Another Man's Treasure

Nicholas Tamarin -- Interior Design, 9/1/2012 2:00:00 AM

Once an unremarkable loft in an early 20th-century factory in Chelsea, this 1,750- square-foot apartment is now a sight to behold—an aeronautics themed steam punk play land. That’s thanks to the owner, filmmaker Jeremy Noritz; his architect, Giants in the Dirt principal Elizabeth Hardwick; and a general contractor, Quest Solutions owner Iosif Rezi, who moonlights as a sculptor specializing in installations of industrial castoffs. It took two years for the trio to complete what Hardwick calls a “total immersion fantasy.”

For the living area, they assembled sconces, ceiling fixtures, and sculptures from vintage tools, made a cocktail table from a wooden gear mold, and added rotating toy blimps and actual airplane seats. The existing concrete floor, refinished, displays colorful stains left over from its manufacturing days, while a new brick arch way and metallic-painted walls mimic a dilapidated hangar. Twist the propeller in the center of a Rube Goldberg–esque wall installation, and gears rotate to slide open the door to a powder room.

“Elizabeth instantly recognized what a special project this would be,” Noritz says. Its fate remains uncertain, however. The property is currently on the market for $1.65 million, as is—though Noritz is offering a $10,000 “redecoration” credit at closing.