The interiors of 1280 Fifth Avenue, the residential tower over the Museum for African Art, are designed by Andre Kikoski Architect, an imaginative, award-winning Manhattan-based architecture and design firm recently recognized for the acclaimed restaurant The Wright at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
"The extraordinary beauty of the Central Park landscape is truly inspiring," said Kikoski. "There's a playfulness and simplicity to the organic textures of Frederick Law Olmstead's Harlem Meer, which is right outside the front door. Our work at 1280 Fifth is as an abstraction of those enchanting and elegant qualities, reinterpreted in a contemporary idiom."
Kikoski's design solution for the interiors of this nineteen-story, 165,000 square-foot building (by Robert A.M. Stern) references the mood and atmosphere of the great urban park across the street. The unified palette of natural, replenishable materials for the apartment interiors includes teak wood and limestone, abalone shell tile and American black walnut, Venetian glass and cypress wood, all exemplary for their elegant visual presence.
In the lobby, natural geometries inspired sculptural elements like the curved ceiling, while richly grained laurel wood and pitted bronze allow nature to define the character and texture of the surfaces. A site-specific artwork by acclaimed artist Amanda Weil graces the entryway-a photograph of a slab of richly mottled alabaster transformed into a thirty foot-long floor-to-ceiling glowing contemporary installation.
Evocative, innovative materials with discreet natural references are also used in the fully-appointed amenity spaces for residents, as well as in 1280's four model apartments. Each of these luxurious showcase residences was designed by Kikoski, partnering with venerable French firm Ligne Roset, to take its theme from one of the four distinct seasons of the Central Park landscape occupying the expansive views to the south and west.
The partnership with Ligne Roset is a natural complement to the project, especially in light of both Kikoski and Ligne Roset's longstanding commitment to sustainable principles and practices. As Kikoski puts it, "For us Ligne Roset is the perfect partner. Like our design for 1280, their philosophy is based on a deep respect for nature."
The models are four architecturally distinct spaces designed to take advantage of Ligne Roset's wide range of designs. The collaboration includes specially-commissioned Kikoski-designed furniture, as well as renowned pieces from Ligne Roset's complete collection, such as Book and Look wall unit (Pagnon & Pelhaitre), Rive Gauch sectional (Didier Gomez), Shaman (Eric Jordan), So dining chairs (Soda Designers), Cineline dining table (Pagnon & Pelhaitre), Pebble coffee table (Air design), Curule chair (Pierre Paulin), Feng Bench (Didier Gomez), as well as all accessories, rugs and lighting. Antoine Roset stated, "We have long admired Andre's work and 1280 Fifth Avenue is a perfect creative collaboration for us."
The interiors of 1280 Fifth highlight the skill-set and values for which Kikoski's practice has become known, particularly its success in working in the context of transitional urban areas and within the framework of significant architecture. This new project anticipates the imminent completion of 22-28 Wyckoff, a hybrid performance space and lounge in Bushwick, Brooklyn-another neighborhood fast becoming a center of New York's artistic and cultural scene. And 1280 is Kikoski's third project on Manhattan's Museum Mile, following the Wright, the acclaimed restaurant in the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and Cafe 3, an espresso and wine bar on the Museum's third floor, both of them attuned to the historic challenges of adding something new to the interiors of Frank Lloyd Wright's landmark building.