The Fall will be here before we know it, and with it, the New York Junior League’s Fall House Tour. Last spring, I took them to the Littman Penthouse, warmly touted as “Best in Show”.
This season, I’m inviting them to the loft of Luda Conti. Luda is a multi-talented woman, a successful spa owner, a professional ballroom dancer, and a beauty and wellness diva. We previously designed her signature Avanti Spa and Salon in Manalapan, New Jersey voted Salon of the Year in 2009 by Salon Today magazine.
We finally had a chance to work with Luda on her own residence. The apartment is in the financial district with views of the Statue of Liberty along the Hudson River and is an extension of her very social and stylish lifestyle in NYC. A keyed elevator opens to her own 3,000 SF floor within the loft apartment building.
Coming off the elevator, you proceed down a long gallery hall with a view to the open kitchen. A dramatic 20’ custom-designed crystal chandelier stretches over a white marble prep island + communal dining table, which visually terminates on a white baby grand piano.
You are welcomed into a large entertainment area, enveloped in long metallic backlit silver draperies, which create a dance performance space around the piano. Lounge seating showcases the veiled city views, where white leather couches with dark brown saddle stitching compliment the dark brown wood floor.
While the public domain is enveloped in a white shell with brown leather seating and dark brown floors, the master bedroom suite reverses this concept. The walls, ceiling and floor are all rich chocolate brown with white textured mink bedding. A large translucent sliding glass panel separates a personal spa from the master bedroom suite; it contains a couple’s tub, an experiential shower and two sculptural sinks. The “cocooning” intimate master bedroom suite is a perfect counterpoint to the “very grand” white living room, and that counterpoint is very much a reflection of its owner and her stylish lifestyle in NYC.
Robert Henry
roberthenry@rdh-architects.com
www.rdh-architects.com
212.533.4145
