Mary Krueger and her partner, Andres Saavedra, creators of event-production firm Carmona Design + Events, purchased this garden apartment as their office a year ago. The party planners extraordinaire (they designed Andrew Solomon’s book launch party at the Met’s Temple of Dendur last year and transformed the Althorp Estate for his wedding to John Habich in 2007) found this 600-square-foot studio with an upstairs loft area in Murray Hill”where they’ve had two previous offices since they started their business in 1996. Here, in the entrance foyer, one of the cardboard boxes from their first event is displayed on the wall above a miniature Egyptian mummy sculpture, the bones of a human foot, and the clavicle of a cow. Photo: Wendy Goodman
Saavedra wanted to accentuate the length of the space and draw the eye down to the window with a view to the garden, so he designed these narrow office desks, which can also work as dining tables. The Buddha head (far left), an Egyptian sarcophagus mask, and a Nepalese shaman figure seem to float over the surface from their pedestals. Two wood figures by the Moba people of Togo, Africa, rest on clear acrylic pedestals. Photo: Wendy Goodman
The corner kitchen area has milk-white Corian counters and custom glossy cabinets from GD Cucine. “The only colors in the space come from the artwork and the books,” Krueger says. Photo: Wendy Goodman
A closer look at the induction cooktop by Summit. The dishwasher and oven are by Smeg. Photo: Wendy Goodman
“The seller had done a cheap vanilla-box renovation that was boring and ordinary in order to sell it”but we immediately saw the studio’s potential,” Krueger says. The bathroom was no exception. Krueger and Saavedra covered the walls in Absolute Black granite tiles, and showcased an Edo period Japanese samurai mask in the alcove. All faucets and tub fixtures are by Fantini Rubinetti. Photo: Wendy Goodman
“The moment we saw the outdoor space we were completely sold,” Krueger says. “It was in terrible condition; there was no vegetation, just dirt and trash. But being event designers, we knew we could create a special oasis within the towers of midtown Manhattan.” The umbrella is for privacy purposes, as the garden gets very little sun. Photo: Andres Saavedra
In one corner of the garden, a group of turtles go piggyback for a stroll. Photo: Wendy Goodman
Andrew Solomon’s latest book, Far From the Tree, was celebrated at a launch party at the Temple of Dendur last November, shown here. Between the lighting and floral designs, you can see just how elaborate and extraordinary the works by Carmona Designs are. Photo: Courtesy of Carmona Design & Events
A photograph of the designers on the front door of the studio. The ladder is from the African Lobi people. Photo: Wendy Goodman
