Interior designer Vicente Wolf recently took part in a pro-bono redesign of several areas of the DANY (Dance Art New York) Studios (305 West 38th St.) which is operated by The Joyce Theater Foundation. Wolf collaborated with Eric Paeper, a recent MFA graduate of the New York School of Interior Design on the project, which features 11 studios.
The redesign incorporates things such as an updated color scheme (lacks, grays, and whites, with vibrant pear green highlights), better lighting, and stencil work featuring the DANY Studios name (as well as the names of dance companies) on the walls. New furniture and decor was donated by companies such as Crate and Barrel, and the entire project was documented by SPACEStv channel.
Wolf, a lifelong patron of the arts and one of Architectural Digest’s AD100 designers, was approached by a friend that is affiliated with The Joyce Theater Foundation to help give the space a much-needed facelift. 4dancers corresponded with the designer via e-mail and asked a few questions about the design process…
There are so many projects that you could have chosen to lend your talents to–what was it specifically that drew you to working with the space at DANY?
My great respect for dance and the amount of energy that dancers put into art needed to be rewarded with a wonderful space where they can relax after a hard day of rehearsal.
What did you want the space to feel like when it was finished?
I wanted it to have a uplifting sense of comfort and design.
Can you highlight a few of the design elements that you think transformed the space the most?
The paint donated by PPG gave it a facelift; the convex mirrors which alter the space of its reflections; painting the wood, which helped to unify the space; the clean lines of the upholstery that blended well with the existing floors.
Take a look at the space now:
The official “unveiling” of the new studios was October 25, 2012.
