A single male, a finance executive with a growing sculpture and wine collection contracted
Guillaume Gentet to design a traditional Park Avenue luxury apartment. His principal goals were to create additional value to the apartment and to craft and completely outfit a home that would accommodate entertaining as well as a small family should he decide to marry.
The problem: This four bedroom apartment had only two bathrooms. Not to mention the Master Bedroom was fitted with only 2 small closets.
Solution: To Gentet and the women of Park Avenue this meant one thing....Storage! Storage! Storage!
• The discovery of a plumbing chase made the conversion of the hall closet to a new powder room relatively inexpensive.
• Gentet drew up plans for custom cabinets to enclose the PTAC’s and provide extra storage space.
• The third bedroom was converted into a den and the PTAC was moved to the west window to provide room for a new wall unit and sofa.
• The maid’s room was converted into an intimate tasting room to accommodate the client’s burgeoning wine collection.
• Adjacent to the master bedroom entrance, an awkward triangular closet was removed. The entrance door was relocated to make room for a new walk-in closet. Additionally, one of the three existing small closets was eliminated and made part of an expanded master bathroom.
In the foyer, the original 12 x 12 granite floor was replaced with a 24 x 24 scissor stone pattern with mother of pearl inlay. This was designed to elongate and expand the space.
Despite its size, the apartment lacked a bathroom for visitors. The discovery of a plumbing chase made the conversion of the hall closet to a new powder room relatively inexpensive. Guillaume created a boiserie for the new powder room and finished it with a patina on its new walls.
A hand-painted de Gourney wallpaper was used to create a sense of space and light. A narrow sink was designed to respond to the tight space constraints.
A custom designed daybed and sofa were used with antiques (including several mirrors, a Commode du Chinoiserie, and an early 20th Century Impressionist painting that was found at auction) and commercially available lines of furniture and lighting. The space features an understated placement of reflective surfaces including a mirror above the fireplace that incorporates contemporary fabric with the antique frame.
As a painter and muralist Gentet employed a faux ceruse oak treatment for the new den and entire wall unit. This was then paired with new furniture, custom draperies, hardware and lighting.
In the master bathroom, Gentet designed a custom sink cabinet based on two silver antique legs that were purchased at auction. Stain color and top were also selected.
Stan
