Inside Athena Calderone’s Tribeca Apartment: Manhattan Interior Design

Athena Calderone, a celebrated designer and author, and her family undertook a complete floor redesign of a Tribeca apartment in a historic early-1900s building. The building once served as the Borden condensed milk company’s executive suite.

The project preserves the building’s rich materiality, including 13-foot ceilings, herringbone floors, and oak paneling. Calderone translated her refined, more formal aesthetic into a contemporary lived-in home.

This blog post explores how she reimagined the space, sourced travel-inspired objects, and collaborated with craftspeople to create an elegant residence.

A Refined, Grown-Up Aesthetic in Tribeca

Calderone’s move from Brooklyn to a full-floor Tribeca residence marked a shift toward a sophisticated, research-driven design language. The new plan emphasizes formal detail and timeless materials, signaling a mature chapter in her design journey.

The home balances restraint and curation with luxe surfaces and antique presence.

History and Space: Preserving the Building’s Character

The unit had the glamour of its 1980s renovation by Thierry Despont. Calderone chose not to bleach its dark, historic woodwork, enlisting the Brownstone Boys to refinish and celebrate the original timber.

This decision keeps the warmth and patina that anchor the apartment’s character. Architect Danielle Siggerud and Studio Athena Calderone reconfigured the floor plan, repositioning the kitchen and dining areas, and adding a home office and Victor’s music studio.

The changes maximize square footage without sacrificing period character.

A New Layout for Modern Living

The redesign transforms circulation and zoning to support both formal entertaining and everyday living. The kitchen features a monolithic Kinnekulle red limestone island and a JennAir Noir 48-inch professional range.

Custom leaded glass doors by Calderone and Amuneal use Bendheim glass to filter light and maintain privacy. The home’s layout preserves historic materials while enabling a more deliberate flow between living, dining, and work spaces.

Private offices and studios are integrated alongside social spaces to support Calderone’s multidisciplinary practice and family life.

• Monolithic Kinnekulle red limestone island as the kitchen’s sculptural heart
• JennAir Noir 48-inch professional range for high-performance cooking
• Custom leaded glass doors by Calderone and Amuneal using Bendheim glass
• Dark historic woodwork retained and refinished by the Brownstone Boys
• Home office and music studio integrated into the plan

Travel-Inspired Craft and Collaboration

The interiors are filled with travel-inspired references from European design landmarks and classic rail travel. Calderone layered pieces and motifs from Villa Necchi Campiglio in Milan, Vienna’s American Bar, and the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express into a cohesive narrative.

The design blends Vienna Secession elegance with Art Deco opulence. Antique and contemporary design coexist through a precise, curatorial approach.

Antiques, Brands, and Custom Details

Craft collaborations are central to the project. Calderone worked with Amuneal, Calico Wallpaper, Lowe Hardware, Colbourns carpets, and fabricators to create custom details.

Plaster ceilings by Kamp Studios and bespoke furnishings and rugs from Studio Athena Calderone add to the design. The interior weaves high-design antiques—Maria Pergay’s Flying Carpet daybed (1968), Jean Prouvé pieces, Jules Leleu furniture, and Jacques Adnet armchairs—with newly designed prototypes in luxurious materials.

Materials, Proportions, and Light

The palette focuses on tactile luxury: lava stone, Kinnekulle limestone, and rich wood tones highlighted by careful lighting and hardware. Plaster ceilings by Kamp Studios evoke refined plasters of the past, while the overall look remains contemporary.

Calderone’s home is designed to welcome new ideas as life and travel continue to inspire its story.

The Grown-Up Chapter: Today and Tomorrow

Calderone’s disciplined approach marks a turning point toward a more formal, refined architectural language. She describes the outcome as the “grown-up” version of herself—an elegant, carefully considered residence that still holds space for evolution.

The space plan honors history while supporting modern living. This Tribeca home shows how architecture and interiors can change through research, travel, and a lasting commitment to craft.

For design professionals and clients, Calderone’s Tribeca project shows how to balance historic character with contemporary needs. Preserve what makes a building unique, choose materials with care, and commission craft that ages gracefully with the people who live there.

This is architecture and interior design connected to the human experience. It is luxury that feels lived-in, not just seen.

 
Here is the source article for this story: Athena Calderone Takes Manhattan