THE OFFICE AND MUSEUM

Designed as both an office and private art museum for collector Kurt Rappaport, this space draws from his personal collection of fine art and vintage furniture. DBA designed the space to unfold in layers from public to private, a seamless spatial progression. The first area encountered by guests is the serene threshold that sets the gallery tone for the agency. The Roy Lichtenstein painting at the entry is a friendly nod to the iconic neighborhood. Reflective surfaces and natural light from manifold windows and skylights is a theme throughout, beginning with the custom stainless steel reception table and terrazzo staircase. The one-half-inch thick stainless steel railing was polished at an aerospace lab to create its mirror finish, an homage to Anish Kapoor grounded by the live tree anchoring the soaring, double height entry to the outdoors. This inclusion of nature living indoors, punctuated by the light from the oculus skylight in combination with the use of terrazzo, is a DBA signature that creates a clean, streamlined backdrop for a gallery setting. 

Every step is an invitation to engage with the artworks that pinpoint the entire interior, from the hanging Calder mobile merging the first level to the second. The choice of materials in the walnut and marble stonework echoes the patina of the vintage furnishings, from the original Eames and Jean Prouve chairs, to the elegant Ron Arad metal desk. The backlit cubicles and spotlit corridors recall the lineup of a museum wall, punctuated with focal points like the conference and dining room featuring a Dan Rees. 

The passage through the layers of privacy truly begins at the massive pivot door leading to the inner interior. The ten-foot-wide slab swings open from the cocktail and coffee bar, and guides guests to the hidden office beyond. The English style library is an unexpected sanctuary, with mahogany wood-clad bookshelves, foot-level windows and pill-shaped skylights that anchor light and highlight the custom bean sofa, bulletproof Marc Newson Micarta table, and historic Starck chairs. The final spaces reveal themselves through a hidden door in the library panels to the executive suite and beyond. A cocoon of luxury and private moments, the fabric-lined suite functions as a bedroom with a full marble clad bath and shower, closet and dressing area, replete with inlaid brass “KR” initials in the terrazzo floor- a purely personal nod to the serene aesthetic of Rappaport’s friend and favorite designer, Tom Ford. 

The final scene concludes as guests walk down a wood-lined corridor, interspersed with circular skylights and a gallery wall showcasing the collection of photographs of classic Hollywood movie scenes, and ultimately through a second hidden door that leads back to the restaurant and the rest of the executive suite. The entire impression of moving through the structure is that of a single circular band unweaving from space to space, where the overlapping experiences of work and entertainment, business and relaxation transition naturally through a sensuous flow of movement and purposeful space.