Go Inside Lee F. Mindel’s Masterful Renovation of One of His Own Designs
Two decades after renovating a
family’s Manhattan apartment, the architect undertakes a dramatic reinvention spurred by their
ever-expanding collection of adventurous art
A living and dining space created by architect Lee F. Mindel in his redesign of
an Upper East Side apartment.
Photo: Tim Lenz. Styled by Lili Abir Regen
At some point in our lives, all of us crave an “adult” home: a beautifully furnished, thoughtfully organized space that reflects our evolved tastes and more sophisticated style. For one New York couple, the urge to upgrade wasn’t just about reaching the empty-nester stage but also needing rooms better tailored for displaying art—lots of it. “Our collection had grown, our three kids were out of the house, and we both liked working from home,” explains the wife, who is a filmmaker. “We wanted a grown-up apartment.”
To be clear, it wasn’t as though the couple had been living with college-dorm decor. Two decades ago, when they purchased their five-bedroom prewar Upper East Side residence, they turned to the architecture and design firm SheltonMindel for a down-to-the-studs renovation, which included a glassed-in entry vestibule, separate dining and living rooms, and ample built-in shelves to hold their books and collectibles. Working soon after 9/11, when a desire to feel protected was paramount, the firm’s principal, Lee F. Mindel, paneled most of the rooms in warm anigre wood to create a sense of a welcoming retreat.
In the entrance hall, a mirror by Chen Chen & Kai Williams, a John Hogan glass vessel, and a gold-tone metal table by Ma Yansong cast captivating reflections and plays of light; the large painting is by Rashid Johnson, the mixed-media sculpture is by Matthew Monahan, and Markus Amm painted the small work.
Photo: Tim Lenz. Styled by Lili Abir Regen
At the center of the entertaining space, a pair of SheltonMindel-designed dining tables is surrounded by Autoban chairs from the Future Perfect. A Fred Eversley sculpture in the window at the room’s far end is flanked by Lesley Vance and Rita Ackermann paintings, while a Jos Devriendt floor lamp stands nearby.
Photo: Tim Lenz. Styled by Lili Abir Regen
Three years ago the couple once again commissioned Mindel to reimagine the interiors, this time aiming for an airy, soigné vibe, all the better for entertaining and displaying their adventurous contemporary art. “I wanted everything white and calm for the living areas,” recalls the wife, a prolific collector of ceramics, sculptures, and large-scale paintings. “I always say, ‘Let the art and the guests provide the color.’ ”
“I always say, ‘Let the art and the guests provide the color’ ”
Mindel removed the many built-in shelves that had obstructedthe hanging of art, eliminated one of the two hallways, and tucked additional storage space behind millwork. He crafted a sleek oak-lined banquette dining nook in the kitchen—an homage, according to the history-minded architect, to Edward Hopper’s famous diner painting, Nighthawks. He removed the walls entirely between the living and dining rooms to form a single, free-flowing space. Now distinct sitting areas at either end flank a dining area with two large custom-made tables on gliders, allowing them to be pushed together or separated. “During the day it can serve as a WeWork,” the wife says with a laugh, “and at night I can seat 20 for dinner.”
In one of the bedrooms, Mindel repainted the cabinetry in a sunny Benjamin Moore shade and reupholstered both the sofa and the bed, which is dressed with Matouk linens; the neon artwork is by Rachel Lee Hovnanian, and the text work is by Scott Patt.
Photo: Tim Lenz. Styled by Lili Abir Regen
A Gaetano Pesce chair perches near the bedroom’s fireplace, while an Arlene Shechet sculpture joins a Markus Amm painting next to the window.
Photo: Tim Lenz. Styled by Lili Abir Regen
“People generally don’t use their living rooms and don’t use their dining rooms,” says Mindel. “Here, they use everything. The apartment is like a boat, because every bit of space is utilized.” Working with his interiors colleague Grace V. Sierra, Mindel updated the mix of furnishings, repurposing select pieces like the husband’s favorite chair, a 1955 Hans Wegner prototype, which they paired with a ’60s Serge Mouille table and a rare 1939 Märta Blomstedt sheepskin armchair and ottoman in one of the room’s seating areas.
A Charles Gaines painting and a figurative sculpture by Thomas Houseago join a wall-spanning work by John Armleder at one end of the living and dining space created by architect Lee F. Mindel in his redesign of an Upper East Side apartment. Sofas and armchairs by SheltonMindel are grouped with a Poul Kjærholm daybed around a custom-made cocktail table by Germans Ermičs and Boris Berlin that hosts a Yamaguchi Ryuun woven vessel. The glass and metal end table is a Charlotte Perriand prototype, and the twin side tables are by André Arbus.
Photo: Tim Lenz. Styled by Lili Abir Regen
Mindel also deepened window bays in a nod to prewar elegance and replaced the more typical crown molding with recessed paneling to do away with any visual distractions to the art. Presiding over one end of the living-dining space is a monumental four-panel work by John Armleder featuring chromatic striations he creates by pouring paint colors onto a tilted canvas. Nearby stands a figurative sculpture by Thomas Houseago crafted from plaster and hemp and too fragile to move during the renovation—when it was originally installed, an elbow broke, yet the piece doesn’t look worse for the wear.
Hanging at the room’s opposite end is a vibrant abstract painting by Gerhard Richter bought in 1999, when the couple started to get serious about collecting. “It was more than we’d spent on anything other than our apartment,” the wife recalls, “but someone once told me, ‘Buy the best you can buy and trust yourself. Buy with your eyes.’ ” A series of bronze figurines by William Kentridge situated above the fireplace, meanwhile, reminded them of Indonesian gamelan puppets they’d seen while living in Southeast Asia in the ’90s.
Misha Kahn created a powder room’s mirror and low table.
Photo: Tim Lenz. Styled by Lili Abir Regen
A Tala Madani painting overlooks the family room’s bespoke SheltonMindel sectional sofa; the artwork between the windows is by Matthew Monahan, the floor lamp is vintage Tobia Scarpa, and the Haas Brothers conceived the stool.
Photo: Tim Lenz. Styled by Lili Abir Regen
Elsewhere, Mindel refreshed the primary bedroom, using soothing hues of nude and pale pink to heighten the seductive effect of a vintage sculptural chaise longue by Hans Hartl, a colorful resin chair by Gaetano Pesce, and mesmerizing artworks by Charline von Heyl, Olafur Eliasson, and Rita Ackermann. He also fashioned a pair of art-filled home offices (in shades of pink for the wife, blue for her husband), and outfitted a powder room with a flamboyant blue Misha Kahn balloon mirror and walls to match. And because this is a grown-up apartment, after all, Mindel reconceived the dressing room with enough concealed storage for an abundance of high heels as well as a proper laundry room, filling this space, too, with art.
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2022 Fall Issue under the headline “Robust Refresh.” Subscribe to the magazine.
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Go Inside Lee F. Mindel’s Masterful Renovation of One of His Own New York Designs
A Charles Gaines painting and a figurative sculpture by Thomas Houseago join a wall-spanning work by John Armleder at one end of the living and dining space created by architect Lee F. Mindel in his redesign of an Upper East Side apartment. Sofas and armchairs by SheltonMindel are grouped with a Poul Kju00e6rholm daybed around a custom-made cocktail table by Germans Ermiu010ds and Boris Berlin that hosts a Yamaguchi Ryuun woven vessel. The glass and metal end table is a Charlotte Perriand prototype, and the twin side tables are by Andru00e9 Arbus.
Photograph by Tim Lenz. Styled by Lili Abir Regen
With oblique references to history, British artist Thomas Houseago, whose Dave (2005) stands proud in the living room, distorts the human form to create monumental metal sculptures. u201cYouu2019re never sure if his work is old or new,u201d reflects Mindel. This bronze debuted at Gagosian Londonu2019s u201cHouseago | Rodinu201d exhibition in 2021.
Photograph by Stefan Altenburger, Courtesy of the artist and Gagosian
At the center of the entertaining space, a pair of SheltonMindel-designed dining tables is surrounded by Autoban chairs from the Future Perfect. A Fred Eversley sculpture in the window at the roomu2019s far end is flanked by Lesley Vance and Rita Ackermann paintings, while a Jos Devriendt floor lamp stands nearby.
Photograph by Tim Lenz. Styled by Lili Abir Regen
To create the living roomu2019s wall-size artwork, the owners of this home, designed by Lee F. Mindel, commissioned Swiss artist John Armleder, whose practice encompasses everything from fragmented disco balls to high-contrast paintings. u201cItu2019s nice to have something site-specific that relates to the interior architecture,u201d says Mindel. This riotous 2021 work by Armleder has colorful drips that echo the piece on a smaller scale.
Photograph by Annik Wetter, Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery
In the entrance hall, a mirror by Chen Chen & Kai Williams, a John Hogan glass vessel, and a gold-tone metal table by Ma Yansong cast captivating reflections and plays of light; the large painting is by Rashid Johnson, the mixed-media sculpture is by Matthew Monahan, and Markus Amm painted the small work.
Photograph by Tim Lenz. Styled by Lili Abir Regen
Anchoring the wifeu2019s office is a desk by Max Lamb, who also made the chair in front. The high-back slipper chair behind is a 1920s Uno u00c5hru00e9n design. A Jayson Musson text piece and a work by Beth Campbell are mounted between the windows, and a Woody De Othello ceramic phone sculpture is displayed above an Alex Jackson watercolor. The custom-made rug is by Fort Street Studio.
Photograph by Tim Lenz. Styled by Lili Abir Regen
In one of the bedrooms, Mindel repainted the cabinetry in a sunny Benjamin Moore shade and reupholstered both the sofa and the bed, which is dressed with Matouk linens; the neon artwork is by Rachel Lee Hovnanian, and the text work is by Scott Patt.
Photograph by Tim Lenz. Styled by Lili Abir Regen
A Tala Madani painting overlooks the family roomu2019s bespoke SheltonMindel sectional sofa; the artwork between the windows is by Matthew Monahan, the floor lamp is vintage Tobia Scarpa, and the Haas Brothers conceived the stool.
Photograph by Tim Lenz. Styled by Lili Abir Regen
Misha Kahn created a powder roomu2019s mirror and low table.
Photograph by Tim Lenz. Styled by Lili Abir Regen
A Gaetano Pesce chair perches near the bedroomu2019s fireplace, while an Arlene Shechet sculpture joins a Markus Amm painting next to the window.
Photograph by Tim Lenz. Styled by Lili Abir Regen
u201cHeu2019s still a young kid on the block despite being in his early 80s,u201d says Mindel of Gaetano Pesce, whose playful creationsu2014like this 2017 light fixtureu2014hover between art and design. One of the Italian iconu2019s psychedelic resin chairs punctuates the primary bedroom.
Photograph by Courtesy of the artist and Salon 94 Design
The gridded structure of an Olafur Eliasson spherical light echoes a Charline von Heyl painting hung next to a vintage Hans Hartl chaise longue in the primary bedroom. The cylindrical floor lamp is by Office Kersten Geers David Van Severen with artist Pieter Vermeersch, and the table lamp is by Jos Devriendt.
Photograph by Tim Lenz. Styled by Lili Abir Regen
Views of Central Park frame a Lesley Vance canvas and a Francis Upritchard sculpture in a New York City apartment designed by Lee F. Mindel.
Photograph by Tim Lenz. Styled by Lili Abir Regen
The living roomu2019s sculptural armchairs originally appeared as part of the Swedish Pavilion at the 1939 New York Worldu2019s Fair. u201cThey wink at the klismos chair,u201d adds Mindel of the shape. Produced by GA Berg Sweden, the seats were reupholstered in raw linen and a creamy Holland & Sherry alpaca.
Photograph by Tim Lenz. Styled by Lili Abir Regen
A massive collage, made by Rashid Johnson using a variety of materials, including ceramic, mirror, vinyl, enamel, black soap, and wax, provides a striking focal point in the entrance hall. u201cWe wanted to give it enough space to breathe,u201d says Mindel. Complementing the work are a jardiniere by Francesca DiMattio and John Hoganu2019s Clearing chair.
Photograph by Tim Lenz. Styled by Lili Abir Regen
A key player on the postwar Los Angeles art scene, Fred Eversley created this translucent resin piece that magnifies the view up Fifth Avenue. u201cYou see the city like you do in a Dutch landscape painting,u201d notes Mindel.
Photograph by Tim Lenz. Styled by Lili Abir Regen
Mindel sought to evoke classic diners when transforming a former air-conditioning closet in the kitchen into a breakfast nook that features a matching table fabricated by Atelier Prelati.
Photograph by Tim Lenz. Styled by Lili Abir Regen
Bronze figures by South African talent William Kentridge grace the living room mantel, which Mindel devised during the first renovation 20 years ago. u201cWe wanted it to seem like silhouettes were skating across a pond,u201d he explains. A limestone fireplace and an abstract work by R. H. Quaytman add to the artful composition. u201cThey almost become a single piece of art.u201d
