A THOUGHTFUL RESTORATION MELDS TRADITIONAL

STYLE WITH A CONTEMPORARY SENSIBILITY

WRITTEN BY JODY GARLOCK PHOTOGRAPHY BY LUKE WHITE

STYLED BY HELEN CROWTHER

Architectural innovation flourished in New

York City in the 1920s as Art Deco sky-

scrapers dramatically changed the skyline.

Luxury apartment buildings in the same

ornamented style followed suit, shaping Manhattan’s Park

Avenue into one of the most sought-after addresses.

Yet, as architect Stephen Morgan and interior designer

Marshall Watson discovered after unearthing original draw-

ings of a Park Avenue apartment they were restoring, some of

that innovation also led to reinvention. The drawings by famed

architect Emery Roth showed that the prewar apartment had

been designed as a duplex but was scaled back to a simplex,

likely for affordability after the stock market crash in 1929.

“There were many rooms that didn’t make any sense,”

Watson says. “Our job was to try to keep the character of the

Emery Roth style and sensibility and to make this apartment

feel like this was the original, well-thought-out plan.”

64 TH Summer 2025

The apartment’s backstory was fitting for the owner who

was in the midst of a reinvention herself. Starting a new chap-

ter after relocating from the Midwest, she wanted her home to

also enjoy a fresh start. Her goal was to inch it toward contem-

porary in both style and flow. Yet at the same time, she had

held on to refined antiques and vintage pieces from her past.

Watson and fellow interior designer Mercedes Ganes

pushed forward a design that embraced modern, traditional,

and Art Deco styles—a complementary mix to encapsulate the

elegance of the homeowner, the landmark 1929 building, and

the heart of New York City itself. “The sophistication and dash

of glamour that is Manhattan is also a mix of many juxtaposi-

tions and opposite visions,” Watson says. “We are a city that

welcomes energy, eccentricity, and vision.”

The design team first applied their vision to the architec-

ture. They removed dropped ceilings, widened doorways, and

restored doors and windows. Shifting or removing a few walls

made functional use of outmoded spaces, such as servant

quarters. And they found stylish workarounds for things that

couldn’t be changed or moved. A drainpipe in a reconfigured

space that houses a new bar, for instance, integrates into shelv-

ing and elegantly “hides in plain sight,” Ganes says.

Throughout, surfaces, fabrics, and accessories were chosen

for their ability to add depth or, as Watson says, “complexity.”

Walls in some rooms received textured treatments of veneer

plaster with metallic waxes. Burnished-brass accents seem

layered in time. Textiles, such as the bouclé and quilted velvet

of the living room sofa, have a touch-me quality. “New York is

about seeing things close-up, almost as if you’re looking at them

with a magnifying glass because the spaces are not enormous,”

Watson says. “The closer you get, the more interest there is.”

The foyer piques interest with exquisite Art Deco details.

Doors and moldings lacquered black strike a harmonious note

Living room Shades of

blue and white further

the in-the-clouds feel of

this New York City

apartment. Vintage

Italian pieces include

Gigi Radice chairs and

white lotus lamps.

Terrace Cocktails are

enjoyed on one of the

terraces. Previous pages

A mirror-tile wall,

lustrous black marble

floor, and glass-rod

chandeliers sparkle in

the foyer. The mirrors

reflect the front door

upholstered in leather.

Gold leaf layering a

nonworking firebox sets

the living room aglow.

“No matter the season,

the mood is always

subtly ablaze,” interior

designer Marshall

Watson says. Symmetry

in furnishings lends a

sense of calm.

Continental stools with

glass and brass contrast

19th-century tables

flanking the marble

mantelpiece, inspired by

English architect John

Soane’s classic design.

A butler’s pantry off the kitchen

was removed and turned into a

bar that shares space with the

family room and dining area.

Watson’s firm collaborated with

Amuneal on the bar and kitchen

design. A drainpipe from the

apartment above was clad in

lacquered steel and cleverly

anchors glass shelves. “We did

the only thing we could do with

that pipe—we decorated it,”

architect Stephen Morgan says.

with a lustrous black marble floor with brass inlays. Overhead,

glass rods and brass sparkle on chandeliers in a sleek midcentury

Italian style Ganes carried throughout the apartment.

“It’s a great uniter,” she says. “You can bring in contemporary

furniture with traditional tables and chests, and it works

because the lighting is modern but has an antique sensibility.”

In the living room, small-scale furniture helps the ceiling

appear taller. A sprinkling of antiques is a rich anchor and also

offsets whimsical elements such as a gilded hand chair.

Moving farther into the interior, the formality gives way to

a more casual tone in the multipurpose family room, dining

area, and bar. “The bar is the showstopper,” Ganes says.

Indeed, this entertaining hub shines with glass shelves that

­ elegantly display the homeowner’s tequila collection and a

back wall covered in gold-flecked mosaic tiles that Watson

describes as “almost like a salute to Klimt,” referencing the

­ famous artist’s golden mosaic-look paintings.

A doorway cased in rich walnut leads into the kitchen. A

French range that replaced an old-style commercial range

becomes a focal point, flanked by bleached walnut cabinets.

The mood shifts to serene in the primary suite and a guest

bedroom, where soft hues prevail. In both spaces, antiques—an

1800s Empire dresser and a 1700s ­ Swedish ­ Baroque clock—are

prominent. “They lend warmth and a collected feel,” Ganes

says, adding that they reflect a culmination of the owner’s life.

Watson, likewise, notes that well-loved pieces help tell the

story of someone’s life. “The things that remain as you mature

and edit are what become important,” he says. “And that’s

what makes a home in the most traditional sense.”

Interior design: Marshall Watson & Reid Deane Ganes

Architecture: Stephen Morgan Architect