Studio Den Den's Apartment West is a series of thoughtful vignettes mixing of Andersonian hues, Scandinavian design, and a curation of artifacts from the homeowners.

Filmmaking is about the incorporation of space within narrative themes, set dressing, and a thoughtful color story as much as the practice of architecture itself. One such firm pulling from these cinematic parallels is New York-based Studio Den Den who recently completed their Apartment West project overlooking the East River in Brooklyn, New York. Every thoughtful vignette in this residential composition is staged using a mixture of Andersonian hues, Scandinavian design language, and a careful curation of personal artifacts from the homeowners meant to elicit a variety of emotions. From a sense of relief upon arrival, comfort, curiosity, excitement, and even suspense.
Helmed by J.R. and George Coffin ? an architect and industrial designer respectively ? the duo encourages their clients to actively engage in the design process from its inception. ?We dissuade clients from using websites that tend to push the same kinds of inspirational images,? they say. ?It?s much better to seek inspiration from film, fashion, art, or found materials as a way to create design concepts that are more personal. This, in turn, is also one of the more challenging but fruitful aspects of the process.? Their interdisciplinary approach helps translate and realize seemingly complex themes into buildings, backdrops, and bea...