Upper West Side Apartment by Clive Lonstein

Clive Lonstein transforms a classic Upper West Side residence into a loft-like retreat layered with art, vintage pieces and a refined sense of ease.

Stepping into the apartment, one is struck by the interplay of scale and softness. Sweeping views of Central Park unfold through black-framed steel doors, while the muted palette – white plaster, honed marble and natural timber – provides a calming backdrop to a richly textured interior. Originally compartmentalised and inward-looking, the home has been reconfigured to capture light and flow, balancing its pre-war architecture with the client’s downtown sensibilities.

An accomplished photographer with a deep love of art and design, the client sought a space that felt creative, open and lived-in.

An accomplished photographer with a deep love of art and design, the client sought a space that felt creative, open and lived-in. Clive Lonstein responded by stripping away superfluous structure and reinstating key original details – such as crowns and stucco mouldings – to ground the home’s modern gestures. Throughout, materials shift between the raw and the refined, echoing the duality at the heart of the brief.

The main living space is anchored by a custom bookcase in blackened steel and a Swedish vintage daybed from the 1940s. A coffee table in eggshell marquetry adds a note of tactility, while works from the client’s extensive art collection assert presence without overwhelming the space. The dining area feels similarly composed – a seeded glass table by Courtney Applebaum, chairs in handwoven Toyine Sellers fabric, and a stitched leather floor lamp by Jacques Adnet introduce texture without fuss.

The kitchen picks up the material and tonal cues of the living space, integrating a white marble island beneath vintage Italian pendants.

The kitchen picks up the material and tonal cues of the living space, integrating a white marble island beneath vintage Italian pendants. Sliding steel-framed doors allow for separation without enclosure, while tonal consistency carries through to the adjoining study, where works by Jonas Wood introduce a similarly quiet confidence. In the gallery, a Gio Ponti desk and art by Yugi Agematsu continue the interplay of art and design. Meanwhile, in the vestibule, a 1930s Jacques Adnet secretaire and ceramic lamp by Albert Tormos underscore the project’s emphasis on singular, character-rich pieces.

Throughout the home, art is not seen as decoration but as part of the architecture. Contemporary works by Julie Mehretu, Cecily Brown, Jonas Wood and Ilse D’Hollander are placed with care, layering the interior with boldness, intimacy and a distinctly modern edge. In the bedrooms, softer hues and layered textures take hold – a Jean Royère table here, an Otto Schulz sofa there – pulling back the energy without losing intent.

Throughout, materials shift between the raw and the refined, echoing the duality at the heart of the brief.

Rather than staging grand gestures, Clive Lonstein lets the rhythm of light, texture and form do the work. The result is a home of contrasts – open yet intimate, elevated yet personal – where the clients’ creative world is not just accommodated but deeply embedded in the fabric of the design.

Interior design by Clive Lonstein. Original architecture by Emery Roth.