Explore an eagle’s nest in Tribeca, where great art and views take center stage

The striking Anish Kapoor sculpture in the living room of this Tribeca apartment is more than just decorative. Carved from alabaster in the shape of a sphere, the striking work of art also shows visitors to this 4,000-square-foot home the central role contemporary art played in the interior design. “It was all about the art,” says Brittany Giannone, owner and director of ABD Studio. “The collection shapes the interior, but we didn’t want to overwhelm it.”

The San Francisco-based interior design firm collaborated with New York-based architecture firm Frances Mildred on a project where a diverse palette of artworks graces virtually every corner of the sun-drenched space. Dan Flavin, Helen Frankenthaler, Donald Judd and other art world heavyweights create an understated elegance in a spacious plan with a penchant for midcentury design. The result is a tactile and sophisticated residence that successfully balances art and design in a space with spectacular views of New York City.

A large abstract painting, Travel, by Los Angeles-based artist Mary Weatherford hovers over a vintage Josef Frank table in the dining room. On one side it is surrounded by Joaquim Tenreiro chairs in jacaranda rosewood, on the other side is a bench upholstered in camel-colored Anni fabric. The hallway to the master suite contains a fluorescent sculpture by American minimalist Dan Flavin that glows across the wall. The elegant and striking artwork shares the narrow space with a vintage Serab runner rug from Iran and a vintage lounge chair from Italy upholstered in an Etro fabric.

A set of 10 framed Donald Judd paintings hangs in the entryway of the home. Joining the artwork are Alboni ceiling lights designed by French architect and interior designer Joseph Dirand. Spanish designer Nacho Carbonell designed the Tin Compact Green Bubble Lamp 2. The ICB Freeform Mirror is by Steven Haulenbeek Studio. The plaster wall design here, as in the rest of the home, is by Kamp Studios. “The walls and ceilings have been plastered and sometimes seem almost indistinguishable from the sky,” says MacCuaig of Frances Mildred.

While at one end of the living room stands the sculpture by Anish Kapoor Disc 2010, the other is anchored by wishbone, a mesmerizing 11-foot-tall redwood sculpture by artist JB Blunk. A wall of casement windows frames one side of the arched artwork, which looks down on an upholstered walnut chair and desk. On the desk sits a custom-made lamp made from vintage African ceramic with a custom silk lampshade.

“The art set the tone from the beginning, and Brittany understood how to balance that with the decor,” says the home’s owner, a longtime art patron and philanthropist. She and her husband live permanently on the West Coast and are repeat clients of ABD Studio, having collaborated on four previous projects. “We never wanted the art to dominate the interior, but with some of the larger pieces in this collection, that’s a real challenge,” she adds.