Designer Alexander Diaz Andersson outfits a boundary-pushing Tribeca penthouse.
In the living room, warm, subdued hues accentuate the traditional loft architectural elements with custom furniture and millwork.
THE CLIENT
Alexander Diaz Andersson, Mexico City-based and founder and design director of Atra Studio, was tapped to redesign a Tribeca apartment, just a few blocks from 1 World Trade Center, recently purchased by Akila Ramen and Ali Vaseghi, a New York couple working in finance.
In the living room, custom sofas and tables by Atra.
The pair have two young children, and as a family, they love entertaining. “Akila and Ali had done some renovation on the loft when our team joined the project,” Andersson says. “Akila saw our installation at Design Miami, and we started a conversation on designing their home.”
Sculptural art and lighting in the dining room and kitchen achieve the elevated, modern aesthetic the homeowners desired.
THE PRIORITY
This space needed to be durable with two young kids running around. Andersson also wanted to highlight the couple’s minimalistic preferences throughout the home. “We focused on using very few pieces, keeping the decor minimal and manageable with young children and very sculptural to pair well with the clients’ taste for abstract minimal art on the walls,” Andersson says.
The kids room offers a playful haven for the clients’ two young children, while still carrying the modern aesthetic found throughout the rest of the home.
THE PROCESS
The team worked from room to room, and while each one had an obvious purpose, they kept a cohesive theme throughout. “We designed the main living room as an elegant setting for a cocktail party and the family room with the children in mind, both to play and watch movies,” Andersson says. In the end, the project took just under a year to finish, with lockdowns and material shortages lengthening the timeline.
The primary bedroom houses custom beds, closets and dressers by Atra.
THE CHALLENGE
As it has been for almost every design project in the past few years, the COVID-19 pandemic presented roadblocks for Andersson. “Working through the pandemic, lockdowns were a logistical nightmare,” he says. On top of that, structural quirks of the building forced Andersson to make some quick decisions. “The walls and floor of the loft are uneven, which is normal in an old Manhattan building, but it made it more challenging to fit the bespoke closet perfectly,” he says.
A powder room features an eccentric wall covering.
THE FURNITURE
Art isn’t restricted to the walls in this apartment. Custom, high-quality furniture in each room exudes a luxurious essence. The oblong cream sofas and geometric coffee table in the living room, along with most of the furniture in the home, are by Atra Studio. The large collection of customized furniture made for a very unique and personal space. Gold hardware on furniture and artworks creates an extravagant allure, and Andersson continues to play with geometric designs in the bathroom with wallpaper.
In the kitchen, an amalgamation of cream- and beige-hued pieces complemented by black accents give the space a slight edge.
THE DETAILS
“The decor combines traditional loft architectural elements with custom furniture and millwork,” Andersson says. “A warm, neutral color palette complements untraditional volumes and texture. Most of the pieces were custom-made and artwork commissioned.” Consistent coloring throughout with occasional pulses of golds and blacks created an incredibly welcoming and fun-spirited home. Andersson was able to continue this calm and muted feeling into the kids rooms, while still making it a fun area with cartoon wallpaper. “We wanted to create a soft, cozy and elegant space,” Andersson says. “We used a lot of creams and beiges with accents of black to give it some edge. The art and the lighting is very sculptural, which makes the space more modern.” The nearly yearlong process resulted in an extremely personalized space for Ramen and Vaseghi.
DESIGN DETAILS
Designer
Alexander Diaz Andersson, Atra
Type
Apartment
Location
Tribeca
RESOURCES
Andreas Diaz Andersson
Metal sculpture
Atra
Furniture throughout
Flat Vernacular
Kids room wallpaper
Gerardo Ruiz-Musi
Textile art
Kelly Wearstler
Bathroom wallpaper
Portola Paints
Paint throughout
Spiffy Spools
Curtains and blinds
Photography by: PHOTOS COURTESY OF ATRA
