Brown leather paneled wall with floral designs, dining chair with black horsehair upholstery, wall-hung server and mirror. Dining room with brown leather walls, two tables, chairs, abstract glass chandelier, casement windows and chevron wood floor.
Beige-walled living room with sisal rug, casement windows, and a mix of modern and antique seating and a Lucite coffee table.
Large modern sofa with gray tufted upholstery against beige wall, black and white modern art, sculptural metal coffee table.
Modern den in a neutral palette with minimalist fireplace, a mirror over the mantel, silk rug and pair of oversized ottomans.
Modern kitchen with pale wood cabinetry, white marble counter and backsplash, black slate floor, round wood breakfast table.
Bedroom in black, brown, and bronze palette, bed with upholstered headboard and velvet cover, spherical table lamp and bench. Corner of a white marble bathroom with sink vanity and white cabinetry, casement windows with white shade and mirror wall.
Entry foyer with off-white walls encrusted with plaster discs and a shelf with mirror holding a vase of yellow flowers.

ENVELOPMENT IN TONE WAS THE KEY TO THIS RENOVATION OF AN UPPER EAST SIDE CO-OP FOR A YOUNG FAMILY IN A 1930S BUILDING BY THE ARCHITECTS ANTHONY DEPACE AND SAMUEL JUSTER. THE APARTMENT WAS BLESSED WITH BEAUTIFULLY PROPORTIONED ROOMS, INCLUDING A SPACIOUS LIVING ROOM AND LIBRARY, BOTH WITH WORKING FIREPLACES. AN EXTENSIVE RENOVATION WAS DONE WHICH INCLUDED A NEW KITCHEN AND BATHROOMS, CUSTOM MILLWORK AND LIGHTING, AND THE INSTALLATION OF HISTORICALLY ACCURATE CASEMENT WINDOWS WITH ENERGY-EFFICIENT GLASS PANES ENCASED IN FRAMES OF BLACKENED STEEL.

IN THE DINING ROOM, ONE OF THE MOST VISUALLY DRAMATIC ROOMS OF THE HOME, WALLS ARE WRAPPED IN A RICH CHOCOLATE-COLORED LEATHER. THE ADJACENT LIVING ROOM IS JUST THE OPPOSITE: BRIGHT AND AIRY WITH WHITE SILK WALLS AND FURNISHINGS IN LIGHT, NEUTRAL TONES. THIS LEADS INTO THE DEN, WHERE THE MOOD IS WARM AND TEXTURED, WITH WALLS IN GREIGE PLASTER AND FURNITURE AND FLOORS IN AN ANALOGOUS PALETTE. THE MODERN KITCHEN—BRIGHT WHITE, WITH ITS MARBLE ISLAND AND BACKSPLASH AND PALE WOOD CABINETRY—ONCE AGAIN LIGHTENS THE MOOD. THE SOOTHING PRIMARY BEDROOM IS LINED IN CHARCOAL GREY GRASS CLOTH, WITH A HEADBOARD AND BEDSPREAD IN BURNISHED METALLIC VELVET.

IN ADDITION TO THE PLAY OF LIGHT AND DARK, THE APARTMENT IS A STUDY IN JUXTAPOSITIONS: LIGHTING AND HARDWARE IN HARD-EDGED BLACKENED NICKEL COEXIST WITH FINE SILK VELVETS AND LUXURIOUS WOODS, ALL OF WHICH IS, IN TURN, DRESSED DOWN WITH CARPETING IN NATURAL SISAL. THE END RESULT COMBINES THE GRACEFUL NOTES OF PREWAR ARCHITECTURE WITH A CONTEMPORARY SENSIBILITY.

PHOTOS: ERIC PIASECKI