“Most New York apartments are contemporary,”says Salvati, who also owns a 6,500-square-foot Colts Neck, NJ, mansion.
“We wanted Neoclassical on artwork and molding, the furniture, everything reflective of that European feel.”
Part of Salvati’s “unique look/”
Walking into Quirino Salvati’s pied-a-terre in the Plaza 400 building in Sutton Place is kind of like walking into a Venetian palace — if that palace were designed by a New Jersey contractor.
One is welcomed into a foyer adorned with arched doorways, elaborately carved molding, a gilded mirror — hung over two Victorian-style benches bracketing an urn of dried flowers — that stretches the entire length of the entryway and many, many patterns. Oh, and everything is either gold or brown.
Indeed, all 1,600 square feet of the two-bedroom, two-bathroom co-op is done in gold and brown tones, from the shimmering golden walls to the parquet floors to the sweeping drapes to the embroidered couch to the great gold bedspread that adorns the Italianate master bed.
“We wanted to go with elegance. And the golds and dark browns are special and elegant,” Salvati explains. “They accentuate the molding to the point that you don’t see either.”
Salvati, who owns QSA Contracting, a residential and commercial building company active in New Jersey and New York, lives in Colts Neck, NJ. But he is originally from Queens. And five years ago, he and his wife decided that they wanted a place in the city, somewhere they could “jump to once a month if we feel like going to Broadway.” Their four grown kids could use it, too.
“We like to go to dinner, to go to the theater, to check out the nightspots,” Salvati says. “New York is a special jewel. It has its own pulse. To go from a suburb to the city like this is amazing.”
But finding that jewel apartment in the city was not as easy as it might sound. It took the Salvatis two years of searching all over Manhattan to find the apartment on First Avenue and 56th Street. But three years ago, when they were shown the apartment, an estate sale, they were immediately sold.
“We loved the location, the Sutton Place feel. It’s a residential feel within a big city,” Salvati says. “We love the proximity of the FDR and being able to get in and out of the city. From here we can touch everything.”
They are in the middle, if a little east, of it all. From the balcony off his living room, Salvati can see much of Midtown, including the Chrysler and Empire State buildings.
Once the Salvatis found their ideal place though, the work was not over. They had a massive renovation to undertake.
“We wanted it to have a very unique look,” Salvati says. “Most New York apartments are contemporary. We wanted Neoclassical on artwork and molding, the furniture, everything reflective of that European feel.”
And unique the Salvatis’ apartment is. The kitchen, initially open to the entryway, was closed off when it was renovated. This allowed the creation of a bar in the foyer, more space in the kitchen and the “45ing” of the entryway, setting it at a 45-degree angle, which provides “a grander entrance into the parlor area.”
Salvati had an elaborate wood wall unit designed for the living room. It stretches the entire length of one wall and gives him the experience of walking through it to reach the master bedroom. He put in parquet flooring — with not one, but three different woods in the same finish adding to the texture — throughout.
He designed the master bathroom completely in onyx — onyx cut by hand, no less. He had all the furniture for the apartment custom-made and imported from Italy.
And in one of the boldest moves, he dropped the ceilings to allow for the wiring required for the opulent chandeliers and crown molding he envisioned. In each room, he says, the ceiling has a different feel, with a different chandelier, molding and finish.
The entire renovation took six months and cost nearly half the apartment’s worth. The feel recalls the Salvatis’ 6,500-square-foot home in Colts Neck, which is decorated in a similar style.
But Salvati laughs when I ask if all the work that QSA Contracting does is in the Neoclassical style.
“I do all different types of design,” he assures.