Teeny Tiny Taj Mahal

Brief:

These clients had recently moved into a new apartment and needed to update the small and awkward entry to a more organized, efficient and elegant foyer, and transform the previous tenant’s nursery into an office and lounge fit for a king.

Our primary goals were to provide storage space for both the typical entry items (shoes, coats, bags, mail, etc) as well as guitars, collectibles, and general administrative ephemera in the office, while evoking the majesty and intricate detail of traditional Islamic architecture.

Principles:

We begin every project with a set of principles that come from our client’s own words:

• Magnificently Mughal
• Spectacular storage solutions
• Terrific tonal textures
• Perfect passageways

Strategy:

The key moves here are: rebuilding the wall between the entry and the office with a swing door, rather than a pocket door, to leverage built-in storage on both sides of the wall, using a custom art installation, rugs, and light fixtures to create zones along the 33 foot long corridor, adding a built-in daybed window seat and bookcase for lounging and storage, adding high perimeter shelving to leverage high ceilings and display collectibles, and integrating geometric details in all surfaces and textiles to evoke the majesty of traditional Mughal design in a modern context.