The Belnord

In 2018, in collaboration with Robert A.M. Stern, Rafael de Cárdenas, Ltd. revamped the Belnord, a historic full-block building (built in 1908) on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. While Stern renovated and refreshed the building’s classically modernist details, RdC, Ltd. was charged with introducing the contemporary, layering in custom-designed and curated furniture, lighting and artworks that not only reinvigorate the building with a sense of the new but augment and amplify its historical details and romantic, turn-of-the-century air. RdC, Ltd.’s designs for the Belnord represent an exactingly calibrated approach to preserving and accentuating the historic character of a space while — and through — seamlessly integrating its own contemporary finishes. The designs’ streamlined geometry largely eschews ornamentation, both setting the stage for the building’s original details and weaving a delicate counterpoint. On the surface, these designs evoke a simplified modernism, yet they represent a distinctive approach: steering well clear of austerity and into a subtle, ludic romance.