Union Square loft is an iconic New York apartment redesigned
Worrell Yeung and Colony join forces to design a loft apartment in New York's Union Square

Brooke Holm - Photography
Lofts in the Union Square area of Manhattan are rare to come by. Prized for their location and often historic in nature, these idiosyncratic pieces of property hark back to classic New York City imagery. When the Brooklyn-based architecture firm Worrell Yeung was tasked with renovating one such 3,000 sq ft property, it seized the chance to reinvigorate the New York apartment space with character, after the previous owners had stripped most of the space’s original detail.
‘The apartment occupies the full floor of a Robert Maynicke-designed building from 1899, and given the unique geometry of Broadway intersecting the NYC street grid, the building itself is triangular,’ says practice co-founder Max Worrell. He explains that the architects worked hard to find a layout that mitigated this geometry, while also highlighting its quirks. ‘Along with the footprint, the apartment was unique because it offered 14 large windows around the perimeter. From the very beginning, our design ideas were focused on keeping the perimeter as open as possible to maintain an open loft feeling throughout, while [addressing] the programmatic needs of the client,’ adds Worrell.
Those needs were more specific than most, given that one of the home’s owners is a concert violinist. Throughout the residence, spaces transition from calming refuges to more lively gathering places where impromptu recitals could be held.
‘We started by exploring strategies that highlighted the distinct nature of the loft,’ says Worrell, adding that all 14 windows were freed from obstruction to create a true openness and continuous flow through the space. This, in turn, enabled multiple interventions to be installed; the main entrance to the home opens onto a custom metal bookcase that also doubles as a screen, which boasts a grid-like configuration that echoes the geometry of the surrounding streets below. From here, an interconnected living area functions as a den, recital area, living and dining space and kitchen, elegantly rolled into one. A powder room, unexpectedly concealed within a cylindrical plaster volume, brings a playful element to the space. The den, conceived as a home office space, can also be acoustically sealed off with sliding metal and glass pocket doors.
‘The loft was designed around working from home well before the pandemic made that a necessity. Openness and continuity of spaces is the baseline with the flexibility to cordon off discrete workspaces with some level of acoustic privacy (office for him, and practice room for her) using sliding panels at the scale and height of the loft,’ notes the firm’s co-founder Jejon Yeung.
To imbue the vast space with warmth and enhance its inherent textures, Worrell Yeung worked with its longstanding collaborator Colony, the local design showroom known for championing emerging talent, to bring a sophisticated touch to the home’s interiors.
‘We used deep colours and textural materials to define spaces within the loft, which help to create intimacy, even where walls don’t stand,’ says Colony’s founder Jean Lin. ‘Because of our collaborative history and friendship, the line between Colony and Worrell Yeung is nebulous, and thus the architecture and interior design blend seamlessly into a singular vision and concept.’
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
It’s a sentiment that Yeung echoes. ‘Like with many of our projects with Colony, there is a consistent play and exchange of what is neutral and background versus what is embellished and expressive. There are moments where the furniture is the foreground, and others where the shell and its finishes are the focal points. We allow certain elements to come forward that best meet the needs of the clients, but also reflect their personalities.’
INFORMATION
Pei-Ru Keh is a former US Editor at Wallpaper*. Born and raised in Singapore, she has been a New Yorker since 2013. Pei-Ru held various titles at Wallpaper* between 2007 and 2023. She reports on design, tech, art, architecture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle happenings in the United States, both in print and digitally. Pei-Ru took a key role in championing diversity and representation within Wallpaper's content pillars, actively seeking out stories that reflect a wide range of perspectives. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, and is currently learning how to drive.
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the week
Much of our team was in Copenhagen for 3 Days of Design this week. For those left basking in the London heatwave, it was architecture workshops, photography exhibitions and two very different performances: ballet and Britpop
-
The best bars in London for bartending greatness
From chic hotel cocktail classics to game-changing flavour combinations, our resident drinks correspondent, Neil Ridley, explores ten of the best bars in London
-
Milan Fashion Week Men’s S/S 2026: live updates from the Wallpaper* team
From 20-23 June, Milan Fashion Week Men’s arrives in the Italian fashion capital. Follow along for a first look at the shows, presentations and other fashion happenings, as seen by the Wallpaper* editors
-
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 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
-
A Fire Island house for two sisters reimagines the beach home typology
Coughlin Scheel Architects’ Fire Island house is an exploration of an extended family retreat for the 21st century