Garden Apartment

Garden Apartment is designed to accomodate the needs of a growing family. The project centers on the home’s connection to their garden – a rare opportunity in the city.

location

Manhattan

status

Complete

year

2026

collaborators

Audra Manzano Architect, PLLC

NY Construction and Stone

General Contractor

Blue Plant LLC

Landscape Architect

Alba Woodworking, LLC

Millworker

RBM Lab

Videography & Photography

The first floor is opened up to maximize flexibility and light, punctuated by a new monolithic stair and kitchen. The existing facade is redesigned to accommodate large glass widnows, creating a continuous interplay between interior and exterior.

A double-height space draws daylight deep into the home and establishes an ample vertical volume connecting the living spaces to the rear garden.

A restrained material palette defines the apartment and clarifies its spatial volumes. White oak walls flank the double height space, articulating the living room and study below them.

The functional spaces in the home are designed with quiet precision and material durability. The bathrooms are clad in terrazzo and terracotta tile, while the kitchen is finished in metal.

The residence’s most unique feature is the presence of a double-wide private garden—an exceptional amenity for a Manhattan apartment. Boundaries between inside and outside are softened through large openings and spatial continuities. The exterior fence is textured in a similar manner to the interior walls, creating a subtle dialogue between the two realms.

Openings, thresholds, and reflections reinforce the sense of permeability and connection. The interior design is conceived as a frame for the oasis outside, always reinforcing the relationship between living and landscape.