Her first task was to completely strip out and open up the interior to reveal that view on all sides, and replace all the windows – not an easy feat considering the apartment is on the 17th floor – working with the local firm Black Mountain Construction. She also immediately removed a large faceted cupola above the dining area that she describes as “an 80s eyesore,” and replaced it with a modern, clean-lined skylight that aligned with her client’s brief for a crisp, clean interior.
Todhunter’s challenge was to work within the newly open-plan space and create separate zones for relaxing, eating and entertaining that felt cosy and intimate, despite the fact that the apartment is, essentially, a glass box. “The client has a partner who loves to play the piano, and two teenage kids,” says Todhunter, “so she wanted a comfy, fabulous TV area where they could chill out and watch a game, a smart, elegant drawing room, a fabulous dining area, a fun area to play cards – all within this one vast space.”
The powder room, accessible by a jib door, is lined with Gucci heron-print wallpaper.
Photo: Lucy Butler Walters
Her vision for the interior started with the entrance hall, previously a “nasty beige box,” which she redesigned to create a sense of drama from the moment you step into the apartment. The corridor is lined with elegant panelling sourced from Féau Boiseries in Paris, which neatly conceals a jib door to the powder room lined with Gucci heron-print wallpaper, described by Todhunter as “a little pocket of joy.”
A black-and-white marble floor with a graphic, rectangular design leads the way down the rest of the corridor, while lanterns from Jamb hang from the ceiling. At the end, the entryway to the apartment strikes a note of contrast and drama, lined in a striped wallpaper by Iksel.