While star-chitects bask in the glory of their completed projects, contractors and construction companies responsible for realizing those designs are often overlooked. And at no fault of their own, so too is the general public unaware of the difference between things like interior architecture and interior design – the articulation of functional space through building and the making of interior atmospheres through aesthetics, respectively. Manhattan-based Rockhill Construction, and their network of adept craftsmen, offer a masterclass in collaborative making with their Chelsea Condo project.
The roughly 3,000-square-foot, full-floor flat comprises three bedrooms, three full bathrooms, one half bath, laundry, a generous kitchen, and airy catch-all living spaces that can accommodate entertaining, offer respite from the din of city living, or host a late night charrette for the creatives who live there – all of this overlooking the High Line. Central to the concept, and subsequently material narrative, are the residents’ personalities. Studio LOVEISENOUGH – who translated those intangibles into an experiential interior architecture – entrusted that Rockhill Construction would imbue their handiwork with the same spirit.
Tasked with unique requests, the builder assembled this architectural machine whose mission is in service of humanity, where guests are immediately greeted upon entry to the elevator foyer by the first of several interventions, which begins with a built-in bench for daily rituals as homeowners come and go. The curvaceous form complements the body’s shape and borrows warmth from the refurbished oakwood floors as if it has cataloged a lifetime of homeowners. Circulation through the residence is constantly cushioned by millwork, thresholds, and plaster wall finishes that beg one’s touch to linger. Leaning into the intimacy of space, a more private circulation corridor was created for concealed flow. In addition to Rockhill’s know-how, the ability to create custom millwork in-house made rerouting foot traffic and concealing building systems seamless with the design.
The kitchen elaborates on the warmth generated by the wood found at the entry and in the primary living spaces – and is exemplary of the construction company’s technical prowess. Vast swaths of muddied marble are contrasted with stainless steel custom cabinetry in a seemingly weathered finish that only adds to the home’s persona. The rounded corners of cabinet doors take their cues from the pattern established in the backsplash. The softened corners are created by cutting 404 stainless steel with a water jet, given a brush finish, and laminated to walnut substrates. Marble was also made kinetic with pivot hinges on stone doors to create an appliance garage. “Our technical team, capable of realizing the most remarkable solutions to design directives, proposed the assembly as a means to realize the soft close and touch latch design,” says Rockhill. “For me, personally, it was proof of concept that a shared vision can be realized.”
Though the project passed through a variety of hands to arrive at this place – from conceptualization of interior architecture, through construction, and onto interior design and staging – Rockhill has been a steward for the space. “Somehow that apartment, which is so generous in its proportions, sitting up high over the Hudson, with subtle references to the Space Age and travel, comes alive while vacant, which makes it all the more poetic. It becomes its own satellite for a moment.”
