American Thread Building by Crina Arghirescu Rogard

To celebrate exhibiting at renowned international art fair, Frieze New York, artist Claudia Doring Baez collaborated with architect and designer Crina Arghirescu Rogard to transform the Baez family apartment into an art installation in its own right.

Six weeks before the launch of the art fair, the two friends met to discuss plans to host a party in the apartment, knowing this event would have to be something special. The pair share a passion for looking for antiques and rare design pieces, with their backgrounds – Baez was born in Mexico, while Rogard was born in Romania and spent time in both Italy and Paris – influencing their eclectic tastes in furnishings and interiors. The resulting reinvention of the space involved injecting a combination of bespoke designer pieces with art and textiles to establish a dialogue between contemporary design and the historical elements of the residence.

The resulting reinvention of the space involved injecting a combination of bespoke designer pieces with art and textiles to establish a dialogue between contemporary design and the historical elements of the residence.

The Baez family apartment is situated on the top floor of the American Thread Building in Tribeca, which was built in 1890. Known for its iconic Renaissance Revival style, the building’s ballroom once hosted meetings of The Wool Club, a gentleman’s club for fabric industry leaders. The interior features rich walnut wall panelling, mosaic tiled flooring in the entry, stained glass skylights, preserved columns and mouldings, as well as an impressive open fireplace. As well as working with these features, the design needed to harmonise with Baez’s vast collection of art and objects, which includes work by herself and her family, as well as pieces by renowned artists such as Colt Hausman, Rose Wylie, Robert Motherwell, Roy Oxlade and Pablo Picasso.

Rogard used these artworks as inspiration for the material palette, introducing bold, standalone pieces that could feature alongside the existing works. In the grand ballroom, this includes Liz Collins’s Conversation chairs, which use a singular fabric to tie two chairs together in a symbolic, cohesive fashion. Adjacent to this, Liz Hopkins’s dining table was custom made with a blue-grey tint, which speaks to the colours seen in a triptych by Rose Wylie. The whimsical, anthropomorphic form of the Achille Salvagni sofa delineates this space from the living area and is flanked by a monochromatic Fiorenza lounge chair by Franco Albini and a bulbous Lympho chair by Taras Zheltyshev in white. Resin cubes form a Liz Hopkins-designed coffee table, resplendent in yellow to again reference the impressive triptych.

Rogard used these artworks as inspiration for the material palette, introducing bold, standalone pieces that could feature alongside the existing works.

Moving through to the main bedroom, Rogard introduced a jelly bean-shaped, velvet headboard in dark forest green alongside her own raku and bronze coffee table, which is placed at the foot of the bed. In one corner, a resin and bronze Hélène de Saint Lager writing desk lends a sense of fragility and intricacy, balanced by a dynamic modern art piece by Roy Oxlade overhead.

As a celebration of design as well as an apt venue for what was sure to be a much talked-about party, the reimagining of this heritage space is an artwork in itself.

Architecture by Crina Arghirescu Rogard. Artwork by Marcuz Luperz, Sotheby’s, Claudia Doring Baez, Lucero Gonzalez, Alexandra Zelman, Roy Oxlade, Jean Pagilusio, Rose Wylie, Colt Hausman and Pablo Picasso.