Sandra Weingort’s downtown New York City pied‐à‐terre stands as a restrained, Japanese-inspired interior – an ideal soothing antidote to the business of city life. The light-filled apartment became the perfect blank canvas for Weingort to transform into an intimate retreat injected with warmth and soul.

The success of the project can be traced back to the strong relationship between client and designer. Joaquín Mollá, an Argentinian advertising executive fell in love with Weingort’s work before he decided to engage her for his own New York City home. Their shared passion for art, design, and all things beautiful launched a collaborative relationship that produced such a striking outcome. 

The design brief was to create a private, calming atmosphere for a Buddhist student. The original apartment existed as a plain white box in a newly refurbished building – lacking any soul or edge, but with loads of potential. Weingort wanted to bring warmth to the space, carving out a protective enclave separate from the noise of the outside world. 

With such a light-filled space, a palette of rich dark colours was chosen to create a tranquil and intimate feeling. Dark stained wood and raw steel are counterbalanced by soft furnishings in muted blue tone. There is a delicate equilibrium that exists between hard and soft surfaces and light and dark colours, a balance that creates equally interesting and welcoming spaces.