16 W 32ND STREET

Common Spaces Renovation

Koreatown, NYC

Commercial

11 Story Commercial Building

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A full common space renovation of an 11-story commercial building in Koreatown, Manhattan, this lobby and corridor project demonstrates what thoughtful commercial interior design can do for an aging building without erasing its bones.

The lobby's focal point is a reception desk built entirely from green onyx — a solid, cube-form object that greets every visitor the moment they enter. Its simplicity is deliberate: the material does all the work. From there, the existing marble wall cladding was carefully cleaned and restored rather than replaced, preserving the building's original character while bringing it back to its best condition. Underfoot, a new chocolate brown marble floor grounds the space and unifies the lobby in a palette of natural stone.

On the wall opposite the elevators, floor-to-ceiling mirror-polished stainless steel creates depth and light where there was none — its seam precisely aligned with the existing marble joint to read as a single, considered surface. Overhead, a new dropped ceiling of wood slats replaces outdated finishes and provides a framework for contemporary lighting, softening the industrial scale of the space without losing its authority.

The corridors throughout all eleven floors received the same level of attention. New wallcovering runs the length of each hall, while custom mirror-polished stainless steel lettering — fitted directly to the walls outside each elevator bank — adds identity and wayfinding with a material that ties back to the lobby below. New dropped ceilings and fresh paint complete the renovation, delivering a consistent, building-wide finish.

The result is a Manhattan commercial lobby renovation that respects what was there, fixes what wasn't working, and adds a handful of high-craft moments that elevate the building's first impression for every tenant and visitor.