Manhattan Samba: A Brazilian Family’s New York Pied-a-Terre

This article details the transformation of a 4,800-square-foot, four-story 1840s New York townhouse into a luxurious pied-à-terre for a jet-setting Brazilian family. The family, known for their modernist masterpiece primary residence in Rio de Janeiro, commissioned Steven Harris and Lucien Rees Roberts, both Interior Design Hall of Fame members and life partners, along with their affiliated firms, Steven Harris Architects and Rees Roberts + Partners, to undertake the renovation. The objective was to create an exquisitely functional space that could serve as a comfortable and elegant home for stays of up to a month. The project involved a comprehensive overhaul, despite the underlying structural soundness of the 1840s building. One of the initial challenges was the interior's previous division into apartments and an outdated, poorly designed rear kitchen extension on the ground level. Given the generous width of the house at 23 feet, the existing kitchen was demolished and relocated inside to make room for an expanded garden. David Kelly, a landscaping specialist from Rees Roberts + Partners, designed this outdoor space, framing it with honey-colored ipe clapboard and planting bamboo for privacy. The rear facade of the house was almost entirely replaced with steel-framed casement windows and French doors, offering views of the lush, tropical-like garden and creating a warm glow at twilight. The interior layout was meticulously reconfigured. The ground level now features a den with a large flat-screen TV and direct access to the garden. The parlor floor above was completely redesigned, housing a dining room lined with art book shelves and divided-light windows facing the street, and a windowless kitchen behind it. The airy rear living room on this level opens onto a unique glass-floored balcony. Above the parlor floor are two levels dedicated to bedrooms, culminating in a rooftop lounge. This lounge, designed as a low glass cabana, opens onto synthetic turf, providing an elevated outdoor space with views of the cityscape. Deborah Hancock, an interior designer and partner at Rees Roberts + Partners, developed the interior color palette with a focus on repose and flow. The approach was to keep colors mostly in the background, allowing the family's artwork and furnishings to provide vibrancy. Wide plank white oak floors were whitewashed for a lighter appearance. In the children's bedroom, walls remained white, contrasting with a ceiling densely lined with reclaimed joists. The dining room's library-like shelving was painted a dark olive green, while the kitchen featured two shades of gray for walls and cabinetry, complemented by a marble-topped island. The living room's pale gray walls provide a backdrop for furnishings in lavender, putty, and black. Fuchsia accents were incorporated at the special request of the family's adult daughter, who was instrumental in spearheading the renovation. This is evident in the fuchsia-and-black silk velvet tiger stripe stools in the living room. Hancock also customized Jean Prouvé chairs in the dining room, subtly padding their plywood seats and backs and covering them in a vibrant raspberry fabric. These chairs surround an antique rosewood table, a Brazilian family heirloom. An interesting anecdote concludes the article, where the family, upon seeing the yellow-flowered magnolia planted in their garden, politely inquired if it could be changed to pink, highlighting a charming interplay between design vision and personal preference. #ManhattanTownhouse #PiedATerre #BrazilianFamily #StevenHarrisArchitects #ReesRobertsPartners #InteriorRenovation #LuxuryDesign #ModernistInfluence #GardenDesign #ManhattanTownhouse #PiedATerre #BrazilianFamily #StevenHarrisArchitects #ReesRobertsPartners #InteriorRenovation #LuxuryDesign #ModernistInfluence #GardenDesign