Just as eyes are windows to the human soul, windows are a look at the soul of a building. There's no question that windows are functional, allowing in light and views, but that is not to say that they have to fade away into the background. Done right, they can also be an aesthetic addition to highlight and accentuate views and light and raise their form over function. Just as a picture frame can simply surround a piece of art or make a statement itself, many architects and developers are using window frames more creatively by incorporating them into the design and increase their decorative roles. In a city where too much new construction is going up with monolithic glass walls, we visit buildings with the most eye-catching frames.
In this article:
All images of 30 Warren Street courtesy of 30 Warren
Great Room
Tribeca views
30 Warren’s windows were custom-made in Italy to achieve the different, large window types needed for the project. The interior of the windows have anodized champagne-colored frames that protrude from the wall and soften the transition from the outside to the inside. Architect Francois Leininger of Post Office Architectes said, “We wanted to add that touch of champagne for color but we didn’t want it to be too strong. We wanted something people could embrace without having the impression that we were defining how they would live in their own space. The champagne has a sort of yellowish tone, so just when the sun it is going to hit the frames and send these slightly yellow sparkles through the windows.”
All images of 30 East 31st Street via Douglas Elliman
Living room
NoMad skyline with 30 East 31st Street
Morris Adjmi’s first skyscraper, 30 E 31, pays homage to its NoMad neighborhood, as per the Adjmi reigning philosophy. The 39-story building’s Gothic-inspired motif featured throughout the building is repeated in the door and window frames. The full-floor penthouses' triangular windows are reminiscent of those in the crown of the Chrysler Building and provide beautiful frames for their endless city views.
All images of 130 William via Corcoran
Great Room
Kitchen
The large repeated arched windows of Sir David Adjaye’s 130 William surely make the building's facade distinctive, but a somewhat more subtle but stunning feature are the burnished bronze frames on the windows' interiors. Among the many custom features for 130 William, Adjaye designed burnished bronze-finished faucets, shower heads and door handles to “punctuate bathrooms and kitchens, exemplifying clean yet tactile contemporary design.”
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All images of XOCO 325 via Douglas Elliman
Lobby
Kitchen
XOCO 325 is a very distinctive, DDG-developed and designed 10-story residential condominium building at 325 West Broadway. The building’s most notable feature is its full height, cast-aluminum screen that protrudes several feet in front of its façade conjuring thoughts of prehistoric, skeletal fossils. That facade frames the large windows’ views the way an ornate frame might encase a painting.
All images of 180 East 88th Street via Corcoran
Great Room
Bedroom
Another DDG project, 180 East 88th Street’s oversized windows are custom-made by Albertini of Italy and are framed in a striking bronze. The windows are set back to complement the handmade, handset Kolumba brick façade so not only are the windows framed in metal but the depth of the sills provides a contrasting and complementary material.
All images of 88 & 90 Lex via Douglas Elliman
Living room
Bedroom
88&90 Lexington blends old and new by renovating and fusing a 17-story, 1927 building designed by Necarsulmer & Lehlbach with the next door 13-story, 1959 original office building. Together, these pre- and post-war buildings with a combined total of 73 apartments each have their own distinctive personalities, but were blended to complement one another and share amenities. Inside 88 Lex, the design and development teams incorporated punched windows to complement the building’s traditional architecture while also maximizing space and natural lighting. 90 Lex has floor-to-ceiling windows framed with blackened steel.
All images of Greenwich West via Corcoran
Living room
Bedroom
Greenwich West marks the New York debut of Paris-based designer Loci Anima, and the 30-story brick building in the newly bustling Hudson Yards section of Soho makes a striking statement. In a nod to the neighborhood's heritage, oversized industrial-style casement windows are framed by hand-laid brick patterns and pewter-glazed brick borders.
Would you like to tour any of these properties?
Just complete the info below.
Or call us at (212) 755-5544
Would you like to tour any of these properties?
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Contributing Writer
Michelle Sinclair Colman
Michelle writes children's books and also writes articles about architecture, design and real estate. Those two passions came together in Michelle's first children's book, "Urban Babies Wear Black." Michelle has a Master's degree in Sociology from the University of Minnesota and a Master's degree in the Cities Program from the London School of Economics.
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