Bleecker Street by General Assembly

In Manhattan’s West Village, Bleecker Street by General Assembly is an amalgamation of two apartments – a new residence inspired by a contemporary cubist watercolour painting.

Layering family heirlooms, vintage furniture and lighting with rich materiality and muted textures, General Assembly imbues the home with a nostalgic sensibility balanced with a contemporary edge. The architectural fabric of Bleecker Street is entwined with alterations and renovations over decades and generations, and General Assembly’s reimagining combines a one-bedroom apartment with its neighbouring studio. Shaped by the colour palette and abstract nature of the owners’ treasured watercolour painting – Adam Lister’s 8-bit abstraction of Diego Velázquez’s iconic 1656 Las Meninas – the renovation offers curated warmth and tactility, playfully adapting its cubist inspiration.

Layering family heirlooms, vintage furniture and lighting with rich materiality and muted textures, General Assembly imbues the home with a nostalgic sensibility balanced with a contemporary edge.

For artistic director and conductor Ryan James Brandau, and his husband Ian Ferguson, their home has an undeniable sense of substance. With Lister’s watercolour as the project’s focal point, the interior evolves into an enclave of materiality and nostalgia that the owners’ family heirlooms, artwork collection, vintage furniture and lighting contribute to. A vintage Murano glass pendant sits between the threshold of the two apartments, and a walnut dining table by Mel Smilow graces the living room, surrounded by a mix of vintage chairs by Hans Wegner and Grange. Dedar Volare curtains are layered with dusty pink walls and later contrasted with the geometric wallpaper and bold vintage rugs in the next room.

Splitting their time between their Hampton’s residence and New York, this is Brandau and Ferguson’s second residence designed by General Assembly, and the pair hope to have the projects play off each other, reflecting their locale and routines when in each space. Originally designed in 1910, “the prewar structure has seen several renovations over the years,” says Colin Stief, partner at General Assembly, “and we wanted to highlight all of the details that make it special while approaching the design through a contemporary lens.”

With Lister’s watercolour as the project’s focal point, the interior evolves into an enclave of materiality and nostalgia that the owners’ family heirlooms, artwork collection, vintage furniture and lighting contribute to.

In the library, open and adjustable custom millwork by General Assembly lines the walls – an apt feature for a typology that often wants for storage. The design is based on a simple shelf and cleat, allowing the owners to easily adjust the arrangement to suit their collection of books, manuscripts and objects. The study is supported by similar millwork, with a sliding door cornering off the nook. The millwork highlights the existing party wall between the two apartments, connecting its new iteration with a significant gesture. The original Henrybuilt kitchen was also preserved, contrasted with Fior Di Pesco Apuano marble benchtops and a deep reddish-brown backsplash.

The renovation offers curated warmth and tactility, playfully adapting its cubist inspiration.

The structural layout of the building has a lot to do with how volume was treated through the redesign. It was thoughtfully compartmentalised into intimate pockets, each with its own unique detailing, rich colourings and comforting materiality. Moving from room to room, the design is expressed in hues transitioning from light to dark, absorbing occupants through the layers as you move and look through the space.

Interior design by General Assembly. Build by Quadrant Development Consultants. Artwork by Adam Lister.