In November, we highlighted the exquisite handcrafted furnishings that will be filling the interiors of Inspīr Carnegie Hill. In order to complete the overall aesthetic of the residence, it takes a lot more than just furniture to make the interiors shine.
Renowned interior designer Albert Hadley once said, “The essence of interior design will always be about people and how they live. It is about the realities of what makes for an attractive, civilized, meaningful environment, not about fashion or what’s in or what’s out. This is not an easy job.”
While it may not be an easy job, it is important to create a residence that feels like home and has the capacity to accommodate our residents for a myriad of activities, from dining and reading to exercising and socializing. Working with our architecture firm, Handel Architects, along with our project managers, we sourced and created custom light fixtures, handwoven rugs, custom millwork, Venetian plastered walls, milled onyx, and handblown chandeliers to compliment the George Smith furniture. It was important to maximize the open spaces in our residence, not just maximize the number of units. We looked through the eyes of our residents to see how the choices we made internally could enhance their wellness and well-being.
When you enter Inspīr off Second Avenue, the lobby is a welcoming high-ceiled space. To your right is the concierge desk with an expansive wall of green onyx rising up behind it. Hanging from the ceiling by the desk is the Canneto chandelier that has been handblown in Italy by Seguso. The chandelier is a composition of blown glass pieces hanging from a metal structure. The glass pieces are handblown using multiple techniques and varying shades of white and clear glass. They are then mounted on top of each other on individual glass cables, in different quantities and heights, to create a fluid and unique final piece of art. It takes more than fourteen weeks to produce all the pieces of glass for the chandelier. When it is completed, it will be shipped to New York, where it will be installed on-site.
To the left in the lobby, a huge hand-knotted Iced Bouquet carpet created by Edward Fields sits under the George Smith back-to-back sofa. Set into the stonework, the carpet is flush with the flooring to create a seamless transition. Upstairs in the libraries are two Tulipa carpets. All the carpets are part of the “Flourish” collection, a unique study of the sensuality of flowers. The designs evoke the sense through color, movement, and textural effects. Designs are conceived through the use of photography, and then hand-drawn by their house studio to translate the image into a graphic. Master artisans in Nepal have hand-dyed the finest Tibetan wool and Chinese silk to translate figurative floral images into expressive composition. These carpets are inspired by the elusive beauty of flora, echoing what is being explored in contemporary photography, art, and fashion. These pieces have their own color story inspired by the pure and varied tones intrinsic to flowers. The carpets are hand-knotted by master artisans in Nepal using the finest hand-dyed wool and silk yarns to translate the figurative floral images into beautiful expressive compositions.
Edward Fields Carpet Makers has been creating bespoke luxury carpets and rugs for eight decades. Founded by Edward Fields in 1935 and acquired by the House of Tai Ping in 2005, Edward Fields revolutionized the carpet business by elevating carpet making to an art form.
At the far end of the lobby, beyond an indoor garden area and opposite from the concierge desk, is the residents bar. Behind that is another expansive onyx wall, this time in yellow onyx. Onyx can be found in several areas around the world, including the Middle East, North Africa, South America, Greece, Italy, and Turkey. Finding just the right selection of onyx slabs was demanding, but the result has been very rewarding. To find the exquisite selection of onyx slabs, we turned to Quality Stone Corp. to source the blocks to be reviewed and to work with us on the final selection. The result of the final composition on the walls combined with other unique finishes is truly stunning and spectacular.
Off the lobby is our main formal restaurant, 1802, furnished with George Smith furniture, including Fluted and Carver Dining Chairs that accompany fluted banquette and dark wooden tabletops. Unique custom-made lighting pieces, designed by Atelier de Troupe, hang from the ceiling. Atelier de Troupe worked with our design team to develop the lighting pieces to meet our material and location requirements.
The Lanterne sconce uses a square mesh material to create a more minimal sconce for circulation lighting, and a larger version for ceiling-flush mounts. The design of the dining room lighting was inspired by the Hans Agne Jakobsson fringe ceiling lamp. Atelier de Troupe used a European-style off-white silk fringe and matched the aged brass, provided by Handel Architects, which has been used throughout most pieces in this project. The result creates an elegant and sophisticated space for our residents to dine in.
Our outdoor spaces, located on the second floor facing east and on the 17th floor SkyPark, are furnished with beautiful aluminum furniture that is made in the Cotswolds, England. The company, Oxley’s, was founded in 1991, and they draw their inspiration from many traditional styles, including Gothic, Revival, Renaissance Revival, and Rococo.
Oxley’s furniture is made in a combination of castings and profiles. Their components come from foundries where only the highest-grade alloys are created by refining and mixing different grades of recycled aluminum. Most of the pieces at Inspīr come from their “Barrington” collection, but a few come from their “Grande” and “Luxor” collections. All are finished in a powder-coat finish called “Anthracite.” The fabrics, specified by Handel Architects, have been mainly chosen from Kravet and JAB fabrics with Samuel & Sons cord piping.
There will be many other details going into the interiors at Inspīr, including artwork and accessories. Stay tuned for our third piece on interiors, which will highlight the art purchased for the building and what it was like going to Art Basel in Miami to source it.
Next up on the blog, we’ll be talking to Rendever about their virtual reality programming for Inspīr.
