An Inspired Gut Renovation Where Light and Flow Rule the Day

Kathryn Romeyn

You could say an interior designer always remembers his first gut renovation, especially when it starts out as a small decoration job that took on new life. The ultimate combination of two side-by-side two-bedroom apartments in a Chelsea high-rise gave rise to a good deal of creative thinking on the part of Patrick McGrath, who was introduced by his boyfriend, Reinaldo Leandro—the architect half of AD100 firm Ashe + Leandro—to the owners, some of his and Ariel Ashe’s first clients a decade ago. “It started off as a little interior design project, and then it turned into this entire gut renovation, so it was really exciting for me,” says McGrath, who had just incorporated his eponymous company when he conceived both the new layout, sans architect, and what would comprise the interiors.

Interestingly, the four-bedroom apartment ultimately transitioned to a roomy dwelling with just a single bedroom, the master. For the owners, a retired English professor turned real-estate developer and his artist wife, it was simply about need. In lieu of extra unused bedrooms they sought a library and an expansive art studio, respectively, as well as a sense of spaciousness. The couple moved from a loft in Chelsea, “and wanted it to feel like a big open space.” The challenge posed to McGrath: Create a sense of flow out of a series of rooms, doors, and immovable support and HVAC columns. After lots of puzzling things together, “when you walk in now you go into the public space—kitchen, dining room, and we did this huge open living room and library—and then the other apartment became the private space, her art studio, the master bedroom, and a huge master bathroom,” he explains.

McGrath chopped two feet off the kitchen island to make the entryway feel more open, and brightened things with two of four cobalt blue PH 4/3 Louis Poulsen sconces (their mates frame the master bed).
McGrath chopped two feet off the kitchen island to make the entryway feel more open, and brightened things with two of four cobalt blue PH 4/3 Louis Poulsen sconces (their mates frame the master bed).

There is a distinct sense of airiness thanks not only to McGrath’s fresh floor plan but also to existing elements he was gifted: walls of windows contributing northern, southern, and eastern exposure, as well as showstopping views of the entire downtown skyline from their 20th-floor perch. At the start McGrath pulled images of Calvin Klein’s Miami house to illustrate his concept of wide white spaces with oversize furniture. Vast amounts of glass called for delicate Dedar Milano sheers throughout, and stark white walls (after painting began, in a creamier hue, they halted and switched to a whiter white), the combination of which created an ideal environment for both the lady of the house’s large, vivid paintings and the saturated splashes that attract the couple, evidenced in bold Dedar and Le Manach fabrics and iconic Louis Poulsen sconces in an indelible Majorelle blue.

The trio was very much on the same page throughout the process, says McGrath, adding that the one thing that took a little convincing was the custom Ralph Lauren sofa—they were nervous it might be too beige. His clients were gung-ho about incorporating hand-painted tiles, especially the artist, who in addition to painting makes ceramics, seen throughout the home. When McGrath showed her samples, “she was like, ‘Let’s do it in every bathroom!’”

Though the renovations were not exactly straightforward—there were even talks of the owners potentially purchasing hallway space in order to achieve their airy, open vision—ultimately McGrath feels his biggest success is effectively and beautifully marrying two units into what feels like a big floor-through apartment without evidence of its previous incarnation. “Sometimes those challenges can make you think more creatively,” he says. Now the owners’ home is precisely tailored to their needs, and evokes their lifestyle. Says the designer, “They’re really well traveled, and I think the whole apartment reflects both their tastes and travels.”

An Inspired Gut Renovation Where Light and Flow Rule the Day

In a Chelsea renovation, the owner’s artwork—both large-scale canvases and ceramics—“made it really easy to style,” says interior designer Patrick McGrath, who had lots at his disposal when accessorizing the apartment. On the clean and minimal kitchen island sit two blue and white pieces she made.
In a Chelsea renovation, the owner’s artwork—both large-scale canvases and ceramics—“made it really easy to style,” says interior designer Patrick McGrath, who had lots at his disposal when accessorizing the apartment. On the clean and minimal kitchen island sit two blue and white pieces she made.
The old master bathroom became an office, which is separated from the airy living room by built-in bookcases. “I think you can tell a lot about someone’s apartment by the books they’re reading,” says McGrath. McGrath found the 1940s ceruse oak desk at auction and fell in love with the patina of the leather, successfully convincing the owners not to replace it. “The lamp was one of my favorite things to buy, it’s a German enamel Art Deco 1920s lamp, and there was something I really loved about it.”
Leftover tile from the master bathroom floor wound up being just the right amount to add a chair rail in the powder room, creating a mix of graphic patterns that feel quite global and textured. The large painting outside is by the owner.
Leftover tile from the master bathroom floor wound up being just the right amount to add a chair rail in the powder room, creating a mix of graphic patterns that feel quite global and textured. The large painting outside is by the owner.
One side of the large living room contains a custom sofa in cozy Ralph Lauren flannel, plus a vibrant tufted ottoman finished in Dedar Milano fabric and Matisse drawing the couple had previously inexplicably hidden in a back hallway. “We moved it there to make it a little more prominent,” says McGrath.
One side of the large living room contains a custom sofa in cozy Ralph Lauren flannel, plus a vibrant tufted ottoman finished in Dedar Milano fabric and Matisse drawing the couple had previously inexplicably hidden in a back hallway. “We moved it there to make it a little more prominent,” says McGrath.
Much of the furnishings in the house was new, and often custom—like the custom Ralph Lauren sofa in Dedar fabric with red Le Manach cushions—but some pieces the couple already owned were given a new place. “They had those great Mies van der Rohe chairs that had been in his office, and when we were doing the install I put them there temporarily and they were like, We love them! So it was a happy accident,” says McGrath. A painting by the owner hangs by antique Chinese figurines on a shelf McGrath built to fill the space behind the sofa around an HVAC column that meant it couldn’t sit flush against wall.
The master bedroom was enlarged a little bit, but because it was still not massive, McGrath opted to design a custom bed with a bookshelf above it, another piece the couple was at first hesitant about but came to absolutely love. The design was meant to intentionally cover some of the massive window, which still allows plenty of light. Minimalist yet expressive, it was an ideal way to showcase some of their international artifacts collected over years of traveling. The sconces, meanwhile, are a recognizable design by Louis Poulsen, purchased in a set of four at auction.
A vignette in the master bedroom comprising a 1950s Italian lacquer chair from Karl Kemp Antiques with a vintage carved-wood African stool evokes the pair’s global aesthetic.
A vignette in the master bedroom comprising a 1950s Italian lacquer chair from Karl Kemp Antiques with a vintage carved-wood African stool evokes the pair’s global aesthetic.
Dedar Milano fabrics make a strong showing throughout the apartment, especially in the vanity area of the master bathroom, where a boucle was used to upholster the stool and a textured, patterned window treatment complements the tile flooring. McGrath blew out the existing tiny, windowless bathroom in order to make a spacious new one with a larger footprint and natural light.
McGrath chopped two feet off the kitchen island to make the entryway feel more open, and brightened things with two of four cobalt blue PH 4/3 Louis Poulsen sconces (their mates frame the master bed).
McGrath chopped two feet off the kitchen island to make the entryway feel more open, and brightened things with two of four cobalt blue PH 4/3 Louis Poulsen sconces (their mates frame the master bed).

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