UWS Pied-à-terre
Manhattan, New York | 2025
1-Bedroom Condominium Renovation
Context
Located on Cathedral Parkway within a postwar condominium tower, this 1-bedroom residence was delivered as a raw field condition and reconfigured entirely for modern urban living.
The building’s clean, slab-on-slab construction provided a neutral architectural backdrop, allowing the interior design to define spatial character, material richness, and cultural resonance without competing with historic ornament.
The project transforms a compact footprint into a multi-functional, daylight-filled home that balances calm spatial continuity with vibrant cultural references. With no regulatory constraints from the condo board or municipality, the design strategy prioritized clarity, organization, and a refined material language tailored to the client’s lifestyle and creative identity.
Scope of Work
- Interior architectural planning and spatial furniture coordination
- Furniture direction and procurement in collaboration with Roche Bobois
- Art curation
Living Room
Design Intent
The design centers on an architectural interior that is restrained in form yet rich in cultural identity. Within the calm geometry of the plan, elements of craft, material tactility, and cultural memory are embedded through custom components and curated objects. The resulting interior operates as a modern pied-à-terre that supports everyday living, creative reflection, and expressive art display without visual clutter.
Living Room & Media Wall
The living area is anchored by a custom walnut media system with sliding textile-covered panels that conceal and reveal storage and media functions. The rich walnut veneer and soft textile surfaces introduce warmth and tactile depth against the neutral background of floors and walls. Furniture selections—carefully integrated within the plan—reinforce proportion and scale while allowing the architecture to remain legible.
A custom-designed Maremma book storage wall defines the long elevation. The system features movable grilled panels in solid walnut, an oak frame in matte lead finish, and interior paneling lined in dual-tone gray-blue vegan leather, allowing flexibility and depth.
Living Room
Home Office
Adjacent to the main living space, a bespoke desk niche was designed to support both function and material continuity. Floating above the perimeter and finished with a dark green vegan leather top, the integrated desk extends the walnut palette while providing a durable, tactile work surface. Storage and display align with the apartment’s refined architectural rhythm, enhancing usability without visual noise.
Kitchen & Dinning
Bedroom & Closet
The bedroom is articulated through a custom headboard wall and integrated closet system. The headboard anchors the sleeping area with refined geometry and material contrast. The closet doors incorporate a mural by IKSEL, via our favorite F. Schumacher & Co selected and applied as part of the design narrative. This artistic surface functions as both storage and ambient composition, bringing cultural memory into the most private space of the home.
Art Curation
Art Curation
Art direction and object placement were developed in partnership with the client, creating moments of visual punctuation without overpowering the architecture. Curated works and sculptural objects activate key sightlines and support a dialogue between material, form, and narrative.
Night Zone
Primary Challenge
The principal challenge was to transform a compact, raw condo into a spatially generous and visually compelling pied-à-terre that reconciles functional clarity with cultural identity. This required careful orchestration of custom elements, storage strategies, and material decisions that reinforce continuity while preserving openness.
Living Room
Methodology
The project unfolded through an integrated interior-architectural process in which spatial planning, custom components, furniture, and art were conceived concurrently. Rather than layering design elements, the process began with territory definition—establishing primary axes, material hierarchies, and functional adjacency. Material decisions were treated as spatial determinants rather than finishes, resulting in a unified interior language.
Collaborative engagement with the client and general contractor ensured that design intent was sustained through documentation, fabrication, and installation. Custom systems—such as the walnut media wall, desk niche, and bedroom systems—were developed with careful attention to proportion, junction detail, and tactile resolution.
Living Room
PROJECT TEAM
Design: Natasa Tuohy STUDIO
General Contractor: Clayton and Lee
Millwork & Fabrication: Clayton and Lee
Installation & Organization: Janet Pena
Professional Photography: Angela Hau, Nikola Strbac
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Contact: +16466417675 studio@natasatuohy.com