The Cross-fold Loft project involved the interior renovation of a two bedroom apartment in an industrial loft-like concrete building in Brooklyn, NY.  Designed for a creative owner, the renovation sought to recalibrate the residence to better support their living patterns and priorities in using the available space. Part of meeting this goal involved a carefully calibrated layer of millwork including various curved shelving elements that are pressed into corners, wall recesses and window openings to soften edges and create continuity from zone to zone.  These millwork elements also carved space for the owner’s collection of ceramics, plants, books and other art and found objects—all nestled into the overall space in a way that allows these objects to be ever-present without feeling cluttered. The idea of balanced eclecticism also strongly informed the overall palette, application of color, and selection of furniture to help transform and loosen edges within the space. The process of finding the right tones, textures and forms for that layer of the project was a very collaborative and iterative conversation with the client. In the end, we worked with an array of different greens, yellows and earthier tones punctuating a background palette of natural wood with the graphic clarity of black and white. 
 
The architectural updates to the space entailed a kind of surgical specificity in order to transform the circulation flow, funtional use and visual connection of different areas of the apartment without radically altering the layout of room paritions. A key objective was to create a more expansive feel for the main living area while also accommodating a broader range of possible activities and experiences to occur within a limited amount of space. Drawing from the diagonal orientation of the entry foyer, the new layout extends a more clearly defined wall along this axis, reshaping the primary space with this oblique surface that now acts as a unifying spine for the apartment. Acting as a kind of cross-fold seam for the activity of the main living area, this new threshold serves to visually and spatially link the space of a second bedroom, now reconceived as a flexible space for dining, working, reading, etc –an extension of the living zone that still maintains a degree of privacy and isolation.