This 19th century duplex loft located in the historic Gilsey House building in the NoMad neighborhood of Manhattan, was converted from a hotel into apartments in the 1980’s, resulting in oddly shaped entry sequences and constrained living spaces. Worrell Yeung's solution was to embrace the unusual layout, creating a 3-legged volume that would momentarily compress the threshold and heighten the sense of arrival and spaciousness of the main floor. This object is materially differentiated with a hand-troweled plaster finish to create a legible volume against the textures of the original loft and doubles as a container of storage, wet bar and a contrasting bathroom.

The main floor of the apartment contains the social functions along with a family room/4th bedroom. A new stair was designed and reoriented to create a strong vertical connection to the lower floor allowing a third bedroom to be added to that level.

The material palette incorporates classic materials deployed in contemporary ways. White oak, blackened steel, aged brass, and marble play against the existing exposed brick and steel beams of the historic building.