Name: Jae (architect/interior designer)
Location: SoHo
Size: 3-bdrm, 2600 sqft. condo
Years lived in: 4 months
Jae is an up and coming architect whose housetour you may recall or whose shoe vault you may covet. Or you may have seen him wax poetic at our Small Space Design Meetup last year. Jae recently completed the design and build of a vast loft in SoHo for a client who gave him nearly free reign...
Jae's task was to design a living space around the client's existing art collection. While this apartment's high-end nature may veer slightly from the typical housetour, it is worth seeing. No matter what the budget, Jae always manages to fit in some DIY action. His ingenuity alone is infective. In order for the art to dominate the space, Jae used a subtle color pallette for the furniture, walls and floor. In fact, Jae remade the back wall to more prominently feature the large painting in the dining room.
When a preferred piece priced out of the client's budget, Jae was creative. He usually designed something himself to replicate the original piece and then called on woodworkers or his contractor to fabricate it out of less expensive materials.
Jae is accustomed to doing a structural renovation, but this project took him to a new level in one-stop service. The client trusted his style and sensibility so much that he asked Jae to do the decor as well! Jae jumped at the opportunity and learned a lot in the process. If that wasn't enough of a challenge, Jae also had to deal with major water damage half-way through the project.
While it is not a home many of us can aspire to, realistically, it contains many great ideas, from the custom-made cubby holes at the entrance, to the fantastic limestone tiles and hardware in the bathroom, to the wooden shelves built to house the dozens of Buddha heads from Vietnam.
Jae is meticulous. He works hard behind the scenes to make the space seamless and as if little to no intervention took place. The home is artfully understated.
AT Survey
Style: Modern
Inspiration: Owners Artwork, Owners lifestyle (loves to entertain, single, wine enthusiast)
Favorite Element: Custom wine refrigerator / Custom Fireplace wall
Biggest Challenge: Custom wine refrigerator / Custom Fireplace wall
What Friends Say: “I want to live here”
Biggest Embarrassment: The super heavy duty (and expensive) Hafele hinges keep popping out of their bracket…they need to get replaced.
Proudest DIY: Designing the custom wine storage/display; including custom stainless steel display bars, led lights, refrigeration system, and custom steel doors.
Biggest Indulgence: Wine display and lighting (LED lights are not cheap)
Best Advice: Get good homeowners insurance – client had water damage from apartment above and was able to get things replaced fairly easily.
Resources:
BDDW – bedroom credenza, nightstands
PUCCI – Custom bronze chandelier, Vladimir Kagan sofas, coffee table, café tables in wine room
Carini Lang – Custom silk carpets in Living rm and Master Bedroom
Boffi – ‘Cut’ sink faucets and shower fittings
Ingo Mauer – Red light bulb hologram sconce
Poltrona Frau – Master bed
Eduardo Arranz-Bravo – majority of artwork
Images: (Jill Slater)
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Drool-worthy.
view alisonK's profile
What elegant and luxe spaces
(except for the bare bulb on a wire above the guest bed - Huh?)
And it's called a "Fireplace Flue" - not a "Fireplace Chute"
view bepsf's profile
I don't even know what to say... except if I were ever a guest in this home, I would be that nosy guest checking out every nook and cranny of this place! Wine Display... amazing!
view sfteri's profile
Stunning! I love the wine storage and the red wall (hallway?) leading to the bathroom. What a great juxtaposition of colors.
The art is beautiful, too.
view Kathryn's profile
beautiful! the guest room with the single bulb and teddy bear is a lil bit creepy though
view tabithacat's profile
That is an incredible apartment, thank you for sharing it with us. I agree with your friends, I want to live there too.
view John H's profile
WoW stunning and great art!!!
view LoriSF's profile
Mmh. What can I say?
I think this is a good example how interior designer and client work together very well - the result is a very unique place with a lot of personality. Although I have to admit that the mixture of all kind of shades of wood is not my cup of tea. I really like the floor and the columns.
The lighting reminds me of a department store - maybe Jae should have thought about more atmospharic lighting, but that is just my opinion.
view bettina playa's profile
I can't imagine planning a dinner for that many people at one time. Wow.
view baileyb's profile
brilliant
brilliant
brilliant
view nancy_s's profile
i smell money. its nice, the big art in the bedroom reminded me of aliens... not in a good way.
view itsthehouseshow's profile
i loved the bedroom rug
view itsthehouseshow's profile
'Up and coming'? I would say with that proof of talent he has arrived.
Gloriously beautiful.
view Anet500's profile
it's an masterful blend of wood and tile concepts.
i love the massive wooden headboard in the MB cut to look like gigantic bricks.. the geometric bookshelves in the entryway...
and the wine closet. killer.
view juggles's profile
Wiping drool from chin.
What's BDDW?
(Should I be embarrassed to have to ask?)
view kelleyk's profile
Agree with Anet500!
view Kate (NC)'s profile
http://www.bddw.com/homep.html
(and no you shouldn't be ;))
view Anet500's profile
This definitely is the best looking apartment I have ever seen published in AT. Congrats to Jae and to the owner.
view Pablo EcheverrÃÂa's profile
Very cool space!
http://brownbunnybyiris.blogspot.com/
view brownbunnybyiris's profile
wow.
Great details... the baseboards in particular are wonderful.
view peekay's profile
The dining table is gorgeous - though I'd remove the two benches.
view ChrisGal's profile
Ultimate party house.
The baseboards are soooo cool. I've never seen a "reveal" before but it is something I'll be keeping in mind when I build a house one day.
view birdablaze's profile
There's lots to love in this house: the custom detailing is gorgeous, and I love the color scheme and much of the art. I adore the bathroom. Jae did a wonderful job.
However, let me be the voice of dissent and say no, I really wouldn't want to live there. Not enough windows. And the dark, cavernous, non-homey feel - I wouldn't want to live there on my own.
view firebird's profile
I want to be the owner's friend!
Hands down, my favorite apartment on AT.
view imcaffeine's profile
Woww, this place looks absolutely incredible!!!
However, looking at the large red piece in Slide #25, I'm trying to figure out what exactly I'm looking at.
Is that a statue, or another hologram piece like in the one bedroom?
view Foursnow's profile
gorgeous!!
view solangie's profile
Could you please share the bedroom paint colors...
view mikeprican's profile
Disgusting.
Disgustingly PERFECT that is! I love every damn square inch!! (pardon my French)
B R A V O !
view LuvModern's profile
Thanks for sharing this amazing space! Absolutely beautiful!
view huic611's profile
Beautiful home very well put together. Thanks for sharing with us.
view absOsteele's profile
Thanks very much for the kind words. I'm really happy to share this.
Paint colors in the bedrooms are a 50/50 mix of:
- Benjamin Moore 2142-70 Icicle
&
- Benjamin Moore 2142-60 November Rain
view Jae Chang's profile
@ Foursnow...
the red sculpture in slide #25 is piece by a Korean artist Koh Myung Keun. He's a done a series of these, which are plexiglass prisms with his photography on them (how he gets them onto the plexi, i have no idea). But there is a similar piece in of a nude in the wine area as well. The backlighting is what is creating increased complexity in the image.
The hologram lightbulb in another bedroom is by Ingo Mauer (great stuff!)
- Jae
view Jae Chang's profile
That does it! I have died and gone to design heaven!
Words fail me. Totally.
When I win the big lottery jackpot, Jae will be the first person I call (after my accountant, of course.)
view aychihuahua's profile