Inside a Jacques Grange-Designed Park Avenue Co-Op

Preeminent French designer Jacques Grange is known for marrying the contemporary with the historic and the lavish with the restrained. Under his watch, worldly sophistication gets a dose of carefully curated comfort. A visit to The Mark on Madison Avenue offers one of the best domestic examples of Grange’s timeless visual style. He has also designed private residences for actress Isabelle Adjani, fashion icon Valentino and Princess Caroline of Monaco, among others. When it came time to preside over the transformation of a prewar Upper East Side co-op, Grange once again imagined modernity through the lens of timelessness. He lent his considerable talents to achieve “a perfect balance of sophisticated luxury, brilliant design and practical comfort,” explains listing agent Wendy Greenbaum of Warburg Realty, recently acquired by Coldwell Banker Real Estate, LLC. Currently listed for $12 million, the 5-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom space bears all of the celebrated visionary’s hallmarks: the juxtaposition of old and new, lived-in elegance and meticulous attention to detail throughout. Says Greenbaum: “Jacques Grange’s superb timeless design provides a harmonious aura of prewar style and contemporary cool.” Soaring 10-foot ceilings and tall windows bathe the front-corner apartment with natural light and “enhance the grand proportions of the space,” describes Greenbaum. A formal gallery leads into the main entertaining spaces stretching along Park Avenue. French doors take you to the living room, where a wood-burning fireplace anchors the space and three oversized windows overlook the famed avenue. Leaded glass doors fuse the living and dining rooms, allowing extra space while entertaining. Against the backdrop of classic wood floors and a spirited collection of hand-selected furnishings and objets d'art, each room beams with color, warmth and pared-down refinement. A large corner library, complete with built-in bookshelves and abundant windows, creates yet another light-filled space for more relaxed moments. An adjoining powder room, with its fluted vanity base, light wood and red-veined marble, offers one of the apartment’s most striking studies of Grange’s take on traditional-meets-contemporary. The chef’s kitchen also eschews expected modernist tropes with custom cabinetry dressed in light wood, elegant tile floor and the finest stainless steel appliances. A private hallway lined with closets leads to four south-facing bedrooms. The largest, of course, is the owner’s suite with an exquisitely designed dressing room and luxurious marble bathroom. Completing the floorplan: a separate breakfast room, comfortable staff room with a full bathroom, laundry room and mudroom/ storage area. Following Grange’s penchant for elevating the historic, the apartment is set in an early 1900s-era building designed by Emery Roth, the architect behind New York City residential landmarks such as the San Remo and Eldorado buildings. Among its exclusive residents-only perks: a fitness center, basement storage and bike storage.