49 East Street Apartment by Belarusian architect and interior designer Kanstantsin Remez, is a small apartment project located in a historical building in the heart of Manhattan, New York. After seeing the existing apartment on the market he decided to take on this project and bring something from his own experience into that space. The initial layout was determined by the structure of the building and he fell in love with it. The kitchen nook felt so cozy and the ceiling beams brought some brutality into the space.
However, Remez cleaned up the entrance making it more airy and spacious but left all the structural elements open to highlight the architectural advantages of the space. Just as in his previous project the design is based on a combination of different volumes, tuning their proportions, and creating a dialogue between them. Though this project brought some new challenges due to the sophisticated layout and lots of volumes that were not always coherent with one another. Remez peeled everything that felt excessive and out of place and tried to bring balance into the abundance of forms and volumes.
This resulted in an open living room combined with a dining area. The kitchen nook stayed where it originally was, although he changed the kitchen itself, updating proportions, and materials and extending it a bit to the dining area. Instead of a walk-in closet that existed next to the entrance area, marble storage cabins were added. It helped to enter some natural light into this area, making it look much more spacious.
Furniture pieces by eminent Jean Royère, Le Corbusier, and Pierre Chapo are highlighting the history of the apartment and bring the European classic design to America. Works of incredible Otis Jones, Egon Schiele, Nickolas Muray, and Charles Kalpakian are completing the visual image. The result is a silent retreat in the middle of NY city, it’s the space that shields you from the hustle and bustle outside, helping concentrate on the intimate inner atmosphere.
