Imagine a slide inside your home. Imagine that slide in a penthouse of one of Manhattan's oldest skyscraper. Now imagine that slide is 80 feet long. And if that wasn't enough, imagine a climbing wall that rose up 4 stories. This may not be for those with a fear of heights. Or vertigo for that matter!
SkyHouse is the brainchild of architect David Hotson and interior designer Ghislaine Vinas. Here, new and old unite as they never have before.
According to City Modern, "the property, constructed in 1895 as the skyscraper's ornamental crown, had never been used as a residence and had no services other than an industrial gas heater and a minimal bathroom." Both Hotson and Viñas saw the incredible opportunity this 6,600-square-foot of untouched space presented. "With the imaginative participation of a fully engaged client, Hotson restructured the penthouse into four levels and inserted a faceted stairwell with glass bridges, illuminated by skylights. The north end of the penthouse was opened to create a four-story-tall living space, within which an original riveted steel column fitted with climbing holds for anyone intrepid enough to scale the entire fifty-foot height rises through the center of the room. For an equally dizzying descent, an eighty-foot long mirror-polished stainless steel slide was installed at the opposite end of the residence; the slide sweeps down over bedrooms, through interior windows, and out over the stairway before flaring out to create a warped partition between the media room and the entry gallery."
Viñas' vibrant, bold, almost shocking in your face colors, along with the over-scaled floral patterns, whimsical lighting fixtures, as well as the carefully selected sly pop-cultural references create a playful, youthful tone. Hotson ingeniously frames the magnificent views of the iconic buildings and bridges that surround the apartment. A peephole in the guest bedroom shower captures the glow of the Chrysler Building. The dramatic skylight in the private elevator vestibule frames and juxtaposes the architecture of the the new Beekman Tower by Frank Gehry. City Modern states that "The result is a home of vivid contradictions and breathtaking spatial experiences, combining rigor and whimsy, the precise and the playful, the domestic and the surreal."
Jessica
Images via People/Dwell and Gizmag. David Hotson photos.