Overview
Triplex penthouse occupying the top three floors of a historic 1887 store-and-loft building on a cobblestone street in the Tribeca West Historic District. Originally designs by D. & J. Jardine during the classic Tribeca store-and-loft era, the building was converted by the Meshberg Group into a seven-story residential condominium. The penthouse spans floors 5-7 with a private key-locked elevator, internal staircase, two private outdoor terraces on the full-floor primary suite level, and a 1,500 sq ft exclusive rooftop with Freedom Tower and lower Manhattan views
Scope
Furniture layout, lighting design, landscape and rooftop design, construction documentation, bidding and negotiation, smart home integration, custom millwork design, custom furniture design, audio and video systems
Material & Specification Record
- Flooring: Wide-plank white oak by Madera — throughout all floors
- Kitchen Cabinetry: Custom Henrybuilt walnut cabinetry
- Kitchen Countertop: Calacatta Lincoln marble
- Kitchen Backsplash: Calacatta Lincoln marble — matching countertop
- Kitchen Appliances: Sub-Zero refrigerator and freezer · Wolf dual ovens and appliances
- Kitchen Fixtures: Waterworks
- Bath Stone: Calacatta Lincoln marble floors and walls — consistent across all bathrooms · Radiant heated floors
- Bath Fixtures: Waterworks throughout · Watermark glass steam shower enclosure
- Freestanding Tub: Eira Resin signature tub
- Bath Medicine Cabinets: Steel by Arcana Metals
- Toilets: Toto
- Closets: Poliform — all bedrooms and primary suite walk-in
- Lighting Shading: Lutron motorized shading and lighting — full interior and all outdoor terraces
- Home Automation: Control4 full home automation — lighting, shading, climate, security, AV
- Primary Bedroom Walls: Venetian plaster
- Primary Bedroom Rug: Warp & Weft handwoven
Board & Approval Process
Board Observations
No co-op board approval process encountered. The Meshberg Group's conversion from commercial loft to residential condominium meant the standard co-op alteration agreement and board review process did not apply. Standard condominium alteration documentation only — managing agent review and insurance verification.
Landmark Constraints
Tribeca West Historic District: exterior constraints only. Original round-arched windows preserved as an architectural asset, not a compliance burden. Cold-rolled steel window frames with operable doors to terraces were new additions to the penthouse structure — approved through Meshberg Group's conversion documentation, not a separate LPC process by the design team.
Key Insight
This project illustrates the governance advantage of new condo conversions in Tribeca historic loft buildings versus co-op buildings. The Meshberg Group's conversion structure gave the design team full interior freedom without the 8–14 week co-op board approval cycle typical of pre-war co-ops. The historic district (Tribeca West) controlled only exterior elements — the cobblestone street, the arched window profiles, the facade. Interior fit-out was unrestricted.
Design Constraints Resolved
Primary Insight
Historic loft conversion with landmark exterior constraints resolved through the developer's pre-approved structural conversion. Interior fit-out freedom was high — the design team worked with a blank slate within a landmarked shell.
Material Continuity Strategy
Calacatta Lincoln marble specified as a single consistent stone across kitchen countertops, backsplash, and all bathroom floors and walls across three floors. Material continuity across a triplex creates coherence without repetition — the stone's natural variation ensures each space feels distinct while the palette reads as one resolved decision.
System Integration
Lutron specified as the unified control architecture for lighting, motorized shading, and all AV — both interior and exterior. Control4 as the home automation backbone integrating lighting, shading, climate, security, and entertainment into a single interface. This dual-platform approach (Lutron for hardware control, Control4 for system integration) is a specific technical decision: Lutron handles the physical switching and dimming with greater reliability; Control4 provides the whole-home interface and automation logic.
Vertical Circulation
Penthouse triplex accessed by private key-locked elevator to each floor and internal staircase. The elevator becomes a design element at every floor — the threshold between private and shared space. Floor-to-ceiling cold-rolled steel window frames with operable doors to terraces are the architectural signature of the primary suite level — an industrial material used with precision in a residential context.
Rooftop Programming
1,500 sq ft exclusive private rooftop programmed as five distinct zones: full outdoor kitchen, fireplace, dining, lounge, and garden. Each zone is independently equipped with Lutron-controlled entertainment, automated irrigation, designer lighting, and heating — effectively a fully serviced exterior room. This approach to rooftop design as a set of distinct programmed spaces (rather than a single open deck) is transferable to any Tribeca loft with roof access.
Closet Consistency
Poliform closets specified consistently across all bedroom suites including primary suite walk-in. Consistent millwork system across all bedrooms creates a building-wide material standard that a piecemeal approach cannot achieve — and simplifies future maintenance and replacement.
Bespoke Sourcing Scale
Over 100 artisans and small businesses engaged locally and internationally — including custom wool and silk rug from Nepal, hand-painted de Gournay cherry blossom wallpaper, custom crown canopy. The Bespoke sourcing program at this scale requires a parallel project management track: lead times of 16–32 weeks for international commissions, concurrent with construction and systems installation.
Bespoke Elements
- Custom wool and silk rug commissioned from artisans in Nepal
- Hand-painted de Gournay cherry blossom wallpaper — children's bedroom
- Custom crown canopy — nursery
- B&B Italia sectional
- Custom floor-to-ceiling drapery throughout
- Bocci chandelier — girls' room
- Custom desk unit — children's room
- 100+ artisans engaged locally and internationally