A grand staircase was, in the end, the element that held up the renovations of this eight-bedroom duplex, which was actually two separate apartments. Sitting at the top of a 1920’s building designed by Rosario Candela, the duplex was not connected in a way that made the space flow as one. Enter Michael S. Smith and his seamless blend of European classicism and American modernism, and four and a half years later, with the help of architect Oscar Shamamian, the staircase is gone, and in its place, two apartments perfectly fused as one. Add to that Smith’s over-the-top elegance that includes silver leaf ceilings, ultra-elegant wallpaper, canopy beds and jibs doors, chandeliers, ikat and boiserie, and the words spectacular and masterful come to mind. And because Smith’s work is underscored by the belief that everyone should live with things they love, the space is the perfect backdrop for the couple’s stunning collection of art and antiques, which include a Picasso and Matisse.
Photography by Michael Mundy; Styling by Carolina Irving; this home was featured in the September 2018 issue of Architectural Digest
Wife’s dressing room.
A Picasso hangs above the custom sofa.
Husband’s dressing room.
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