deluxe reduxe

 

Enter into this Park Avenue apartment and not only do you depart from the hustle and bustle of city life, you enter an ultra-world. A palace of purity. Immaculate details which enliven the sens-es, allowing your natural ability to harmonize with the universe to take control. Mies Van der Rohe once said that God is in the details. If this be so, architect Daniel Rowen has created with this posh address, a veritable Mount Olympus right in the heart of Manhattan. Designed for a transient american businessman, the apartment reflects the direct collaboration between client and architect. Most firms would not take such a reductionist request, for fear of the lack of ornamentation compensating for the lack of creativity. That in itself is what made this project so demanding and truly so perfect for Daniel Rowen. Rowen, a manhattan based architect lives as he creates, in a veil of pure design. Working between his home in the Hamptons and his Manhattan office, he has fostered an impressive client list including Entertainment Weekly, Coca-Cola, the james Danziger Gallery and Martha Stewart. Yes, thatÕs right. Even Martha Stewart has employed the services of Rowen for both her home and her corporate offices.

 

Livability. That is the foundation of all residential design. The question is repeatedly asked: "Can I live with this?". The answer is based in individual desire. It is a matter of lifestyle, not of what is fashionable. The lack of furnishings, wall hangings, and other design devices is completely absent in Rowens creation. This sense of monastic living can be justifiably luxurious. It reduces a barrage of stress which inevitably is born from clutter. Yet with this philosophy of design comes a philosophy of living. It requires a tremendous amount of discipline and more importantly, lots of cleverly hidden storage areas. Appliances, clothing, boxes, televisions, papers, all the trappings of daily life must disappear as if touched by Merlin's Magic wand.

 

For example, the home office is a necessity as we march into the 21st Century. Every modern globe-trotting urbanist needs facilities to fax and to email and to take that all important 3am telephone call from Geneva. Anyone who had worked from their home, knows how intrusive this addition to home life can be. Unless your living in a three level townhouse or in a suburban l-ranch, then almost without warning kitchen, livingroom, diningroom AND home office begin to blend into one massive obstacle. Rowen and his client quickly addressed the need of the home office and how is could incorporate into the landscape of divine purity. The answer was found in providing mobility to the entrance hall walls. Behind their sleek and massive minimalism all office necessities were ergonomically posi-tioned. The precise attention to detail even included designing office chairs that would fold in half, allowing the owner to slide the chair underneath the work surface upon concluding his affairs and thus presenting no obstacle for the sliding walls.

 

Where others rely, regardless of their point of view, on overstatement, Rowen relies on the complexity of understatement. Where others rely on decorative touches, Rowen is steadfast in his use of sensual raw materials. Initially the atmosphere can be cold and surprising. But look. Take the time to investigate your surroundings. Watch the glimmer of highly controlled and edited lighting on the immaculate aluminum kitchen surfaces. The depth of laser blasted glass, providing the ultimate in public privacy. Feel the sandstone underneath your prada heels and you will realize that, in its simplicity, there is a whole lot of luxury. Many minimalist architects and designers rely on the shock value of nothingness. However, that quickly becomes cliche. It is only when pure materials make the union with pure design that there is validity to its creation.

all photgraphs courtesy of daniel rowen