The concept of the Greenwich Village Residence marries light and material texture with architecture. We collaborated with a local lighting fixture company to develop a custom surface-mounted light for concrete slab ceiling conditions that can provide down lighting, directional wall washing, and art lighting in a discreet compact housing of milled oak wood that matches all the built-ins and flooring throughout the home. Our clients wanted a home with an open flow of light that would make the 200 sq. meter, three-bedroom apartment feel as spacious as possible. We maintained long sightlines from one end of the apartment to the other, drawing natural light across the home. We sheathed the central core in custom oak panels that have a pronged batten relief inspired by the branches of the trees in the building’s courtyard. The light casts shadows across the branches and gives depth to the surface. A cantilevered seating bench at the entry way and display shelving on the other side of the wall create volumes of light within recessed cubbies. The kitchen is a luminous volume defined by a soldier-course marble mosaic backsplash and island. It is sculptural and highly functional with ample storage and a full set of integrated appliances. The “column” of wood that hides the cooking ventilation and gas riser is an elegant sculptural anchor for the kitchen and conceals the cooking area from the dining area’s direct view. Above the dining room, a commissioned light fixture floats like an outline of a billowing cloud; its hand-laminated, sinuous wood shape expands and contracts from different viewing angles while providing generous lighting to the table below. The living room and study are conjoined to allow the family to entertain larger groups; a series of sliding planes creates privacy between the two spaces when guests come to stay (the sofa folds out into a queen size bed.) The study has a built-in dry bar and desk area neatly recessed into the wood core.