May/June 2007
Passions: Lee Mindel
Photos by Michael Moran
The architect and designer takes us through his graceful mid-century modern Manhattan duplex.
Georges Jouve lampA Love of Light
Mindel’s top-floor penthouse is lined with windows facing all directions, and drenched in sunlight. But he doesn’t limit his appreciation to the natural source. “Light, to me, can manifest in many ways: the light from sun, light from a person, the light from tungsten bulbs, from halogen bulbs.” The lamp by Georges Jouve in the entryway is left purposely without a shade. “I just love the exposed bare bulb. The composition is about the form that holds the bulb. Something made by man—the lamp—and something made by machine—the bulb. I like that juxtaposition.”
Gibbons chairs; George Nelson black table lamp; Peter Hvidt coffee table.Indoor & Outdoor Space
“In the city, light and air are the hardest things to get, so you want to find a way to bring in as much as possible,” says Mindel. But you don’t always want to look at the city views—sometimes something a little more peaceful is in order. This room offers an intimate view of (and access to) a terrace garden. “You can sit here and watch the trees blowing in the wind, the ivy coming out, and flowers growing in the planters.”
Downstairs, Mindel’s views are of the urban garden—the frenetic metropolis—whereas upstairs one looks at soft, quiet, natural forms. “The two spaces integrate indoors and outdoors in very different ways. When people come over, I love going up there.”
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