Located at the intersection of Broadway and 86th Street in the Upper West Side, this duplex penthouse provides its owners, a couple with two children who run Insight Media educational videos, with a calm and private refuge above the city. Originally designed in 1994 with Celeste Umpierre as the project architect under Lupo Rowen Architects, the home was revisited a decade later as the family’s needs evolved. The renovation focused on adapting the penthouse to the changing rhythms of daily life, with thoughtful attention to how each space was being used.
The project involved a partial renovation encompassing the entry sequence, living and dining areas, and the children’s rooms. Because the family’s patterns of movement had shifted, the two existing entries were carefully reversed. The entrance closest to the elevator was developed into the primary processional entry, and the former guest bedroom was transformed into an adaptable extended foyer that supports the flow into the main living spaces. New built-in cabinetry was integrated throughout the penthouse to unify the design and maximize functionality.
The living and dining rooms were refined to increase openness and usability. A new flat screen television was mounted on the living room wall to free space for a dedicated desk area, and a well proportioned glass table was introduced in the dining room to enhance lightness and spatial clarity.
