THE ARTISTIC DIGEST
We recently had the pleasure of combining creative forces with the founders of Metre Design, a powerful duo of architectural visionaries based in New York City. Stephen Mullins and Fani Budic band together after meeting at Cooper Union, Manhattan’s all-honors School of Architecture, and have collaborated on projects throughout the New York area, from 5th Avenue to the Hamptons.
Artistic Tile asked Stephen and Fani to create a concept for an ideal modern space, and we’ve documented the process from start to finish.
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s architects, their process starts naturally with consideration of the scale and proportion of the space.
The spaces are functional, yet contain Metre Design's signature element of surprise.
The master bath carries a similar theme, with blocks of marble that express solidity, and draw the eyes to the central structure. The use of Grigio Toscana and Calacatta Belgia marbles create contrast with fluid, sweeping streaks in a light and airy palette, helping to break up the rigidity of the block structure. A similar idea is employed with the bathroom’s unique fireplace, which is a tall column also constructed from Calacatta Belgia. Here the impact impact is softened with a
says Fani, "If something is off in scale and proportion at first, it doesn't matter what it is you put in the space or how beautiful it is, it's not going to turn out right."
This starts with a drawing - directly on top of a bare-bones blueprint of the room. Literally drawing their concept out allows Fani and Stephen to start exploring the "story" of the space, as Fani says, "we like to draw until the drawing starts to talk to us. The space has a voice, and it's the drawing that tells us what fits and what doesn't."
That’s number one,”
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Stephen elaborates, “We treat each space [within a home] as interconnected, in a way that it’s all part of one narrative. As you move through rooms, there should be an anticipation from where you are, in that environment, that continues on to the next one.”
Metre Design crafts spaces that realize their client’s aspirations, but what makes their designs so special are the unique touches they apply, distilled from their own experiences and innovations, and their carefully considered vision into each space’s potential.
The spaces conceptualized for this project are the perfect example. Each stands alone as an individual story, yet is also powerfully connected to the rest of the edifice through repeating themes. Consider the repetition of crisp, tall rectangular pillars of stone and tile on the stairway, in the master bath and in the library, juxtaposed against the softer, flowing visuals of the Tresses mosaics in the library, and the undulating carvings of Aquarius in the master bath.
The staircase design is focused on an unexpected combination: a pairing of marble, which is solid, classic, timeless, and natural, juxtaposed with a large, translucent resin panel, which is more contemporary, “techy,” and vibrant. The floating staircase and floor-to-ceiling blue resin panel are meant to allow the viewer to experience the staircase from both above and below, conveying movement and creating a visual connection between the two floors, much as the indoor window connects the experience between the stairwell and the library. Clean lines in the Pannelli stone walls echo the lines of the rectangular railing panels and the lines of the Grigio Carnico slab at the base of the staircase, among other strong linear statements. Panelli also adds dimension and texture that help make the space more dynamic.
Once a client’s needs and wants are understood and accounted for, their next step is to look deeper into the space, as Fani explains it, “the space actually tells us the story. We try to fit the desires of the client, and the desires of the space into one story.”
In every design process..."
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Their next step is to consider the client and how they want to live in the space - and how to incorporate those needs into an overall design that's unique, new and fresh.
"When the client comes to us, they often have a certain notion of what they want, of what they think they're going to get, and generally, it's something they've already seen," explains Stephen, "what we always try to add, is the thing that they didn't expect, what they haven't seen."
“We treat each space [within a home] as interconnected, in a way that it’s all part of one narrative. As you move through rooms, there should be an anticipation from where you are, in that environment, that continues on to the next one.”
unique and graceful curved design. Our Aquarius carved stone pattern on the bath walls mirrors this curve and adds a soft river-like sense of motion to the space. The inclusion of the Fan Club glass mosaic in the lower niche of the shower is an unexpected detail that plays with the size and scale of the surface materials, helping to counterbalance the large pillars of marble with a soft delicacy.
The library stands apart from the other spaces with a vibrant, youthful energy, yet continues the same narrative,
juxtaposing rectangular blocks of marble (Calacatta Belgia and Emerald Quartzite) in the coffee table against the fluid curves of the Tresses glass mosaic on the walls, echoing again the earlier use of contrast in texture and material. The fireplace is outfitted in Primal Caiman ceramic tile in blue, a fun reptile print that provides more variation in texture, intriguing detail, and a stylish pop of color. The library shelving is an intentional mix of boxes and lines of gold that visually extend across both walls, creating movement in a playful, subtle way. These less than conventional custom shelves add a design twist to a functional object. The gold leaf ceiling and yellow throw pillows tie the look together, culminating in a space that is both inviting and thought-provoking.
The spaces are functional, yet contain Metre Design’s signature element of surprise.
Fani and Stephen believe an element of surprise is crucial to making a space truly unique, and for telling a story that hasn’t been told before. In the process of their design journey, Stephen notes that sometimes “even we don’t know what that unexpected element is going to be.”
In this case, the theme Stephen and Fani planned for this space was a grounded stone look, contrasted with the statement-making translucent panel, a play on the disparity between solid and fluid objects. But the contrast further evolved with the infusion of Lilac stone’s bright and feminine purple hues - a touch the designers hadn’t considered for the staircase before their visit to the slab gallery.
“I had a certain idea about what kind of stone we’d use,” Stephen recounts, “but that completely changed with Lilac. Seeing the material completely readjusted our original idea for that space.”
says Stephen, “you get to a point where you’ve exhausted the creative spur and all the ideas and sense of direction the project could go in. And I think it was at just the right moment that we visited the slab gallery. Coming to the slab gallery re-introduced us to all these materials and things that inspired us to re-think some of the ideas we had.”
“Seeing the material in person gives you a real experience of the stone,” says Fani, “It’s more personal. You get to see the scale of the slab better, the color better. It becomes less flat, something with depth.”Stephen adds, “You can see the subtle difference in things like the finish, or the way it reflects light.”
The spaces that Metre Design created for this project are stunning, and the specifications of Artistic Tile slab and tile products feels tasteful, unique, and at times delightfully surprising. Thank you to Stephen and Fani for indulging with us in this design fantasy, and for the world class designs they’ve produced with some truly compelling material specifications.