Setting Sail

Carole Nicksin -- Interior Design, 9/1/2005 12:00:00 AM

Double-sided storage units, under-counter shelves, and similarly efficient stowage devices are rarely found in a 2,800-square-foot apartment—but you're very likely to encounter them on the yachts that Scott Kaufman builds. "On boats, we're always fighting for an extra millimeter," says Kaufman, who hired Stefania Rinaldi of Studio Rinaldi to do just that at the generously proportioned New York loft he'd purchased with his wife, Harriet. "I worked every day with Stefania and the carpenters on the project," Kaufman says. "Everybody really got into the spirit, and we went to a lot of effort to save space."

Besides the plentiful storage, Rinaldi's main task in turning the huge raw space into a two-bedroom residence was to balance openness and intimacy—not easy when an expansive combination living area, dining area, and kitchen commands one third of the layout. To establish visual continuity, the architect used a limited range of colors and textures: walnut or terrazzo for flooring, additional walnut for cabinetry, a full spectrum of whites. "Warm materials repeat everywhere but with a little bit of variety, so each room has its own personality," she explains.

One of her prime goals was to downplay the utilitarian aspect of the kitchen so that it would meld seamlessly with the living and dining areas. "Since the kitchen is part of the living space, the cabinetry had to look like furniture," Rinaldi says. The kitchen's custom walnut cabinetry with aluminum trim, for example, harmonizes with the dark upholstery and chrome frames of the living area's seating, a mixture of vintage and Italian contemporary.

The kitchen counters are off-white concrete finished with a coat of wax, which makes them soft and sensuous to the touch. They were poured on-site to eliminate seams, however small cracks and imperfections give the surfaces an organic look that Rinaldi says she welcomes, "like the veins in marble."

A concrete counter tops the island between the kitchen and living area, and the latter side is fitted with shelves that mirror the bookcases tucked beneath the windows across the room. Two-sided storage also divides the master suite, but this low run of walnut cabinetry is topped with a set of Antonio Citterio's sliding panels of aluminum-framed frosted glass, allowing sunlight from the bedroom to enter the windowless bath.

As a contrast to the bathroom's otherwise clean, straight lines, Kaufman chose a free-form mahogany slab as a counter for the floating vanity. "Mahogany is used in boatbuilding because it stands up well to water," Rinaldi points out. The natural edge of the slab also makes it look like it's about to set sail on the imaginary cruising yacht George Nakashima.

From top: Chosen to complement a New York loft's kitchen cabinetry, a custom rosewood table is paired with Carlo di Carli's chairs; a vintage Italian chandelier and an oil on canvas by Larry Zox complete the picture. The outer shelving of the kitchen island ties in with built-in bookcases under the windows of the living area, furnished with Antonio Citterio's sofa and armchair.

From top: In the kitchen, Harry Bertoia bar stools pull up to a cast-concrete counter with a wax finish. The kitchen also features terrazzo floor tile and custom walnut cabinetry with aluminum trim.

Clockwise from top: In the master bath, GP Benedini's Spoon tub of resin and quartz powder sits on a plinth tiled in Thassos marble; the fittings are by Arne Jacobsen. The shower's built-in bench and niche recall shipboard functionality. On top of the walnut cabinets, Citterio's aluminum-framed frosted-glass sliding panels allow the bathroom to borrow light from the bedroom.

From top: The bathroom's mahogany vanity counter refers to the free-form furniture of George Nakashima. The bathroom cabinetry also opens to the bedroom, with its Citterio bed.

CHAIRS, TABLE, CHANDELIER (DINING AREA): THROUGH BRIAN KISH. RUG (LIVING AREA): THROUGH MODERNLINK. SOFA, ARMCHAIR (LIVING AREA), BED (BEDROOM): BB ITALIA. STOOLS (KITCHEN): KNOLL. DISHWASHER: BOSCH. RANGE HOOD: ZEPHYR VENTILATION. OVEN, COOKTOP: WOLF APPLIANCE COMPANY. REFRIGERATOR DRAWERS: SUB-ZERO FREEZER COMPANY. APPLIANCE SUPPLIER: GRINGER SONS. CUSTOM COUNTERS: GET REAL SURFACES. RING LID TRASH CAN: FRANKE. BACKSPLASH TILE: ANN SACKS. CEILING FIXTURES (KITCHEN), RECESSED FLOOR FIXTURES (BATHROOM): DELTA LIGHT THROUGH REGENCY ARCHITECTURAL LIGHTING. TUB (BATHROOM): AGAPE. TUB SPOUT: VOLA. SHOWERHEAD, HAND SHOWERS: THROUGH SMOLKA. SHOWER THERMO VALVE, VOLUME CONTROLS: BRISTAN. SLIDING DOORS: TRE-PI. FLOOR TILE: HABITUS ARCHITECTURAL FINISHES. AUDIOVISUAL CONSULTANT: CYBERINTERIOR. MEP: JOHN J. GUTH ENGINEERING. ARCHITECT OF RECORD: GEIGER ENGINEERS. GENERAL CONTRACTOR: FOUNDATIONS.