Designer Visions: Carlos Aparicio for Veranda

Walker Tower, is most definitely one of Chelsea's most beautifully newly converted condominium, with it's strong Art Deco lines originally designed in 1929 by Ralph Thomas Walker.

Now, with over 47 incredible apartments (sign me up!) this 24 story building opened its doors to three fantastic interior designers ~ Jamie Drake for House Beautiful and Alessandra Branca for Elle Decor and today's feature, Carlos Aparicio for Veranda.

Cuban born, Carlos Aparicio is principal and founder of Aparicio + Associates, and is a trained architect from the Rhode Island School of Design and also has a master’s degree in architecture from Harvard University. Honing in on his love of the decorative arts, he also is the owner of Gallery BAC, which he founded in 2001, offering a curated selection of 20th century European antiques.

"The narrative is what attracted me the most to this project" - Carlos Aparicio.

In complete contrast to the design from the apartment I shared with you in Part 1 and Part 2 by Alessandra branca, Aparicio's design for Veranda showcased his love of antiques, especially 20th century furniture.

Hanging Fixture in Brass and Crystal with Linen Shade by Carl Westman, Sweden, 1910s, from Gallery BAC

He tells us that it was the views from the apartment that truly "blew him away"... and so as he imagined the art collector that would live in this space as his muse, constantly thriving off of the energy of Manhattan.
The importance of painting all the walls and ceilings in the same tone of chalky gray by Benjamin Moore, Perspective® Aura on all the walls and ceilings would serve as a backdrop, a canvas, for which to sketch out all the ideas.. as "the Old Master tradition in painting an all-gray grisaille before applying glazes of color, the wall colors are the foundation of the composition for this interior."

Also quite deliberate, was the selection of the raw silk panels in the windows, with its Mondrian-esque hatches intended to mimic the lines of the windows in the view of Chelsea beyond the panes of glass.

With the personality of his collector in mind, Carlos Aparicio maintained the constant balance of "what was in and what was out" throughout the composition of furniture throughout the apartment. The allocation of furniture, and deciding to place the dining space by the windows, was in direct correlation to how this collector would live among his antiques, and not necessarily considering the needs of raising a family in this home.

A sense of poetry that was very important to convey in this space, and achieved with the floating light fixture in Brass and Crystal with Linen Shade by Carl Westman, Sweden, from the 1910s, and designed for the artists' brother remains one of Aparicio's favorite pieces.

The "muscular, and yet feminine" Swedish bleached mahogany cabinet below, by Otto Schulz anchors the opposing window walls, in the Dining Room which ideally would also serve as a Library; a place to read and allow for that thoughtful contemplation of the city below to occur.

Collection of Danish ceramics with bronze lids and books are carefully placed on the Danish Kaare Klint dining table, and here the idea was to expose the collaboration between the ceramist and the metal worker.

As we move into the open living area, Carlos Aparicio placed the "large museum-like Parchment-Covered Daybed, by André Arbus from France in the late 1940's to help ground the environment, and framed it with a pair of very elegant Persane Gilt French Iron Sconces by Jean Royere and an oak mirror in the Style of Jean-Michel Frank.

Appearing as a favorite of Aparicio, who through Gallery BAC, created an exhibition of Jean-Michel Frank in Argentina, in the end of 2010 and shares many pieces attributed to Jean-Michel Frank throughout the design, such as the dining room chairs, the screen hiding the kitchen, and the tripod Gueridon below. Frank, a French interior designer from the turn of the century, where he then owned a shopfront with Adolphe Chanaux in Saint Germain, and began to decorate for the Rockefellers and Guerlains while designing furniture.. a very well rounded and long lasting icon, for modern day design.

The living room is simple and quiet, but with the only pattern stemming from the set of Architecture Graphique Lithographs by Francis Deswarte, reflected in the mirror above, as well as the large Swedish Hand-Knotted Wool Carpet.

Flanking this space, and hidden by a folding screen, the kitchen not to be left out of the collectors thoughts, home to a Swesidh Etched Glass Lantern and a pair of stools with "Yo-Yo Legs and Soccer Ball  Feet" by Jean Royere.

We transition from the kitchen into the Master Bedroom, another oasis of serenity, with a special large plaster Shell light fixture floating above; a piece that Carlos Aparicio in France from the 1930s.

                                   

Once again the importance of each functional piece of furniture, to also be one that was a unique addition to the collection, including the Rosewood bed, by Jules Leleu.

                                               

An ample bedroom, with a reading area by the open windows, as well as beautiful en-suite bathroom

are all part of the luxuries provided by the great interior architecture of these apartments.

Hallways with simple details, flooring that here is seen in it's natural tone, while in the apartment for Elle Decor, it was stained throughout in a dark walnut finish, also makes for a very different backdrop throughout.


We move into the guest bedroom in neutral tones of grays and blacks, where Carlos has placed an Iron and Wicker daybed by Mathieu Mategot flanked by a pair of Gueridons in Painted Iron by Jean-Michel Frank once again.





On the opposite side, a warm set of leather armchairs are here once again, showcasing the play between strong and soft, the hardness of the iron frame against the supple nature of the leather.

                                                                            

Painting in Oil on Canvas by Cindi Johnson, USA, 20th Century, from Gallery BAC                                          

This completes the tour of Carlos Aparicio's design for Veranda at Designer Visions.

Please visit tomorrow, where I will continue on through the apartments in the Walker Tower, one of Chelsea's most beautifully newly converted condominium, with the work by interior designer Jamie Drake for House Beautiful.

*all images are my own. please feel free to share, but only with the proper credits ~ 
Jennifer Mehditash for Dec-a-Porter