In New York City’s TriBeCa neighborhood, MODU took on the renovations of a three-bedroom loft to brighten up the inner part of the space in a project they call Inside Light. The loft, as with other typical NYC lofts, has a “deep” floor plan, which means the front and the rear are naturally lit by the windows, but the middle section is often dark. Generally that section serves as the service function area, but this loft’s middle section is where the kitchen is housed.
Due to the layout, they decided to invert the typical loft arrangement in order to make the central space more bright. In order to make that happen, they created a series of mirrored surfaces that help reflect the light from the front and rear windows and into the family space.
Paired with translucent glass walls, these reflective surfaces expand the area of naturally lit spaces making the entire unit appear open and light.
A cube bumps out from a side wall in the open living area providing a spot for the fireplace, as well as storage. It also houses some of the reflective surfaces within it. It’s clad in rich wood panels, some that are raised helping to create dimension – otherwise it would be just a large wooden box.
The kitchen island has a faceted wood exterior which mimics the lines of the cube.
The kitchen cabinets are a crisp white helping to keep space super bright.
More reflective panels line the hallway.
Photos by Naho Kubota.
