Celebrating one of our longstanding members, Ruchi Agrawal Mohan, and her supremely modern luxe Gramercy Penthouse Residence project in Manhattan, New York.

Ruchi, please tell us a bit about the project.

My clients have a generous sized penthouse in the Gramercy neighborhood. They figured out a lot of it by themselves, but found themselves stuck, fatigued and clueless when it came to the great room. They called upon me to design their entry and open concept kitchen and great room. The apartment itself was in a new build condominium with modern bones, floor to ceiling windows and a beautiful feature onyx fireplace.

Where is the project located?

The apartment is part of a new building in the Gramercy neighborhood and was completed in 2018. This penthouse apartment is a full-time home to a young couple. It has three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a powder room and a rooftop terrace. The husband works from home most of the time and they had set up one room as his office.

Tell us a bit about the homeowners.

The home owners are a young couple in their late 20's. They are both entrepreneurs, cool and super successful. For me, to own a penthouse at that age was an admirable accomplishment. They have many friends and like to host and entertain a few times in a year.

What convinced you to work on this project?

That stunning onyx fireplace was a deal clencher... I could not wait to get my hands on that feature wall and I love how it came together. My initial consult with the clients was a call for help with a very modern design aesthetic, flexibility on budget but a limited timeline. They wanted to finish quickly. I'm always up for challenges and this project leaned towards becoming a cool space. All of these checked my boxes.

What were your sources of inspiration to design and decorate this home?

A lot of the inspiration came from the views of this home. The floor to ceiling windows on both sides of the room show the beautiful Manhattan skyline including iconic buildings like the Empire State Building and the Chrysler building. A hint of gold and lots of geometry was inspiring. I wanted to bring the calmness that you feel when you're high up in the sky inside the space.

What type of atmosphere did you want to create and how did you achieve it?

The empty apartment called for some grounding, for a place for the eyes to rest before they move outwards to the view. I wanted create a space that was welcoming as my clients went in and about their day and at the same time create a luxe entertaining space when they wanted to party and have their friends over. So the combination of calm and party ready was the challenge here.

What type of colors did you decide to use in this home and why?

Colors for this home were a journey. Blue was the comfort color for my clients and they knew that and they were challenging their love for blue... they wanted to challenge themselves and do something different. With such great views and blue skies adding that color anyways, I was able to convince them to make green the secondary color in the room. Once on board, they got comfortable with green and were drawn to it. The green drapes wrap around the room creating a warm embrace. Tying the greens together are the accent chairs and the statement piece of art.  The small pop of red in the rug is a sweet detail and a fun accent in the room. In the end we brought in some blue with accessories and pillows.

What type of materials did you decide to use in this home and why?

I love playing with materiality, layers of textures in fabrics and finishes in every space I design. The clients already had the Ivory boucle sofa and onyx in the space. I added silk, high gloss lacquer, glossy ceramic, natural oak, mohair, velvets, jacquards, wool, powder coated matte black and multiple colored glass pieces. All of the glossy pieces were intentional so the sunlight streaming through the windows bounces off of them. I've used glass to keep the design modern and airy and bring some color with accessories. The silk wallpaper on the fireplace adds warmth and a soft sheen. All the fabrics are lovely to touch while adding so much sophistication, and the shape of the pillows adds playfulness.

What was the biggest challenge you faced to design this home? How long did it take?
Timelines were the biggest challenge. The clients were fatigued and wanted to wrap up quickly. They soon started enjoying the process with me. The biggest challenge still remained that beautiful feature wall with the Onyx fireplace. The trade-off between a feature chandelier to a feature art was the biggest conundrum. We evaluated numerous options because that feature wall was critical. Finally, we landed on the art piece and despite the long wait on the piece, they waited and it was totally worth it.

If you would have to describe this home in two words, what would it be?

Modern Luxe

DesignbyRUCHI was incorporated in 2018 and is a full-service boutique interior design firm specializing in residential design. It is my philosophy that every project is unique because of the people that make the project. I work hard to make the process collaborative with clients so the result is unique to them, and we work towards a common goal of a complete space designed keeping in mind square footage, scale, budget, timelines, and function. I love the challenge of turning a blank slate into something wonderful. The daily joy that my clients feel in that space is the single reason I love what I do.

I grew up in India actively participating in home renovations and redesign whenever my parents undertook such a project loving the smell of construction. As I moved around in life, I enjoyed the process of making my own homes and obsessing over the details. I've lived in Singapore, London, and DC before I planted roots in Manhattan where I live with my 13-year-old daughter and husband.

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