Australian-English interior designer Timothy Godbold’s design of a four-bedroom loft in the Cast Iron House on Franklin Street renovated by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban masterfully blends industrial heritage with modern luxury. Drawing inspiration from the Tribeca building’s iconic cast iron facade, Godbold infuses the 4,250-sqft, dual-level loft with a sophisticated yet understated esthetic, using a palette of neutral tones and rich textures to create a warm, inviting space. His design embraces the loft’s expansive, open layout, allowing natural light to flood the interiors and highlighting its soaring ceilings. A curated mix of contemporary furnishings and vintage accents adds depth and character, while sleek finishes and artful detailing evoke a sense of refined elegance, making the loft both functional and timeless. The reflective gold surfaces of the closets in the walk-in dressing area are a nod to the glamor of 1970’s cult cinema – a recurrent Godbold influence – while geometric forms are repeated throughout the loft, echoing Art Deco motifs, but also a futuristic ambiance coupled with elements of Italian Modernism.
What was the most important consideration when you first started designing the loft, and the overarching main idea you tried to achieve?
The overarching main idea was to create a functional space for a young family that also likes to entertain, while maintaining the unique and irreplaceable character that an ex-industrial space like this presents.
Who are the homeowners, what are their professions and how many children do they have?
The homeowners are a young family working in finance. They have two children; one who was born in the middle of bringing this project to fruition.
Describe to me your creative process from the time the homeowners commissioned you to the final design. How did they come to work with you? What did you ask them before you started the design process, how did you help them discover their own personal design esthetic and how did you work together?
This family was a referral from a friend of theirs who follows me on Instagram and also mentioned as a topper that I have beautiful cats. They came to work with me with the knowledge that I like a fair amount of creative independence and integrity when bringing my creative practice to life. They had a base idea of their own personal design esthetic. However, working with me I think clients open themselves up to a project that is fluid and alive, and that often brings about results that surprises them, and that even surprises me. That is the beauty of a creative practice that is allowed room to breathe and suggest. We present everything in 3-D models so they get an instant visual reference of my sometimes wild ideas.
What were the inspirations behind your creative process?
The main inspirations for this project were a 1970’s sci-fi series that imagines a futuristic environment within a space that is informed by Italian industrialism and its foremost designers, such as Joe Colombo. With this, I of course married the industrialism of the architectural space, as well as some Art Deco elements and a series of geometric shapes to create and add texture.
What is the building’s history?
The original all cast-iron textile factory, constructed in 1881, holds historical significance in SoHo. The preservation efforts of groups like the Friends of Cast Iron Architecture, led by Margot Gayle, successfully led to the designation of a large part of SoHo as a historic district in 1973 and as a national historic landmark in 1978. SoHo boasts the largest collection of full and partial cast-iron buildings globally, amounting to approximately 250 existing examples. These cast-iron buildings were pioneering in their influence on skyscraper development, introducing innovations like curtain wall construction, standardized prefabricated building elements and repeating bays. One notable innovation within a cast-iron building was the installation of the world’s first public passenger elevator by Elisha Otis at the E.V. Haughwout Department Store in SoHo.
Tell me about the original architecture of the building and the unique architectural features, as well as the remodeling undertaken by Shigeru Ban. How did you take into account the architecture and character of the building when doing the interior design?
Shigeru Ban created a very clean, chic canvas that was ideal to be able to create a custom interior without demolishing the whole apartment. I think my work complemented his esthetic. One example of these apartments that always gives me a headache are the structural columns. Nonetheless, in creating a living space that is comfortable, a column creates spatial disruption. To solve this, I made a custom dining table floated directly off the column that references an industrial-style table from the 1930s by Hans and Wassili Luckhardt and Alfons Anker. In this way, I added in new design elements that perfectly riffed off the architectural industrial elements and paid homage to their character.
From where did you source the furniture and which brands’ or designers’ furniture did you use and why?
Most of the elements in the space are custom made. For example, a series of stucco and marble walls in the double-height living room I created, as well as most of the furniture throughout the home, including the stone furniture in the living room upholstered with custom Brutalist fabric made in England, and most of the rugs, including a special rug designed to outline the furniture in the same space.
Did the homeowners have any unusual requests that you accepted, or did you have to bring them round to your way of thinking if their request didn’t reflect their lifestyle and personality?
They definitely came round to my way of thinking when they saw that the results were aligned with what they wanted. I have a clear design vision that comes to the forefront no matter the creative project I work on; it is my visual identity even if many projects ultimately become singular in their own way. Their knowledge and understanding of this process gave them trust.
