Designers at Miami-based firm The End transformed this Central Park-facing abode into a two-story reflection of the four seasons.

In the great room, an indigo green slab from ABC Stone demands the spotlight alongside the striking chandelier by Lux Light & Home.

The Inspiration

Driven by the now two-story apartment’s incredible view of Central Park, principal designers of The End Design Studio Karina Donadel and Carla Nesci drew inspiration from the four seasons.

An Estudio Persona chair in the great room

“We thought, ‘What better way to bring its beauty in than to draw from [Central Park’s] change along all four seasons?’” Donadel says. This led to the main concept of “the feeling evoked by each season,” allowing the designers to assign different seasons to different areas of the home. “This very inspiring concept became the driving force behind everything—even for the client,” Nesci adds.

The kitchen features a quartzine opus white counter from ABC Stone complemented by chairs from Mambo Unlimited Ideas and a light fixture from Workstead.

The Process

While designing the clients’ vacation home in Quogue, the designers got a call that the same clients had purchased an apartment in an Emery Roth building facing Central Park and wanted them to switch gears to fully focus on that project. The clients wanted the space completely gutted, so Donadel and Nesci got to work planning from scratch. “After working on the space planning for a few weeks and finalizing layout options, they mentioned that they had the opportunity to buy the apartment above and they decided to jump on it,” Donadel says. “The idea was to unify the two units to make one larger space to serve as their primary home.”

The table comes from Shomodern and chairs from Potocco.

The Details

Each space features distinct details that evoke that room’s season incorporated into the design while also remaining cohesive with the clean, minimalistic vibe. The area that represents spring, located in the front and back of the top floor overlooking Central Park, is characterized by elegant, soft, bright details, such as the Lilypads Creations rug in the great room. “We wanted to make sure spring was one of the seasons that had the most connection with the Central Park view,” Nesci says.

Douglas & Bec lighting fixtures and surfaces by David Bonk in the home’s entry

The kitchen, which has Alex Turco cabinets in the pattern Golden Galaxy, and entry are spacious, vibrant and energetic to convey the feelings of summer. In the front and back of the lower floor, details evoking the essence of winter are soft and minimal. “We paired the cold contrast of the white of the snow and the black-brown of the tree branches with the warmth of soft textures,” Donadel says. Finally, the fall season was incorporated throughout the home with desaturated textures and layers representing fallen leaves clustered on the ground.

A light fixture from Roll & Hill, headboard fabric by S. Harris and bedding by Coyuchi in the primary bedroom.

The Surprises

Three-fourths of the way through construction, a happy surprise rocked the design plans—a baby was on the way! “We had to quickly redesign, reselect materials and furniture to cater for the functionalities needed at the soon-to-be nursery,” Nesci says. Another pivot the designers faced was building the new stairs connecting the top and bottom floors. “The engineering behind it was crucial, considering that both floors’ landings had four full slabs of marble that had to withstand the stairs beneath them and that there were beams restricting the footprint of the stairs,” Donadel says.

Kenya black slab by ABC Stone in the primary bathroom

After several attempts at an L-shaped design, the designers went with their initial gut feeling—a curved stair. “Having skilled workers to bring our vision to life is crucial to making spaces like this happen!” Nesci says.

In the family room, Suite NY chairs from Farg & Blanche aside a sectional by Ligne Roset and sidetable from Noir Furniture.

The Result

One extra floor, one new staircase and one baby later, the completely redesigned Upper East Side abode envelops all of the best aspects from each season in a modern, family-friendly package.

A couch from Ligne Roset, artwork from Jonathan Adler and Elitis wallcovering in the office.

“This apartment had to have the foresight and design flexibility so it could be a home to be enjoyed for the next 20 years, considering the daily activities of a busy family and the growth its members will experience,” Donadel says.

The powder room is outfitted in New Ravena marble dimensional tile.

Design Details

LOCATION
E. 101st St. & Fifth Ave.

TYPE
Apartment

DESIGNER
The End Design Studio
theendspaces.com;
Principals: Karina Donadel & Carla Nesci

GENERAL CONTRACTOR
Manhattan Renovations manhattan
renovations.com

ARCHITECT ON RECORD
Shenker Architects

Vendors

ABC STONE
Kitchen island, green slab in great room, top floor entry, primary bath, primary bedroom, bottom floor entry
abcworldwidestone.com

ANGLEPOISE
Lamp in family room
anglepoise.com

DOUGLAS & BEC
Lighting in bottom and top floor entry
douglasandbec.com

LUXE LIGHT & HOME
Chandelier above dining room table
luxelightandhome.com

NOIR FURNITURE
Side table in family room
noirfurniturela.com

OLGA RUDENKO
Art in bottom floor entry
olgarudenko.com

WORKSTEAD
Kitchen lighting
workstead.com