Every longtime resident of New York City will readily tell you that the journey from a first cramped walk-up apartment to an ideal, permanent home is a long, winding path defined by compromise and gradual upgrades. As you move through the city’s real estate landscape over the years, you slowly check off the amenities that people in other parts of the country take completely for granted—until you finally land in the space you originally imagined. In your very first New York home, you count yourself lucky if the building even features a working elevator. In your next move, you hope for the luxury of a dishwasher or central air conditioning. The apartment after that might finally hold some upgraded storage space, or perhaps a tiny sliver of private outdoor space. But the quintessential "I’ve made it in this town" dream home possesses all of those elements combined. Plus, crucially, parking.
For fashion designer Brian Atwood and Dr. Jake Deutsch, this arduous New York apartment journey ultimately culminated in a sprawling 4,000-square-foot duplex complete with a massive 2,200-square-foot terrace overlooking Manhattan’s iconic High Line in West Chelsea. The remarkable residence effortlessly checks every single box on their wish list, and then some. "It’s our big, grownup apartment," Atwood says of the newly finished home.
To help them realize this ambitious vision, Atwood and Deutsch enlisted architect Maurizio Bianchi Mattioli of Studio MBM. "They basically gave me carte blanche," Bianchi Mattioli says, describing the initial phase of the project. "The space itself was fairly simple and linear." Rather than viewing the straightforward architecture as a limitation, the architect saw an immediate opportunity to create distinct, architecturally interesting moments that would seamlessly connect and guide the couple and their guests through the expansive residence.
The design process began with a major structural undertaking: joining the stairwell from the upstairs living and dining areas down to the lower-level bedrooms and media room. The design team wanted to transform the transitional staircase into a showstopping artistic centerpiece. "In our first meeting with Maurizio, I just said it needs to be ‘Wow,’" Atwood recalls.
Bianchi Mattioli decided to elevate what was essentially a structural void with a basic metal railing into a curved portal crafted from rich Corvetto stone sourced from Ann Sacks, loaded with dynamic veins and natural striations. The architect meticulously lined up each individual piece of marble to create a nearly seamless flow of the stone’s organic patterns. "I feel like it’s a satellite view of the earth," Atwood adds. The custom-designed railing was cleverly engineered to double as the stairwell’s primary light source, with integrated lighting matching the exact pathways of the stone’s veins. Greeting anyone who descends to the bottom of the stairs is a striking vintage print of a Chris Von Wangenheim photograph from a 1970s Dior advertising campaign.
"When I presented the stairs, I was thinking maybe they would never go for this," Bianchi Mattioli admits. "And they were like, ‘Okay, let’s do it.’" That bold architectural choice effectively set the tone for the entire residence. "It kind of set the tone for the whole space," Atwood notes. "The entire project could have been called Project Wow."
With that defining centerpiece approved, the three collaborators set about creating other memorable moments throughout the duplex, resulting in separate yet interconnected spaces that practically demanded to be used. "Every square inch and the way that it’s laid out is so functional that we get to utilize all of the apartment," says Deutsch.
Atwood, a prominent fashion designer who began his illustrious career crafting accessories for Versace before launching his own high-glam shoe brand, and Deutsch—an emergency medicine-trained physician and founder of the longevity and medical concierge clinic Oakwood Precision Medicine—previously lived in SoHo and later in Hudson Yards during their ongoing New York City real estate journey. When their real estate advisor first presented them with architectural renderings of the building while it was still under construction, they immediately envisioned an expansive space they could truly customize.
"We could see that this was going to be the ultimate entertaining home," says Deutsch. "And that’s really what we love to do." The couple officially closed on the property in 2024 and completed the extensive interior work last November. "We really wanted to create a space that was versatile and luxurious, masculine and sexy. We wanted it to reflect our personal style."
Almost everything in the new home was purchased specifically for the space or pulled out of storage, with the notable exception of the dining table chairs, which were brought over from their previous residence. "We wanted to work with an entirely new palette," Deutsch explains.
Extending from the main apartment entrance and wrapping gracefully around the open living area, Bianchi Mattioli constructed a custom washed zinc wall that adds tactile texture while reflecting the abundant natural light pouring in from the terrace. The living room features an eclectic mix of pieces from Atwood’s extensive vintage collection—including a mirrored screen, Romeo Rega side chairs, and a Stilnovo tripod lamp—alongside contemporary designs like metal and leather chairs from Prototype, a massive fourteen-foot-long sofa by Estudio Persona, and custom elements designed by Bianchi Mattioli, such as the living room rug. The generous proportions of the room easily accommodated two glass and metal Alanda coffee tables by B&B Italia.
Opposite the living room, the open-plan dining area is anchored by a custom resin bar designed by Bianchi Mattioli that illuminates the space at night, functioning simultaneously as a standalone art piece, an ambient light source, and practical storage. The dining table itself is by Sanayi 313, the transparent glass chair is from Germans Ermics, and the surrounding artwork is by Matthew Chambers. Also frequently found lounging in the space are the couple’s two Golden Retrievers, Ti and Zeff.
For the home office, where Atwood works and proudly displays his expansive collection of fashion books, Bianchi Mattioli found another opportunity to make a dramatic statement by playing off the building’s unique geometric angles. German designer Frederik Fialin was commissioned to create a specialized shelving system that fits snugly inside the space, spanning evenly across the window to cultivate the intimate feeling of a room within a room. The surgical-grade stainless-steel bookshelves are set against striking lacquered black walls and ceilings. A sleek desk by Arhaus allows the light and the colorful spines of the books to bounce and reflect throughout the room, while a prominent bust nearby is a delicate paper sculpture by artist Li Hong Bo.
In the kitchen, playing off the sharp angles where the corners of the eat-in space converged, Bianchi Mattioli nestled in a curved, elongated banquette. The blond wood beadboard incorporates hidden custom cabinetry that doubles as extra storage. Seeking a truly unique visual treatment, the team commissioned Mexico-based painter Rafael Uriegas to create a vibrant custom mural that spans both the walls and the ceiling.
Uriegas insisted on staying at the apartment for an entire week while it was still under construction so he could complete the immersive artwork on-site. "We had a mattress in the guest bedroom and that was it," Deutsch recalls. "We’d come in and there’d be a bottle of red wine and a cigarette, and he’d been working through the night. We just gave him the liberty to do his thing and it’s spectacular." Atwood adds, "He was our artist in residence." In a demonstration of couture-level attention to detail, Uriegas even painted the physical frame and provided an exact digital image file for the television mounted over the kitchen counter, ensuring the surrounding mural remains completely uninterrupted when the screen is not in use. The kitchen table is by Joris Poggioli, paired with a chair by Thomas Defour.
The upper-level ceilings also presented a distinct architectural challenge. The original construction haphazardly concealed necessary ductwork and mechanical details behind varying heights of drywall. Bianchi Mattioli smoothed out these inconsistencies, creating a sophisticated cascading effect overhead that transitions gradually from low to high as one moves from the apartment’s private entrance toward the expansive terrace. He then cleverly flipped this design concept on the terrace floor itself, starting low right as you step outside and introducing descending levels of patio decking as you move outward toward the glass perimeter.
Out on the massive 2,200-square-foot terrace, the team deliberately placed the living, kitchen, and dining zones directly opposite their interior counterparts, ensuring residents at the indoor dining table are not simply looking out at another identical dining setup. Deutsch, an avid gardener, collaborated closely with Manscapers on the detailed landscape design, selecting resilient boxwoods, evergreens, and lush hydrangeas to frame each distinct outdoor zone. "I wanted things that would also look good in the winter," Deutsch notes. The outdoor dining area sits comfortably beneath a custom motorized-louvered pergola by Azenco, complemented by a playful pouf from La Double J and a vintage loveseat by John Salterini.
The primary bedroom suite continues the home’s cohesive design language of masculine luxury. "We really wanted everything to feel very integrated in the bedroom," Bianchi Mattioli explains, "but also very masculine and strong." To achieve this, the team designed a custom bed and headboard that spans the entire length of the room. The panels on the headboard feature a sophisticated woven leather pattern reminiscent of Bottega Veneta’s signature intrecciato weave. For nightstands, they incorporated the same luxurious Corvetto marble used on the central stairway, balancing the stone’s hardness with plush silk carpeting and a dark blue stain on the surrounding wood walls. A vintage Serge Mouille lamp from Atwood’s personal collection hangs above the bed, its placement directly inspired by a famous photograph of the exact same lamp positioned over a Mattia Bonetti and Élisabeth Garouste bed. On the adjacent wall hangs a framed jockstrap from the Versace Fall 2014 runway collection.
Given Atwood’s professional background in fashion and the couple’s shared passion for apparel, they required a dedicated space not only to store their extensive wardrobe but also to proudly showcase their favorite collector pieces. They took over what would have been the primary bedroom’s traditional seating area and built a custom closet system by Ornare that functions as an impressive entry foyer to the bedroom itself. The specialized closet doors act as a reflective mirror when the interior cabinet lights are turned off, and transform into illuminated display cases when switched on.
The sophisticated lighting design throughout the entire residence was executed by Sarah McElroy of Silver Shoe Design, who has previously crafted retail lighting environments for prominent fashion flagships including Proenza Schouler and RE/DONE. A custom carpet designed by Bianchi Mattioli and fabricated by Sacco flows continuously from the media room, through the custom closet, and into the primary bedroom suite.
Throughout the duplex, the couple integrated a rich layer of personal history by raiding Atwood’s storage unit filled with vintage design objects he collected during years spent living in Milan. "Jake calls it luxury hoarding," Atwood jokes of the accumulated vintage objects, fashion books, and rare photographs. That photography collection serves as a recurring decorative motif in every single room of the residence, featuring iconic fashion prints by celebrated artists including Herb Ritts, Bob Richardson, Steven Klein, and Chris Von Wangenheim.
For Atwood and Deutsch, this meticulously crafted duplex represents the realization of their ultimate real estate goal: a true adult forever home that reflects their collective passions, aesthetic sensibilities, and professional backgrounds. As Deutsch summarizes, "For me, as a doctor focused on longevity, I look for things to be harmonious. The home is a cultivation of all those ideas and passions." And, much to their satisfaction, it even came with the parking space.