Step Inside This 470

By Vaishnavi Nayel Talawadekar

Photography by John Daniel Powers

As someone who has spent 20-something summer weekends living on a sailboat, urban strategy consultant and entrepreneur James Lima has a thing for small, well-designed spaces. "My brief to Daniel and Noam was simple: Help me showcase my artwork and create a living space that is comfortable, serene, luminous—and queer," says the urban redevelopment leader, who is currently busy helming the redevelopment of the iconic—and long-abandoned—Buffalo Central Terminal.

The Daniel and Noam in question? Daniel Rauchwerger and Noam Dvir, founders and principal architects of New York–based architecture firm BoND, whom Lima met via overlapping professional circles. "I believe it was important for him to involve us as an emerging design office that has a queer identity and agenda, in addition to his appreciation of our work and style," Rauchwerger says.

For Rauchwerger and Dvir, the apartment's bones became the natural point of departure for the interior design. After all, the building—brought to life by Farrar & Watmough in the 1920s—is one of the oldest and best-recognized residential fixtures in downtown New York. "And its history deserved to be honored," says Rauchwerger, who also drew inspiration from 1900s European architects, like Marcel Breuer and Mies van der Rohe, noted for their industrial furniture designs with steel pipes and metal. "We wanted to manifest the tension that existed in the design world at that time, holding a mirror to European modernist thinking in the more architecturally conservative New York context."

Given Lima's clean, minimalist style, the architects opted for colors and materials that riffed on masculinity. But there was a catch—since this was a rental unit, they couldn't touch the floor or walls or ceiling. "The only new addition, therefore, was a floor-to-ceiling curtain in a sheer off-white fabric," quips Rauchwerger, adding that the design edits largely pivoted around dividing the studio into various characterful zones and corners. Indeed, for a home so small, there's plenty of personality to go around. The living room, for example, isn't just a living room. It's a little treasure trove of paintings and special finds that hold a mirror to Lima's life story: "The art here is particularly meaningful to me, especially the works by queer artists such as Tim Greathouse, Nathaniel Mary Quinn, Robert Andy Coombs, Stephen Kuzma, Richard Haines, and Lisa Kereszi."

Lima isn't your typical New Yorker—at least as far as entertaining is concerned. "New Yorkers, by and large, don't entertain friends in their homes. I’m the exception," he says, adding that the dining table pulls double duty in this regard. "By day, it serves as a Zoom-tailored home office with six discreet drawers, and by night, a sunset spot for entertaining." By the same token, the dining nook is lighter and brighter than the living area, asserting an identity of its own with off-white and beige tones, light oak wood, and rows and rows of colorful books.

"This was a project that took place during the height of the pandemic lockdown, and being locked in a little studio apartment could be suffocating. We tried to inject enough character into the design, but left it airy enough so that it wasn't overwhelming," explains Rauchwerger, noting that space-saving solutions, like the dining nook-cum-office, were a game-changer. "I had a few programmatic requirements. But, mostly, I wanted the pleasure of experiencing Noam and Daniel's design process, and to see how they incorporated my art," Lima says. "I call this my comfortable hotel room, a cozy urban nest that happens to be filled with art most special to me."

James Lima seated in his Chelsea studio.

The foyer is dominated by colorful artworks and a Bench 153B, designed by Alvar Aalto for Artek. The floor has a wooden sheen that serves as a prelude to the rest of the apartment.

The studio is divided into two sides: one for sitting and another for dining. The former is characterized by dark colors and masculine forms. A Marcel Wanders Moooi Sofa—pre-owned by Lima—flanks one wall, while a Vintage MR lounge chair by Mies van der Rohe for Knoll sits to its side. "We made some bold design moves but left enough room for Lima's art collection to shine," Rauchwerger says. The rug is a Norr Mälarstrand by Nordic Knots and the C2 coffee table is a design by Herman Studio for Andersen Furniture. The room also stars an AJ floor lamp by Louis Poulsen, a Dioscuri lamp by Artemide, and a Samsung Serif television.

A petite alcove in the living room masquerades as the bedroom. "Since it is adjacent to the living room, it is always on view. We designed it in a way that would seem like a continuation of the living space," Rauchwerger says. The space features a custom USM shelving unit.

The cat nestled in bed.

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