New York, NY – July 2026

 

AMMOR Architecture LLP, led by Goil Amornvivat and Tom Morbitzer, has unveiled an innovative design for a 2,900 SF West Village loft for entrepreneur, Act 4 Artists Founder and Creative Director Danielle Lauder. The project reimagines city-living as a transformative interior that supports the shape of Lauder's dynamic lifestyle. 

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Lauder lives and conducts meetings from home. A typical day is dotted with visitors and nights with gatherings or large catered parties. AMMOR was tasked with creating an apartment that puts her home life at the center—always considering her comfort, privacy, and a sense of place while creating transformable spaces that can accommodate large gatherings and different life scenarios: entourage, meetings, screenings, and catered events.

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Says Amornvivat, “We embraced the opportunity to design a space that transforms in so many ways. To make the space work with all the facets of her life, many elements define and redefine the space, depending on how they are configured.”

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Upon arrival, the private entry space sets the tone for the project. This custom metal room pairs bronze wainscot with flocked wallcovering, conceals doors to service spaces, and buffers noise from the elevator core. A large metal arch with a metal-and-glass sliding door leads to a Great Room with a panoramic view of the Hudson River. The Great Room features living and dining areas, a kitchen, guest bath, flexible sitting room, and a quiet corner called ‘the perch’.

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The entry arch frames the dining area, featuring movable banquettes around a marble table and custom chandelier, allowing flexible arrangements. Behind the dining vignette, a sheer curtain allows flexible division between the dining and kitchen.

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Beyond the east veil, the kitchen, framed by three arched windows, combines quiet everyday service with exotic decorative elements for entertaining. The back wall features discreet white cabinets and appliances, punctuated by a columnar brass vent. The kitchen island is sculpted from large slabs of Calacutta Sunset stone. Above the island hangs a brass and colored glass shelving unit. Behind discreet doors lies a pantry with a saturated deep rose interior. When opened, it contrasts with the soft, quiet palette of the main room.

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The main living area is the heart of the project, highlighted by a central light and sculpted ceiling. Two curved sofas set into raised platforms create a sense of intimacy like a conversation pit. This raised platform is a physical signal of a change from public to more private spaces. At the center, a rotating ottoman forms flexible seating around a stone fireplace. The ottoman rotates, and the backrest flips up, giving it the flexibility to turn into a comfortable lounge daybed. A movable panel above the mantle, displaying artwork by Donald Martiny, hides a TV. 

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The rest of the artwork is featured in an atelier style, including works by Marcel Duchamp, Horst P. Horst, Pabli Stein, Anke Roder, and Anton Connolly.

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Toward the window, the platform rises again to meet the sill and create an additional ledge for impromptu seating. Beyond it are three private spaces: the primary suite, the private sitting niche, and the perch. The latter two offer intimate and quiet retreats.

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An arch with lacquer doors marks the entry to the primary suite, which includes the bedroom overlooking downtown and the Statue of Liberty, a bath with a tub carved from a single block of Calcutta Viola stone, walk-in closets, and a dressing room that can accommodate fashion, hair, and makeup professionals when needed. Metal arches frame the entry to each space. The round dressing room is high-gloss pink lacquer millwork centered on a double-sided makeup vanity with a midnight rose stone-and-brass counter. The room’s display shelves are highlighted by backlit 3Form stone-look resin panels.

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Across from the private suite, a domed-ceiling sitting room contains a built-in sofa that can be converted into a bed for guests. The ceiling of the room has 200 fiber optic lights depicting the stars of the night sky, set into a custom ink-colored plaster. Above small arched niches, a star was added as a dedication to her late grandfather, Leonard Lauder.

 

Service components such as mechanical and control closets, storage, pantry, laundry, and a multifunctional catering room are discreetly integrated and utilize the spaces left by the sculpted walls. The raised platform serves both utilitarian and design purposes. Its sectional poché conceals ducts and pipes while spatially defining the conversation pit, and it reshapes one’s relationship to the exterior view.

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“Fortunately, the space has wide proportions and tall ceilings. This gave us flexibility to move core elements not easily relocated in typical city apartments. We wanted to preserve the lofty feel while creating distinctly different spaces,” notes Morbitzer.

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This project used scaled architectural model-making as a design tool and expanded beyond typical boundaries by creating ‘dollhouses’—large-scale, material-lined study models with cutout figures. These dollhouses allowed us to evaluate materiality and helped create and resolve complex forms.

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The design process based on model making pushed the boundaries of fabrication, merging traditional and contemporary techniques: CNC-carved stone slabs designed to look like monolithic blocks, bespoke curved metalwork, 3-D-printed drawer organizers, and contemporary transformable upholstery made by traditional furniture makers.

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“Our approach was to create a home that’s as dynamic and original as Dani herself,” said Amornvivat. “We collaborated closely, using model-making as a process and to communicate ideas, ensuring every detail reflected her spirit.”

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The collaboration explored the intersection of feminist and queer contributions in the construction of domesticity. The process challenged the dissuasion of “boys don’t play with dolls,” and stereotypes about girls who do. Together, Lauder and AMMOR reframed what was once discouraged and underestimated as a source of pride, turning it into a design engine that led to transformative breakthroughs.

 

Press Contact: ga@ammorllp.com

Website: www.ammorllp.com