This SoHo loft has tall ceilings with large windows wrapping around two sides. The corner offers extended views of the articulated cast-iron facades of the intersecting streets below. The client, a single man who is an accomplished cook and collector of traditional Japanese furniture, was seeking flexibility and simplicity and did not require discreetly separated spaces.

The living area, occupying the corner, was kept completely open. The kitchen and sleeping areas are set off this main rectangular volume, while the remaining private functions are distributed along the windowless side wall. The sleeping area is screened off with oversize sliding partitions that allow it to be either completely enclosed or integrated into the rest of the space. The kitchen occupies a large open alcove off the living area. It is designed using materials such as laminated translucent glass, sand-blasted stainless steel and cast resin laboratory counters that are "hard" and industrial yet finished in a refined way. A study doubles as a guest room and is also screened off from the main space with a large sliding panel.