Minimalist interiors inside Álvaro Siza’s New York residential building revealed

Take a first look inside Álvaro Siza’s first US building, 611 West 56th Street in New York City. The interiors by Gabellini Sheppard Associates reveal a warm, yet minimalist architectural response to Siza’s exterior architecture with clean lines, custom finishes and exposed structural elements.
Located at the intersection of Midtown and the Upper West Side, the monolithic, Perla Bianca limestone-clad tower that tops off with a four-story crown, will offer 80 one-to-four-bedroom residences including penthouses and duplex maisonettes, once complete. Not only will these homes bring New York residents the opportunity to live inside a Pritzker prize winning architects’ design, they also bring unique attributes such as direct elevator access, private terraces and a diverse range of plans.
As well as the expected amenities such as fitness room with Antonio Citterio-designed Technogym equipment, a children's playroom, resident’s living room and library furnished by DDC and Minotti and illuminated steam room (of course), when complete, the building will even offer its residents a shuttle to the subway during peak hours.
RELATED STORY
Siza, who is most well known for his contributions to cultural architecture including the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art in Portugal, brought the same sense of refined modernism to 611 West 56th Street. This sensibility is echoed through Gabellini Sheppard’s interiors that include soft materiality to create a sense of place in every residence. Custom oak millwork and Pietra Cardosa stone lines the floors and walls of the spaces, while the glazing is etched to bring privacy to every residence. Siza has designed a custom bench for the project, and Cooley Monato is behind the custom lighting design.
With its focus on craft and simplicity, Gabellini Sheppard was an appropriate fit for the job. The interior architecture and design studio is also behind the interiors at Tadao Ando’s 152 Elizabeth – which we had an exclusive look-in to earlier this year. Construction of the tower is well underway, with residences launching onto the market earlier this month.
INFORMATION
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Harriet Thorpe is a writer, journalist and editor covering architecture, design and culture, with particular interest in sustainability, 20th-century architecture and community. After studying History of Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and Journalism at City University in London, she developed her interest in architecture working at Wallpaper* magazine and today contributes to Wallpaper*, The World of Interiors and Icon magazine, amongst other titles. She is author of The Sustainable City (2022, Hoxton Mini Press), a book about sustainable architecture in London, and the Modern Cambridge Map (2023, Blue Crow Media), a map of 20th-century architecture in Cambridge, the city where she grew up.
-
A new Québec house blends open-plan living with far-reaching views
The Mountainside Residence is anchored into its sloping site by a concrete plinth, above which sits a main living space with tall ceilings and walls of glass
-
The Valkyrie returns Aston Martin to top-level Le Mans competition
Wallpaper* went trackside to witness the Aston Martin Valkyrie's impressive showing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2025
-
Studio Frith and Perfumer H celebrate a decade of collaboration
Studio Frith’s ten-year partnership with Perfumer H has shaped a brand world defined by care, craft and quiet poetry. Wallpaper* meets studio founder Frith Kerr and design director Claire Koster to find out how
-
A New Zealand house on a rugged beach exemplifies architect Tom Kundig's approach in rich, yet understated luxury
This coastal home, featured in 'Tom Kundig: Complete Houses', a new book launch in the autumn by Monacelli Press, is a perfect example of its author's approach to understated luxury. We spoke to Tom Kundig, the architect behind it
-
Tour architect Paul Schweikher’s house, a Chicago midcentury masterpiece
Now hidden in the Chicago suburbs, architect Paul Schweikher's former home and studio is an understated midcentury masterpiece; we explore it, revisiting a story from the Wallpaper* archives, first published in April 2009
-
The world of Bart Prince, where architecture is born from the inside out
For the Albuquerque architect Bart Prince, function trumps form, and all building starts from the inside out; we revisit a profile from the Wallpaper* archive, first published in April 2009
-
Is embracing nature the key to a more fire-resilient Los Angeles? These landscape architects think so
For some, an executive order issued by California governor Gavin Newsom does little to address the complexities of living within an urban-wildland interface
-
Hop on this Fire Island Pines tour, marking Pride Month and the start of the summer
A Fire Island Pines tour through the work of architecture studio BOND is hosted by The American Institute of Architects New York in celebration of Pride Month; join the fun
-
A night at Pierre Jeanneret’s house, Chandigarh’s best-kept secret
Pierre Jeanneret’s house in Chandigarh is a modernist monument, an important museum of architectural history, and a gem hidden in plain sight; architect, photographer and writer Nipun Prabhakar spent the night and reported back
-
A Laurel Canyon house shows off its midcentury architecture bones
We step inside a refreshed modernist Laurel Canyon house, the family home of Annie Ritz and Daniel Rabin of And And And Studio
-
A refreshed Rockefeller Wing reopens with a bang at The Met in New York
The Met's Michael C Rockefeller Wing gets a refresh by Kulapat Yantrasast's WHY Architecture, bringing light, air and impact to the galleries devoted to arts from Africa, Oceania and the Ancient Americas