ASPIREDESIGNAND H O M E . C O M 39 A s t u dy i n p ro p o r t i o n , p olish and SoHo cool How does one transform a raw, industrial New York City loft into a graceful refuge? This was the puzzle architect Elizabeth Steimberg’s clients brought her. The young couple – she from New Orleans, he from New Zealand – wanted their 4000-square-foot SoHo home to reflect the stately houses of the South while showcasing her antiques and his family art collection. “It wouldn’t occur to me to do a traditional loft in SoHo,” Steimberg muses. “But traditional doesn’t have to mean heavy and dark.” The architect’s rethinking of the condo began with a symmetrical footprint and classical details reminiscent of Southern homes. She started in the foyer – once raw concrete and steel – reimagining it as a welcoming space on a classical axis. Paneled millwork conceals the elevator and hidden stair door. A structural column is wrapped in a fluted Doric shell, its twin added purely for balance. “The idea was to create a foyer that was totally symmetrical,” the architect explains. “But it’s really a trick of the eye.” IN THE LIVING ROOM, A CHARLES FREDERICK GOLDIE PORTRAIT OF M Ā ORI CHIEF TE KAMAKA RESTS A B O V E THE VINTAGE COFFEE TABLE, WHI L E INTRICATELY CARVED M Ā ORI DOO R JAMBS STAND SENTRY BY THE WIN D O W WALL SHIELDED IN SCALAMANDR É DRAPES . IN THE BACKDROP HANG PORTRAITS OF THE HUSBAND’S FA M I LY. FINDING BALANCE