The iconic Bloomberg Tower in Midtown East in Manhattan houses Bloomberg corporate offices, retail outlets, restaurants and 105 luxury condominiums designed by Cesar Pelli.

There are many amazing features in this building, one being the splendid oval courtyard that serves as the entrance to the residential condominiums known as One Beacon Court. The combination that makes this building so special is the oval plaza, the office building lobby with a museum worthy art collection, and the more traditional residential entrance, all with the highest level of materials and thoughtful execution that create these grand spaces.

Giusi Mastro, Founder and Owner of ORA Studio NYC has a fond affection for this building because from her office across the street, she saw the elegant and imposing structure rising after the demolition of Alexander’s Dept. Store. 

Approached by a European client who had purchased a spacious two-bedroom apartment in the Bloomberg Tower, Giusi Mastro and her firm, ORA Studio NYC were given the opportunity to reconceive the interiors while enhancing the views of the Hudson River and Central Park that the client was enamored with. The client was willing to redo both bathrooms, the powder room and the kitchen and to change the interiors that were still traditional and standard for her very contemporary taste. When the collaboration started, one challenge appeared: although the apartment was a generous size, the living room felt small compared to the expansiveness of the other spaces. As a solution, Giusi Mastro suggested eliminating the wall between the kitchen and the living room to have an open kitchen with a long and large island so that the space could feel doubled and the client could gain an extra view. This way the kitchen window facing North East could became visible from the living room, giving a sense of depth and infinity together with the view towards the East River.

In addition to gutting all bathrooms and the powder room, Giusi Mastro redesigned the entry gallery that was initially large in size but left no possibility for decoration or furnishing due to the presence of the doors into the laundry, closet, and kitchen. Giusi Mastro closed some of the doors moving the powder room and laundry entrance to the entry vestibule and she used the gained space to place a custom console and mirror on one wall and a custom floor-to-ceiling bookshelf that concealed the kitchen door on the opposite wall.

Not only was the client happy with these solutions and with the new contemporary and minimal feel of the apartment but she also agreed to adopt further improvements including changing the floors, the doors, all bathroom marble and fixtures, the closets and kitchen cabinetry and the lighting throughout the whole apartment incorporating high end products from European manufacturers. The client was also incredibly open to have something custom designed for her so Giusi Mastro designed custom furniture including the bookshelf, the desk, the laundry cabinetry, the glass wall for the powder room, the TV pedestal, the console and the mirror for the entry gallery as well as the kitchen island.

The benefit of living in this home in the sky is that one feels part of nature, enjoying sunlight, starred nights and rainbows after storms.