Perched at the top of an upper east side Manhattan condominium, this penthouse duplex overlooks Queensboro Bridge and has magnificent East River and uptown views. It is home to the family of one of the leading philanthropists in New York , a Managing Director in one of the most prestigious financial institutions of Wall Street, and their two children.

Paris K Interior Design was invited to transform the stark interiors into a welcoming home to accommodate the client's family and showcase their lifestyle.

Fresh, stylish, professional, and accomplished was the objective, but with the understanding that the 10-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son should feel that this is still their home, their domain where they can watch a movie, play a game, and have dinner, and where mommy and daddy can also have a space to play.

The renovation focused first on the residence entrance, which is also the living room. The public yet still private area needed to fulfill many functions: a family gathering, a casual meeting for Mrs. X's foundation, a toast with Wall Street executives for Mr. X's business life. This was a tall order to fulfill, but it was achieved with a mixture of old with new and classic with modern, along with a touch of playfulness.

A large pendant light was installed at the center of the living room ceiling to create a visual focal point upon entering the residence and to provide mood lighting for those client-driven social meetings so necessary for the fundraising of Mrs. X's foundation and Mr. X's finance business.

A large modern leather couch, slick but comfortable, from Roche Bobois provides the backdrop for this scene and hugs the living area around a plexi-glass oval table designed by PKID and custom-fabricated for this client. Two compact but very comfortable modern recliners from Dune allow additional seating for the family as well as for social gatherings, and define the living room area from the dining area.

Two mirrored low buffets, early 20th century replicas from ABC Carpet, along with an original 1930's oversized functioning black lacquer buffet with a hidden bar from Mrs. McDougal, evoke the grand life in the metropolis and provide needed storage space. A long oval Star-fire glass table top (Star-fire glass has almost no tint for a colorless effect) on a sculptural wooden and metal base found during a trip to St.Croix provides the daily supper table for the kids and friends alike.

The aluminum chairs, by Starck, were selected for their modern approach to an old design, and custom seat cushions were made to provide softer and more comfortable seating. Needless to say, Teflon coating on all the fabrics was a must to comply with the strict standards of the mandate the client had imposed for easy cleanup from those messy dinners with the kids or those late parties for the adults.

Carefully selected paintings and collages from contemporary and emerging international artists adorn the walls, providing an aura of romanticism mixed with surrealism and linking old with new. This was another of the many requests the client had initially made: to create a new fresh aesthetically progressive environment that is yet familiar, almost romantic.

". it worked." Paris Kostopoulos, principal of PKID explained. "In this era of erratic financial behavior and environmental proliferation, it would be senseless to just throw out the old furniture, which was in near-excellent condition. We managed to distribute most of it to friends and family." Any of the pieces that remained were carefully placed throughout the second floor of the residence, where the children's and guest bedrooms are located. "Nothing was wasted."