"When working within historical buildings, design occasionally has the opportunity to break the laws of physics-to transport a space simultaneously backward and forward in time. Such was the case for interior designer Armando Aguirre and design architect Nicholas Potts as they reimagined a combined two-bedroom apartment in New York City's legendary Rockefeller Apartments. "We let the architecture and the history of the building dictate what we did," says Aguirre."
"This history presented a unique challenge for the designers, who, along with architect of record Model Practice, were tasked with creating an apartment that in 2025 could live up the label "International," and also to its spirit. They achieved this not through trickery, but by tackling the problem head-on, researching history, sourcing from the past-without getting locked in-to create elegant, functional spaces that adhered at once to modernist values and shared aesthetics."
Interior designer Armando Aguirre and design architect Nicholas Potts reimagined a combined two-bedroom apartment in New York City's Rockefeller Apartments. Commissioned by John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Nelson Rockefeller and completed in 1937, the building stands as an early example of the International Style influenced by Wallace Harrison's adoption of Bauhaus ideas. The original apartments were modest and intended for middle-class residents, so the project required balancing historical scale with contemporary expectations. The design team and architect of record Model Practice researched the building's history and sourced predominantly vintage pieces—approximately 98%—to craft elegant, functional spaces that honor modernist principles while accommodating present-day living.
Read at Architectural Digest
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