Houston Couple’s New York Apartment is as Big as Texas — Step Inside Lucinda Loya’s Manhattan Dream
These Closets are Larger Than Some NYC Bedrooms
BY Shelby HodgeFollowing incarnations as a convent, a rehab center and a college club, the building was converted to condos. The Andy Warhol portrait is by Alex Geofeng Cao. (Photo by Julie Soefer)
A larger-than-life portrait of Andy Warhol presides over the vast great room of Lucinda Loya‘s New York pied-à-terre, a mammoth (by Manhattan standards) 4,000 square foot abode carved from the bones of a former convent. The image and surrounding furnishings serve as a clever nod to Loya’s ardor for fashion which is equaled only by her passion for decorating.
Homages to high fashion can be found throughout the three-bedroom, three-bath apartment which Loya shares with her husband, Javier who is chairman and CEO of OTC Global Holdings, and their two daughters. In the master bedroom, for example, Loya designed the platform bed, the quilting of which is inspired by a Chanel handbag. The rug is patterned in Gucci-like links and the bed is flanked with Goyard trunks.
And her walk-in closet? It’s larger than many a Manhattan bedroom. A fashionista, after all, needs space.
“When I walked into this apartment for the first time, the ceilings blew me away, 26 feet high” she recalls. “I thought, a New York apartment as big as Texas and it felt like home. We ladies love our big closets so this apartment was surprisingly accommodating for New York City standards.”
The redbrick Victorian Gothic building, overlooking tree-shrouded Stuyvesant Park, is dubbed the Clapton Chapel in honor of Eric Clapton, who made a generous donation to the building when it served as a rehab center, one of various incarnations before it was re-imagined as a condo project housing 13 residences.
“My design objective was to imply a deep sense of fashion. Stylish elements flow throughout, represented in custom furniture, rugs and fine art,” Loya tells PaperCity. In the 54-foot long great room, the three-seat sofa, chairs, ottomans and vanity chair are all by Marcel Wanders. The iconic hand-shaped chair is by Mexico City-based artist Pedro Friedeberg.
Elizabeth Anthony
On the dining table are pieces titled ‘Pokal, 2015’ by Raphaela Vogel were taken from historic exterior architecture. “They seemed perfectly fitting for this landmark building in New York City,” Loya says.
The loft-like great room, the former chapel of the St. John the Baptist House, is codified by the vaulted ceilings, painted black with original gilded ceiling crests and medallions. The chandeliers are original to the chapel as well.
A quirky touch to Loya’s design: She commissioned a local artist to paint “I Love U” on the back of the front door. “This represents the love I have for my family and also the love our family has for New York City.”
While the Loyas have enjoyed their Manhattan aerie for a decade, the apartment merits revisiting as the longevity of the design continues. In fact, the NBC show Open House just filmed a segment on the apartment, which is expected to air in August.
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