After gutting the existing labyrinthian space and leaving only key structural elements such as the existing heavy timber beams, steel columns, and brick walls, OA and Push carefully organized the private and public spaces in such a manner that the full depth of the entire unit remains uninterrupted.  This enables the living room, den, and kitchen areas on the east side of the unit to benefit from the natural light and views of the bedroom windows on the west without ever catching a glimpse of the sleeping areas.  To help further define and facilitate specific activities, a series of design objects were inserted into the space such as floating walnut cabinetry, a cantilevered wet bar, as well as large sliding and accordion doors.  These objects, besides being functional and sculptural, contribute to the clear and casual circulation throughout the unit.

Too often “loft living” forces a choice between bohemian charm and individual privacy. With some spatial ingenuity, this residence manages to support family living within the laid-back vibe of a traditional loft.

To create a living room scaled to their vast collection of modern art, Marino converted four small rooms into one loft-like space. At right is Gilbert and George’s Growing Up.

“Art is part of the environment,” says Marino, who helped the couple assemble their collection.  Cambodian sandstone heads are displayed near Damien Hirst’s Potassium Chloride. Love, 1966, is by Robert Indiana.

On one wall of the entrance hall is a five-panel canvas by Jorge Pardo. Anish Kapoor’s Blood Solid is on the floor. Felix Gonzalez-Torres did the light sculpture. The gorilla console is by François-Xavier Lalanne.

Many of the furnishings, accessories and fabrics in the living room, as throughout, were designed by Marino’s firm, including the pair of ebonized and gilded-brass bookcases, the fringed sofas, the bronze pillow fabric and, at right, the pair of lampshades trimmed with antique sari fabric. On the circa 1970 Plexiglas low table is a circa 1900 hammered-bronze bowl from Japan. The painting, Witness, is by Richard Serra.

“It’s a very gracious house,” says Marino, who preserved original elements such as the crown molding. “There’s nothing tight or narrow.”

The first piece of art the couple bought together—Sol LeWitt’s Wall Drawing #767—dominates a living room sitting area. The pair of slipper chairs are Marino’s own design.

The dining room’s vertical-stripe wallcovering makes a lively backdrop for a light sculpture by Leo Villareal, over the mantel, and a work by Paola Pivi, at right. The lamps are by Josef Hoffmann. Tiffany’s silverware.

Converting a club into a residence is “adaptive reuse,” says Marino. “It was fascinating to watch the switch.”

“I said, ‘Let’s go nuts here and make the whole room an artwork,’ ” Marino says of the powder room, which was painted by Eli Sudbrack. The cabinet is by Gio Ponti; the chandelier is by Verner Panton.

Marino treated the paneling in the master bedroom with Venetian plaster. The canvas at right is by Mark Sheinkman; at left is a 1981 oil by Marc Chagall.