard side-by-side fridge does indeed house refrigerator and freezer compartments but also holds a microwave and a cupboard. A run of modular gas cooktops, installed in the rear counter, align with the oven, in the peninsula.

Chin's interiors typically include one element that's alive. In this case, he built a fish tank of clear and frosted glass into a wall that stands at the intersection of the kitchen, the dining area, and the master suite.

The master bath's white quotient is fulfilled by the creamy limestone tile cladding the walls. But the dominant color is charcoal gray, thanks to the slate that Chin used for floor tile, a monolithic double sink vanity, and an overflow tub for two. Stainless steel lines the sinks and tub to insure watertightness.

If you're wondering where that "tangerine" request comes in, walk into the living area, with its East River views. Chin designed the bay window's curved banquette to face a faux fireplace: a niche lacquered and halogen-lit to emit an orange glow.

Zen Weave glass mosaic tiles by Erin Adams float 4 inches above the Thassos marble flooring of the powder room in a New York apartment; FTF Design Studio, architect West Chin's furniture and accessories firm, provided the custom Corian sink, chrome toilet-paper holder and towel bar, and powder-coated aluminum door handle.

Clockwise from top left: Statuary marble and rift-cut white oak meet in the kitchen, which faces a fish tank that separates the dining area and the master bedroom. Halogen strip lighting and tangerine lacquer create a faux fireplace glowing next to the living area's banquette, which looks built-in but is actually set on lockable castors for easier cleaning and access to the vents behind. The kitchen's breakfast bar, with its ash stools by Henry Becq, faces away from the dining area, complete with a wengé table and chairs by Catherine Memmi.

Clockwise from top left: In the master bath, the shower's limestone wall tiles complement the slate of the radiant-heated floor. Water from the custom slate tub overflows into a draining trough filled with river rocks. The fascia of the slate double vanity conceals plumbing. Arne Jacobsen chrome fittings accompany sinks lined in stainless steel.

SINK MATERIAL (POWDER ROOM), TRAY MATERIAL (KITCHEN, MASTER BATH): DUPONT. TOILETS (POWDER ROOM, MASTER BATH): DURAVIT. WALL TILE: ANN SACKS. SINK FITTINGS (POWDER ROOM, MASTER BATH), TUB FITTINGS, SHOWER BODY, HAND SHOWER (MASTER BATH): VOLA THROUGH DESIGN SOURCE. FLOORING (POWDER ROOM, MASTER BATH), TUB, VANITY MATERIAL (MASTER BATH): STONE SOURCE. COOKTOPS (KITCHEN): GAGGENAU. OVEN: MIELE. CASSEROLE: LE CREUSET. CUSTOM AQUARIUM: HOUSE OF FINS; BENDHEIM (GLASS). CABINETRY, HOOD, SINK, REAR COUNTER, BACKSPLASH (KITCHEN), SHOWERHEAD (MASTER BATH): BOFFI. RECESSED CEILING FIXTURES (KITCHEN, MASTER BATH): NULUX THROUGH LIGHTING BY GREGORY. STOOL (LIVING AREA): TUCKER ROBBINS. STOOLS (KITCHEN): MODNATURE THROUGH INTRIEURS. SINK FITTINGS: KWC FAUCETS. TABLE, CHAIRS (DINING AREA): CATHERINE MEMMI. PENDANT FIXTURE: LOUIS POULSEN LIGHTING. SOFA (LIVING AREA): BB ITALIA. GENERAL CONTRACTOR: BENCO INTERIORS.