In New York’s Lower East Side, one can indulge in the arts in its many upper-echelon galleries or hit the clubs with the twenty-somethings, eat the greasiest food imaginable or belly up to a Michelin-starred restaurant. The Lower East Side is The Tale of Two Cities if they were in fact in one neighborhood and intermixed within the same block. It’s this rich, lively culture that The Suffolk draws from. The new multifamily residential building, located in the neighborhood and designed by Dattner Architects with interiors by JG Neukomm Architecture (JGNA), considers the many eras of the community, pooling together references like artist Trisha Brown and the architectural interventions of Gordon Matta-Clark in the 70s.
JGNA layers these references, rendered in a sleek, contemporary fashion for the entry and amenities of the building, including the seventh floor. The entry was designed to be an immediate introduction to the luxury building and its historical context. A long, arching interior creates this sense of grandeur as it references the Guastavino arches seen in buildings throughout the city. It opens up to a white-walled lobby, lined with wood panels which takes after the many art galleries in the neighborhood. Likewise, the lobby displays photographs taken by the architects, a neon light installation by Ani Bradberry, and an LED work by Pablo Gnecco.
Bespoke elements and a careful curation of color and material extend the sense of style. Tucked into a rounded alcove, clad in a burgundy hue, a reception desk is alight by an arched pendant, made by Flos and designed by the architects. The also designed the bench which snakes through the entry, in a sculptural interpretation of a park bench. DCM Fabrication crafted the piece.
Upstairs, JGNA were responsible for the communal space which spans the seventh floor. One half of the floor functions as space to work while the other works as a more relaxed lounge. A grant stair, clad in Brescia stone and steel, marks the separation of space. Metal mesh wraps the nearby columns, an industrial contrast to the elegant marble.
On the coworking side, a mixture of modern and vintage furniture reflect the mélange of cultures in the neighborhood while providing upright seating. Set amid large windows, wood floors, and neutral walls, the furniture and fixtures set the layered, rich scene. It includes Tobia & Afra Scarpa sofas, ’60s Swedish lounge chairs, Silverlake chairs designed by Patricia Urquiola for Moroso, and the Ren armchair by Stellar Works. In the conference rooms, tables and chairs by Vitra provide even more formal places to work.
On the lounge side, JGNA contributed more custom pieces, from the linear lighting to the coffee tables, fabricated by Associated Fabrication. A range of soft seating from Hem, Gubi, and HBF create seating zones that lead up to a shared kitchen. Here a backsplash of Araldica Base Grigio from Florim provides warm tones and patterns amid the more modern furnishings. The red hues of the backsplash connect to the Verner Panton–designed pendants, just another way different design eras come together in The Suffolk.