The architect and designer takes us through his graceful mid-century modern Manhattan duplex.
Etro suit; Kiton dress shirt; Raf Simmons rain jacket; Hermès black leather belt; John Lobb shoes; T. Anthony umbrella; Cartier Santos-Dumont watch.
"I love people who can integrate music and words like we try to do with architecture, interiors and landscapes," says Mindel of friend and lyricist, the late Betty Comden. Here he reenacts Singin' in the Rain, which Comden co-wrote with Adolph Green. Learing that no memorial was planned for her, Mindel took it upon himself to organize one with lyricist David Zipple and Composer Craig Urquhart of the Leonard Bernstein estate. It will be held at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on September 18.
Ask New York-based architect Lee Mindel what he’s passionate about and he’ll come back to you with ideas—grand, sweeping, touching, and, ultimately, gorgeous and practical. While a dedication to concepts like “the democracy of design” or “the joy of music” may seem highfalutin at first, under closer inspection, they’re easily illustrated in the airy Manhattan duplex penthouse Mindel designed for himself. They come together and weave through each other in the things he owns—a Charlotte Perriand bookcase, a Poul Kjaerholm chair—and in the things he does—traveling, taking pictures, organizing a memorial for a long-time friend, songwriter Betty Comden.
The same kind of intellectualism shows up in his work. The firm of Shelton, Mindel & Associates, which he founded with Peter Shelton in 1978, is known for thoughtful architectural spaces in which simplicity, function, and a spare, warm modernism reign supreme. It’s a reputation that has attracted an impressive roster of clients, from designer Ralph Lauren and performers Sting and Trudie Styler to billionaire takeover tycoon Steven Rales. And it’s earned Mindel and his partner strong critical approbation: five national American Institute of Architecture awards and several local and regional ones as well, inclusion on Architectural Digest’s AD 100 list, and induction into the Interior Design Hall of Fame. Speaking with him, you understand what his ideas don’t involve—pretension. They combine a genuine enthusiasm with goodwill and an appreciation of artful things—things with integrity, honesty, and, well, passion.
Passions
Passions: Golden State Glamour
Smarts
Can Gas Go Green?
Smarts
An Architect Strikes (Olive) Oil In The Middle East
Features
Derelict Duty
Spotlight
Upgrade your John Hancock with a John Adams
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