Hélène Kircher Portfolio

Hélène Kircher

MEADOWLARK COMPOUND

BRIDGEHAMPTON, NY

MEADOWLARK COMPOUND BRIDGEHAMPTON, NY

Role: Designer at Sawyer|Berson

What: Architecture & Landscape Design for private compound

Where: Bridgehampton, NY

When: 2007-present

What was once three-separate lots was combined into a family compound along the magnificent shore of Sagg Pond. Three modern house now serve as a year-round family retreat. Sawyer|Berson was in charge of designing the architecture and the landscape of this two phase project. The landscape is meant to bridge all three houses seamlessly. The residences include an assortment of amenities including a vegetable parterre, dining bosque, two swimming pools and spas, petanque court, tennis court and various perennial garden beds. Green roofs and geothermal heating and cooling are aspects of this house designed with sustainability in mind. The site is accessed via a long tree-lined driveway. Hedges and a variety of native species of plants fill out the site perimeter, providing privacy as well as a seasonally changing backdrop. The Residence on Sagg Pond has been featured in the July 2015 issue of Architectural Digest. The project has had additions every season, and the maintenance of the property has been looked at carefully to keep it evolving towards the best.

“THE POND HOUSE” © ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST, JANUARY

RESIDENCE ON MAJORS PATH

SOUTHAMPTON, NY

RESIDENCE ON MAJORS PATH SOUTHAMPTON, NY

Role: Designer at Sawyer|Berson

What: Private Residence on Majors Path

Where: Southampton, NY

When: construction completed

This residential project was designed for one of the most influential contemporary furniture designers and manufacturers in the world. He wanted a simple and elegant, one-story building to welcome his three daughters in the Summer in a forested area of Southampton. We took advantage of the sloped site to create an open lower level. The main living areas are open to the pool terrace and a petanque court resides on a lower level. Many iterations lead us to this roof slope and razor construction detail. Skylights cross the house length on the North slope to bring natural light to the corridor and also to the double-height living area.

SURFSIDE RESIDENCE

SOUTHAMPTON, NY

SURFSIDE RESIDENCE

SOUTHAMPTON, NY

11 NORTH MOORE MANHATTAN, NY

Role: Designer at Sawyer|Berson

What: Interior design of public spaces

Where: Manhattan, NY

When: 2014-2015

11 North Moore is a stunning new devel opment located in the heart of Tribeca. Designed by Adjmi & Andreoli with public spaces by architects Sawyer Berson in a modest, sophisticated style characterized by clean lines and beautiful detailing, 11 North Moore commands a prime block front in Tribeca and provides a refreshing new style of premium condominium loft living with dramatic picture windows. Our mission was to provide a clean entry hallway, a library and a courtyard to the 18 apartments. We opted for a very geomet rical design approach, creating strong con trasts of color and shapes.

VERA WANG’S APARTMENT MANHATTAN, NY

VERA WANG’S APARTMENT MANHATTAN, NY

Role: Designer at Sawyer|Berson

What: Full interior renovation & custom furniture design

Where: Manhattan, NY

When: 2015-2017

“This whole thing has been an exercise in total insanity,” Vera Wangs laughs, describing the renovation to end all renovations.

“I knew I was doing something really sacrilegious because it’s a building so famous architecturally. I mean, how do you take an apartment in a 1920s Rosario Candela building and do something like this? How do you come up in the elevator that my parents came up in for 30 years and walk into this environment, this strict, disciplined aesthetic? I really wanted the rooms to be like a studio, where I could move things around if I wished to. I wanted it to be modular and movable.”

A gallery-like hall is hung with a silvery Rudolf Stingel, Richard Serra’s commanding Rift II anchors a living area. Ascend the stunning staircase, and suddenly Wang’s claim of a commitment to minimalism is shot completely to hell. Those former bedrooms have been transformed into a giant closet—a gargantuan wardrobe holding fashions of the last half-century. Everything has a story.

© VOGUE

VERA WANG FLAGSHIP STORE

RODEO DRIVE, LOS ANGELES

VERA WANG FLAGSHIP STORE RODEO DRIVE, LOS ANGELES

Role: Designer at Sawyer|Berson

What: New Vera Wang flagship store

Where: Rodeo Drive, Los Angeles

When: 2014

We designed the new Vera Wang flagship on Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles, replacing the brand’s previous outpost on Melrose Avenue. The approximately 6,000-squarefoot, bi-level space was most recently oc cupied by Hermès, before the completion of its boutique a few doors down. For Wang, we opened up and unified the inte riors, using a dramatic design scheme. The main floor houses the ready-to-wear col lection and VIP lounge, where pieces from the archives are displayed. A striking white staircase leads to a more intimate upper level that showcases the bridal gowns. Blackened-steel fixtures and furnishings, custom-made linen seating, and black-lac quer details coordinate with the graph ite-color walls. “We were inspired by Vera Wang’s personal style,” says Brian Sawyer. “The leading concept for the project was to establish an edited architectural language together with a dramatic but simple suite of finishes in order to create an austere backdrop for the garments.” Austere? Per haps, but also undeniably chic.

L’OCCITANE STORE & SPA

EU, UK, UAE, USA

L’OCCITANE STORE & SPA EU, UK, UAE, USA

Role: Retail Architect at L’Occitane en Provence

What: Design of new stores and spas

Where: UK, UAE, Tokyo, NYC...

When: 2018

The 2018 challenge for L’Occitane was to create a new environment to welcome the clients in a more premium yet affordable store. The idea is to create testing and service area in every part of the shop. The concept aims to stay authentic to the brands character, faithfully adapting the provencal codes, in an elegant manner. The materials are mineral and minimal. I proposed arches around the different types of products in the spirir of Provence. We added a rain shower element to create a playful animation around the hand creams consultation.

L’OCCITANE STORE & SPA EU, UK, UAE, USA

L’OCCITANE STORE & SPA EU, UK, UAE, USA

Role: Retail Architect at L’Occitane en Provence

What: Design of new stores and spas

Where: UK, UAE, Tokyo, NYC...

When: 2018

L’Occitane spas welcome customers in a provençal environment, finding the extraordinary into the ordinary. The journey to the South of France is brought through all the senses. Tone on tone colors local pieces of furniture, raw materials like stone sinks and mosaic tiles let the sunshine in. The access to the cabins with smooth arches and soft light leads clients to a place of wellness. We organized three single cabins with individual showers and one double cabin with its own shower and bath. A relaxing area is the centered of the plan. At the entrance, a retail area enables the clients to purchase their favourite products after their treatments.

VILLA COLOGNY COLOGNY, GENEVA

Role: Landscape Architect at ENEA

What: new garden design

Where: Cologny, Switzerland

When: 2020

This property over looking Lake Geneva will welcome a spacious home for a family of five. The building style marries eastern-specifically Japanese Zen Buddhist aesthetics with modern Swiss architecture and complement the landscape and local topography. Due to the slope of the land - landscaping is a crucial part of the design. Materials that inspired the construction are natural stone, slate, wood, concrete, granite and marble. The house is being built to the highest standard of energy efficiency to benefit from the maximum allowed building coefficient of land/ house. The 2,760 sqm parcel is West facing and sees the sunset. The pool position was studied to accomodate the security of small children and taking advantage of the best views. Going up the site, a vegetable garden will be found close to the kitchen. And on top of the site, an orchid of local apple trees and wildflowers will be the perfect environment to enjoy the best view.

VILLA COLOGNY COLOGNY, GENEVA

PARK AM SEE ALTENDORF, SCHWYZ

ALTENDORF, SCHWYZ

Role: Landscape Architect at ENEA

What: new garden design

Where: Altendorf, Switzerland

When: 2020

The clients were able to purchase two adjacent empty lots combining 4000m2 of beautiful estate by the lake. We worked with a seashore specialist on the renaturalization of the shallow shore. Most of the property was part of an agriculture zone and the intention from the municipality was to keep this zone free. In this sense, we proposed to give a park feel to most of the land. Bringing in grasses and some pine trees, local wildflowers to enhance the biodiversity and framing the views. A more defined garden surrounds the main house and guest house.

GA R DEN DESIGN RIEHEN, BASEL

GARDEN DESIGN RIEHEN, BASEL

Role: Landscape Architect at ENEA

What: new garden design

Where: Riehen, Switzerland

When: 2020 - currently under construction

This new garden was worked out in coordination with the new, clean, modern and minimalist architecture proposed on this site.

Existing beautiful and very tall trees frame the property. Our design intends on enhancing the existing and creating a new atmosphere within the existing frame. Three Ironwood trees will create a microclimate for the house. Fountaingrasses will frame the floating house and pool, to create a certain intimacy around the 25m long lap pool. Bamboos will bring privacy to the property, as well as nice views from within the house. Hydrangeas, ferns and rhododendrons will bring special accents under the existing canopies. We designed custom made PE pots for the bamboos to be installed seemlessly at specific ground levels.

GOD’S LOVE WE DELIVER

HEADQUARTERS TERRACES MANHATTAN, NY

GOD’S LOVE WE DELIVER HEADQUARTERS TERRACES MANHATTAN, NY

Role: Designer at Sawyer|Berson

What: Private Residence on Majors Path

Where: Southampton, NY

When: construction completed

The ground-up construction of the new Michael Kors building for the God’s Love We Deliver organization on the iconic corner of Spring Street and 6th Avenue has 7,200 SF of terrace space. Sawyer|Berson was tasked with the design of the three new terraces, each individually programmed; a volunteer terrace, a fundraising terrace and a rooftop herb garden that fulfills the organization’s mission. This project was completed with a team that include GKV Architects + Town & Gardens as the landscape contractor.

The herb garden features locally-sourced herbs from the Union Square Green Market and was planted by GLWD volunteers. It was designed not just to provide fresh ingredients for the kitchen but to be an enjoyable experience for volunteers and staff. The terrace enhances the staff’s workday, allowing the volunteers to feel more involved with the building and to strengthen their social ties and commitments to the charity’s mission.

TEFAF BOOTH OTTO NAUMANN MANHATTAN, NY

TEFAF BOOTH OTTO NAUMANN

MANHATTAN, NY

Role: Designer at Sawyer|Berson

What: Interior design of a booth for art dealer Otto Nauman for TEFAF

Where: Manhattan, NY

When: October 2016

After working together for the Kips Bays showhouse in May 2016, art dealer Otto Naumann wanted to go ultramodern with his Old Masters booth at the historic Park Avenue Armory’s fine and decorative art from antiquity to 1920, . Instead of the usual ornate gold frames and salon-style hanging, we painted the walls black and each canvas was displayed on a board wrapped in bright velvet. Bibli cal scenes painted hundreds of years ago shared space with a 1960s white plastic couch shaped as a pair of molar teeth. The velvet colors were chosen to enhance each painting and altogether create a new composition.

MOKA YACHT INTERIOR DESIGN FLORIDA

MOKA YACHT INTERIOR DESIGN FLORIDA

Role: Designer at Sawyer|Berson

What: Interior Design of a private yacht

Where: from Florida to Italy...

When: 2016

When one of Sawyer|Berson’s oldest clients asked us to redecorate their yacht, it was certainly a fun new challenge.

The five stories yacht needed all new furnishings and it was fascinating to make smaller spaces look like they belonged in the most luxurious hotels. Silk from Hermès was used for the children’s pillows, and we found a place for all of the client’s prints and paintings collection.

When the design phase was finished, it was also a logistic exercise to bring everything together in Italy, where the boat had to get ready for a family cruise.

APART. RENOVATION & CUSTOM FURNITURE DESIGN MANHATTAN, NY

RENOVATION & CUSTOM FURNITURE DESIGN MANHATTAN,

NY

Role: Designer at Sawyer|Berson

What: Full interior renovation & custom furniture design

Where: Manhattan, NY

When: 2015-2017

Sawyer|Berson was asked to fully renovate this 5th avenue apartment for a family who needed a classic yet modern home. The clients wanted very unique pieces of furniture so I designed all the tables, lamps, carpets and had it all being custom made. The blue dining room and kitchen certainly bring out some light in this second floor city apartment and reveal the beauty of the marble, bronze and wood. Only the best new-yorkers craftmen and uphosterer worked with us on these unique creations.

The blue leather desk and light blue bed side table are very warm and elegant. In the living room, the idea of having an entire wall of antique mirrors behind the couch gives tremendous depth to the room and creates a true enlarged vision while bringing even more natural light in the room.

ELEVATION DETAIL RESIDENTIAL KITCHEN

PLAN DETAIL RESIDENTIAL KITCHEN

WOOD HOOD ENCLOSURE TO MATCH KITCHEN MILLWORK; SEE MILLWORK DETAIL

DETAIL DRAWING RESIDENTIAL KITCHEN

H4884BP 30" OVEN

MIELE SPEED OVEN H4084BM

CONCEALED VENT (NOT VISIBLE)

SUB-ZERO 700TCI

27"W X 80"H FREEZER

TOUCH LATCHES AT ALL UPPER CABINET DOORS, TYP.

GAS COOKTOP, SIZE & MANUFACTURER T.B.D.

DEDICATED OUTLETS; COORDINATE WITH APPLICANCE SPECS

CUSTOM WOOD CABINETS; SEE DETAILS & FINISH SCHEDULE