Lee F. Mindel Reimagines His Award-Winning Chelsea Duplex
The esteemed architect rewrites the script for his longtime New York City home, making way for a more vibrant collection of art and furnishings while preserving its most dynamic features
The circular gallery in the New York apartment of Lee F. Mindel and José Marty includes works by Beat Bühler, Zaha Hadid, Irving Harper, and Ugo Rondinone.
Photo: MICHAEL MORAN/OTTO
Sometimes, even perfection needs an update. Twenty-five years ago architect Lee F. Mindel, cofounderof the firm SheltonMindel, renovated a 3,500-square-foot, 12th-floor penthouse in New York City’s Flatiron district to be his home. Working in collaboration with another New York architect, Reed A. Morrison, he transformed the space into a study in restrained elegance. In 1999, it won the Honor Award for Interior Architecture from the American Institute of Architects.
Among the apartment’s distinctive features is a striking rotunda just inside the entrance that serves as a gallery, with large doorways opening to the surrounding entertaining areas. A stainless-steel serpentine staircase winds around it, leading up to a pavilion-like lounge and an expansive rooftop terrace. With four exposures, the apartment enjoys views of some of Manhattan’s most iconic buildings.
Lee F. Mindel on his apartment’s rooftop terrace, which includes a Joel Fisher bronze; the furnishings are Richard Schultz from Knoll.
Photo: ALYCIA KRAVITZ
A view overlooking the residence, whose terraces were designed in collaboration with Jonathan Farber of R/F Landscape Architecture.
Photo: MICHAEL MORAN/OTTO
At first, Mindel filled his new home with furniture by a Who’s Who of 20th-century design stars, from Gaudí to Gehry, with a hefty dose of Scandinavians such as Poul Kjærholm, Hans Wegner, and Arne Jacobsen. The refined mix of furnishings and materials against the crisp, neutral backdrop was, as Mindel put it, “extravagantly minimal.” Morrison describes the design as “a more modern idea that was based in tradition,” adding, “If we were to do it again, it might end up the same.”
One of the most eye-catching elements of the apartment, which Mindel designed 25 years ago with architect Reed A. Morrison, is the twisting stainless-steel staircase that leads to the rooftop.
Photo: MICHAEL MORAN/OTTO
In the primary bedroom, a wall of sycamore panels serves as the backdrop for a Christopher Beane photograph mounted above a SheltonMindel-designed bed dressed with Frette linens and an Hermès throw; the bedside lamps are by Tom Dixon.
Photo: MICHAEL MORAN/OTTO
But even if the architecture still looks fresh, it’s no surprise that Mindel—a passionate collector of modern and contemporary art as well as design (he is on the vetting committee for the Design Miami/ fair)—decided it was time for an update. He now shares the apartment with his husband, architectural designer José Marty, and together they completed a rethink of the space just before New York’s COVID-19 shutdown in March. “I wanted to make it more of a house,” says Mindel. “I wanted to live in it in a different way and made the palette brighter and more optimistic. My aesthetic has become more personal.”
The rotunda is home to a neon light installation by South African artist Floor van de Velde, acquired from Provincetown, Massachusetts, gallery Room 68. “The placement was inspired by Ellsworth Kelly’s rectangular work in semicircular spaces,” says Lee F. Mindel. “The way the light interfaces is different than on something flat.”
Photo: MICHAEL MORAN/OTTO
The goal wasn’t to do any structural alterations, Mindel explains, but to “change the perception of the space—it’s filled with life,” something he sees as an important lesson for the post-coronavirus world. Now when you step into the rotunda, you are greeted with sculptural pieces, including a folded-paper tower by Irving Harper and two marble benches by Zaha Hadid. On the far wall, a sculptural study in metal by Bruno Mathsson hangs next to a Georges Jouve ceramic lamp that has a lightbulb but no shade. “I view it as a sculpture that has a light on it,” Mindel says. Nearby, perched on two brightly colored Pols Potten stools, is a colorful lithograph by Ugo Rondinone.
“I made the palette brighter and more optimistic. My aesthetic has become more personal”
Lee F. Mindel
Mindel divided the long living room, with its view toward One World Trade Center, into multiple seating areas. At the center, a Tom Dixon glass-top table with an architectonic wire base is joined by curvy metal stools by Roger Tallon and ceramic swirls in lively sherbet hues by Wouter Dam. Arrayed around the elegant white-glass fireplace at one end of the room are a Jean Prouvé daybed, floor lamps designed by Yrjö Kukkapuro for Artek, and a pair of smoked-glass screens by Mindel’s late friend Jeremiah Goodman, who was famous for his glamorous illustrations of interiors. At the room’s opposite end, presided over by a large Günther Förg artwork, standout pieces include a pair of rare black leather armchairs by Eero Aarnio and a squiggly floor lamp by Maarten Baas that was a unique commission.
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Lee F. Mindel Reimagines His Award-Winning Chelsea Duplex
A view overlooking the residence, whose terraces were designed in collaboration with Jonathan Farber of R/F Landscape Architecture.
Photograph by MICHAEL MORAN/OTTO
At the center of a circular gallery in the Manhattan penthouse that architect Lee F. Mindel shares with his husband, architectural designer Josu00e9 Marty, a rounded sculpture by Beat Bu00fchler and an anonymous French maquette rest on pedestals flanked by a pair of Zaha Hadid marble benches. A folded-paper tower by Irving Harper is displayed in front of an exuberant Ugo Rondinone lithograph in the hallway beyond.
Photograph by MICHAEL MORAN/OTTO
Swirling ceramic sculptures by Wouter Dam top the living roomu2019s Tom Dixon table, which is bordered by Roger Tallon metal stools and a Maarten van Severen chair. At the roomu2019s far end, a Gu00fcnther Fu00f6rg artwork presides over a sitting area with a B&B Italia sofa designed by Antonio Citterio, a pair of Eero Aarnio armchairs, and SheltonMindel ottomans; the curved floor lamp is a unique Maarten Baas commission, the multilight floor lamp is by Gino Sarfatti, and the rugs are by Chilewich.
Photograph by MICHAEL MORAN/OTTO
A trio of spiraling ceramics by Amsterdam artist Wouter Dam, who shows with Galerie Vivid, sits atop a geometric prototype table by Tom Dixon. Mindel purchased the table, used exclusively to exhibit sculpture, from Londonu2019s Themes & Variations 20 years ago.
Photograph by MICHAEL MORAN/OTTO
Next to the dining area, a Hans Wegner cocktail table is encircled by Alvar Aalto tufted-leather club chairs, molded-plywood chairs by Ju00f8rn Utzon, and an Antonio Citterio sofa for B&B Italia. An artwork by Tricia Rumbolz hangs near a wood sculpture by Ricardo Santamaria, the curtains were made by Ann Baderian using a Rogers & Goffigon fabric, and a rug designed by SheltonMindel for Vu2019Soske is layered atop a floor covering by Chilewich.
Photograph by MICHAEL MORAN/OTTO
u201cThe piano is a Disklavier by Yamaha,u201d says Mindel. u201cWhen we were doing Stingu2019s place, he wanted to get this special piano. Naturally, this is a much lesser version.u201d
Photograph by MICHAEL MORAN/OTTO
In the rooftop pavilion, Poul Kju00e6rholm chairs facing an Ole Gjerlu00f8v-Knudsen prototype are joined by an Arne Jacobsen Egg chair, a Massimo Vignelli cocktail table, and a sofa designed by SheltonMindel. The lamp on the left is by George Nelson, the one at right is by Ignazio Gardella, and a Gerrit Rietveld sculpture is installed above the sofa.
Photograph by MICHAEL MORAN/OTTO
One of the most eye-catching elements of the apartment, which Mindel designed 25 years ago with architect Reed A. Morrison, is the twisting stainless-steel staircase that leads to the rooftop.
Photograph by MICHAEL MORAN/OTTO
In the primary bedroom, a wall of sycamore panels serves as the backdrop for a Christopher Beane photograph mounted above a SheltonMindel-designed bed dressed with Frette linens and an Hermu00e8s throw; the bedside lamps are by Tom Dixon.
Photograph by MICHAEL MORAN/OTTO
The rotunda is home to a neon light installation by South African artist Floor van de Velde, acquired from Provincetown, Massachusetts, gallery Room 68. u201cThe placement was inspired by Ellsworth Kellyu2019s rectangular work in semicircular spaces,u201d says Lee F. Mindel. u201cThe way the light interfaces is different than on something flat.u201d
Photograph by MICHAEL MORAN/OTTO
Famous for conceiving the Sydney Opera House, architect Ju00f8rn Utzon also dreamed up these undulating seats, a pair of which grace Mindelu2019s sitting area. u201cThe movement you see in sails in Sydney are present in these birch plywood chairs,u201d he explains. u201cWhatu2019s nice is how you can rock in them a little bit.u201d
Photograph by COURTESY OF WRIGHT
Mindel has started collecting the work of up-and-coming Rotterdam artist Thomas Trum, who is represented by Galerie Vivid. u201cHe creates these dynamic shapes that move on a flat surface, and itu2019s all done with one brushstroke.u201d galerievivid.com
Photograph by COURTESY OF THOMAS TRUM
Dutch designer Maarten Baas created a custom nickel-plated clay floor lamp for Mindel after they met at Design Miami/ in 2009. u201cHeu2019s both playful and serious at the same time,u201d says Mindel. This blue version is available through Carpenters Workshop Gallery.
Photograph by COURTESY OF MAARTEN BAAS
Next to the dining room, there’s another inviting sitting area, with a piano, where in non-pandemic times, visitors might enjoy a cocktail while relaxing on custom Alvar Aalto armchairs or molded-plywood chairs by Jørn Utzon, architect of the Sydney Opera House. From here, you can see through to the two guest bedrooms, which may be closed off with sliding wall panels. In the adjacent main bedroom, a wall of honey-toned sycamore panels behind the bed adds notable warmth.
Next to the dining area, a Hans Wegner cocktail table is encircled by Alvar Aalto tufted-leather club chairs, molded-plywood chairs by Jørn Utzon, and an Antonio Citterio sofa for B&B Italia. An artwork by Tricia Rumbolz hangs near a wood sculpture by Ricardo Santamaria, the curtains were made by Ann Baderian using a Rogers & Goffigon fabric, and a rug designed by SheltonMindel for V’Soske is layered atop a floor covering by Chilewich.
Photo: MICHAEL MORAN/OTTO
With current projects that include a penthouse at 220 Central Park South for repeat clients Sting and Trudie Styler, as well as other Manhattan apartments and houses in Southampton, Sag Harbor, and Marin County, California, Mindel certainly has plenty on his plate. But his evolution continues. “I find myself becoming more of a student now than when I was an actual student,” he says. “And I keep asking myself how I can make things better.”
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2020 Fall issue under the headline “Ensemble Theater.” Subscribe to the magazine.
