EDITED BY MEREDITH KAHN
TEXT BY ALEXANDRA LANGE
Recently, a revolution has taken place in the New York apartment. The action has moved into the kitchen, which, more and more, is an extension of the living room. Hence New Yorkers—whether they fancy themselves Iron Chefs or just takeout artists—are creating kitchens where they can feel completely at home, and welcome cocktail-party guests, too. Bathrooms have also upped their profile, with spa-worthy tubs and space-age showers—and an emphasis on total relaxation. In this issue, we’ve asked the city’s top architects and designers for rooms that reinvent these genres. The results feature the hottest new fixtures and appliances—as well as how-to-get-it guides for everything from cabinet-makers to tiles. And if you’re busy putting off your renovation, consider Vivienne Tam, the fashion designer, who, after a decade in her postwar penthouse, finally stripped it down to the concrete and turned it into a stunning East-meets-West retreat complete with—of course—a marble bath fit for an empress.