View of rain shower, with cedar wood slat clad walls and ceilings, green tuff stone clad floor, and two monumental granite stones leaning against the shower wall.

Park Avenue Tower Residence New York City

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Located in one of the tallest and most exclusive residential towers in the world, this penthouse apartment combines Japanese design traditions and materials into a contemporary residential environment. Surrounded by spectacular views of Manhattan and beyond, the footprint of this Park Avenue Residence forms a square that is surrounded by square windows punched out from a concrete façade. This structural rigidity directly contrasts with the lightness and extraordinary refinement of Japanese art and architecture throughout the home.

Many of the interior finishes were sourced directly from Japan, including salvaged 1000-year-old wood, centuries-old recycled stone slabs, hand-made ceramic tiles and original Shikkui plaster. These traditional Japanese materials, combined with clean and modern architectural lines, form an unmistakably contemporary ensemble. 

The project is a collaboration between YUN Architecture, as local architect, and artist Hiroshi Sugimoto, together with his architecture office New Material Research Laboratory in Tokyo, Japan.
Entrance vestibule view, with one of Hiroshi Sugimoto's photographs surrounded by shikkui plaster walls and recycled stone paver floor.
Entrance vestibule and corridor view, with a modern interpretation of a traditional Japanese wooden entrance threshold (shikidai) and custom wood ceiling.
View of living room with custom-made furniture, bonsai tree planter, sushi bar and operable wooden screens in front of windows which look out over Midtown Manhattan.
View of living room with custom-made furniture, Yakusugi cedar flooring, shikkui plaster walls and operable wooden screen in front of window.
Kitchen view of stone countertop island, with custom furniture breakfast area in background and bar stool seating in front of window overlooking Midtown Manhattan.
Detail view of hammered aluminum-clad kitchen cabinetry with round glass windows. Chestnut floors.
View of the tea room with tatami mats, custom cedar wood ceiling, mud-plaster clad tokonoma niche and shikkui plaster walls.
Detail view of main corridor art niche with a photograph by Hiroshi Sugimoto. Custom dark gray diagonal tile flooring and custom wood ceiling, with all walls clad with shikkui plaster.
View of family room, with custom upholstery seating, shikkui plaster walls, custom carpet, and operable wooden screens in front of windows overlooking Manhattan and Queens.
Wooden sliding door threshold detail. Chestnut wood floor with hand-carved surface treatment (Naguri), handmade dark gray floor tiling in background, manufactured in Nara, Japan.
Bathroom view, with traditional Japanese wooden bath tub in foreground, recycled stone paver floor, green tuff stone clad walls, with large, square window overlooking Central Park.
Bathroom view, with traditional Japanese wooden bath tub, raised recycled stone paver platform, green tuff stone clad walls, and custom cedar wood bathroom cabinetry.
Floor detail of art niche in main corridor, with large boulder embedded in texted concrete. Bordered by handmade dark gray floor tiling, manufactured in Nara, Japan.
Detail of sliding door made of vertical cedar wood slats with acrulic glass inserts. Large flush threshold made of dark gray, matte tile manufactured based on ancient techniques in Nara, Japan.
View of master bedroom, with hand-carved chestnut wood flooring, built-in window seating, custom cedar built-in desk, and bed., custom patina bronze bookshelf, shikkui plaster walls, and operable wooden screen in front of large window.
View of master bedroom, with hand-carved chestnut wood flooring, built-in window seating, custom patina bronze bookshelf, shikkui plaster walls, and operable wooden screens in front of large windows.
Secondary bedroom, with custom Alaskan cedar cabinetry and bed, shikkui plaster walls, chestnut wood flooring, and operable wooden screen in front of large window.
View of custom furniture breakfast area, in front of window overlooking Midtown Manhattan at night.

Photography: Devon Banks

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