Inside Manhattan’s One High Line: A Q&A With the Interior Designer
Gabellini Sheppard’s Silvia Maffei on shaping these towers changing West Chelsea's skyline.
New York City’s skyline is constantly evolving, but few projects have left as significant a mark as One High Line. Rising in the center of Manhattan’s West Chelsea neighborhood at 500 W. 18th St., this luxury condominium community is adjacent to High Line Park and within walking distance of cultural landmarks such as the Whitney Museum.
Developed by Witkoff and Access Industries, and designed by Bjarke Ingels Group, with interiors by Gilles & Boissier and Gabellini Sheppard Associates, One High Line comprises 236 residences with one- to five-bedroom layouts. Recently completed after years in the making, the community spans 800,000 square feet across two towers—standing at 36 and 26 stories, respectively—connected by a glass-enclosed bridge lounge.
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Residents have access to approximately 18,000 square feet of indoor amenities, including a 75-foot lap pool with cabanas, a fitness studio with private training rooms, steam rooms and saunas, a private treatment room, a golf simulator, a virtual gaming studio and private dining facilities with a catering kitchen. Additionally, the property’s East tower will soon house a 120-key Faena hotel, restaurant and spa, slated to open later this year.
But what makes this project stand out among other high-end communities in the neighborhood? For Silvia Maffei, partner & architectural designer at Gabellini Sheppard, its the immutable elegance of its interiors. Her company has been a partner in multiple condominium projects since its inception in 1991, but designing the interiors at One High Line’s West Tower has been a unique experience due to the twisting form of the building.
First, tell us more about how the two towers fit into the cultural and artistic fabric of West Chelsea.
Maffei: West Chelsea’s rich arts scene and legacy of contemporary creativity were a boundless source of inspiration as we developed the West Tower interiors. From introducing expansive feature walls to curating layered moments of discovery, we approached the design of the public spaces and residences with the spirit of bringing art into the building. The dramatic scale of the West Tower lobby affords it a gallery-like atmosphere, playing with volumes and proportions to create an immersive space that mirrors the district’s dynamic art venues and innovative installations.
The social areas, including the double-height glass enclosed bridge connecting the two towers, offer a vibrant setting for day-to-night activation, echoing the energy of Chelsea’s renowned nightlife. With the illuminated interiors visible from the outside at night, the bridge itself becomes a living canvas, providing an intimate glimpse into the building’s activity and fostering a sense of connection with the broader community that defines West Chelsea.
In what ways does your interior design complement, rather than compete with, Bjarke Ingels Group’s sculptural towers?
Maffei: The twisting forms of BIG’s towers presented an interesting design challenge, as the floorplans for each story are consequently all unique. By embracing the variation in form and orientation of the spiraling floorplates, we developed layouts that maximize natural light and accentuate the distinct views afforded to each residence.
These layouts create rooms that feel both expansive and intimate, enhancing the connection between interior and exterior. Likewise, the building’s Roman Travertine façade extends into the West Lobby, creating a stunning effect of entering a carved volume. More understated details, like the intricate trapezoidal cut pattern of the stone floor in the bridge social lounge, recall the bold geometries of the exterior envelope.
Travertine is a defining material for One High Line’s exterior. To what extent did that influence your choice of materials for the interiors?
Maffei: Beyond incorporating travertine finishes throughout the public areas and interior façades to emphasize the sculptural quality of the space, we sought to amplify the limestone’s intrinsic warmth across our material selection. This translated to integrating finishes such as white oak ceiling paneling in the amenity areas and other rich natural stone varieties throughout the kitchens and bathrooms for added texture and warmth. The palette was further developed around the concept of ‘complementary opposites,’ with accent highlights like mirror and metal introduced to provide textural and tonal contrast.
How did you ensure that the interiors would remain timeless, despite the ever-evolving luxury real estate landscape?
Maffei: Amid the ever-changing luxury real estate market, we were committed to imparting a quality of immutable elegance to the One High Line interiors. Refined proportions, clean lines, rich but neutral color schemes and subtle lighting features ground the interiors with quiet, enduring sophistication.
Materiality also played an important role in fashioning spaces that transcend trends. For instance, within the residences, we selected durable larch wood for the kitchen cabinetry, while honed vein-cut Grigio Onyx and Taj Mahal quartzite—chosen for their timeless natural beauty—clad bathroom and powder room walls.
The property offers views of the Manhattan skyline, including the Empire State Building. All images by Evan Joseph, courtesy of Gabellini Sheppard Associates 
A double-height passageway, with illuminated interiors visible from the outside at night, connects the two towers. 
The common areas of the West Tower, as well as the residences, feature abundant natural light and a natural color palette. 
The impressive West Tower lobby allows for the presence of art-like decorations and installations. 
Children’s playroom at One High Line features a curved wooden bookshelf with colorful books and decorative elements. 
The fitness studio has floor-to-ceiling windows with views of lush greenery. 
The 75-foot lap pool was inspired by the ancient Roman baths.
One High Line is as much about lifestyle as it is about architecture. How do the communal spaces support the daily lives of residents?
Maffei: Our studio philosophy is centered on elevating daily activities through thoughtful design. The public areas of One High Line’s West Tower are akin to those of a high-end resort, crafted to enhance wellness and tranquility.
We developed a full amenity floor that includes a fitness center and relaxing yoga room adjacent to a 75-foot indoor pool inspired by ancient Roman baths. The spa, designed in collaboration with Perfect Wellness, is conceived as a private sanctuary, with modular sauna and steam room cabins built to deliver highly personalized treatments. These spaces … celebrate a holistic approach to health and well-being, tailored to the needs of residents.
The arrival of Faena New York will add a hospitality element to the project. Did that have any effect on your design choices?
Maffei: The arrival of the Faena Hotel added an exciting dimension to our work on One High Line, further uplifting the hospitality-driven approach we brought to the West Tower interiors. We were inspired to instill an elevated sense of destination in the residential tower and to create spaces that reflect the lifestyle of discerning travelers.
As it was originally intended for hotel guests to access the residential fitness center, we introduced overlapping white oak wood panels that run through the entirety of the amenity floor to create seamless continuity across the programmatic areas and emphasize a fluid circulation from east to west …
How do you balance sophistication with intimacy in large-scale residential projects like this one?
Maffei: On a project of this scale, creating a balance between sophistication and intimacy was essential. We designed the public amenities with flexibility in mind, ensuring they could shift throughout the changing moods of the day to cultivate both social connection and more private, peaceful moments.
Careful planning and strategic furniture layouts create pockets of intimacy in the expansive spaces. Additionally, rich material layering fosters a sense of exclusivity and warmth, making the spaces feel inviting and residential while radiating an elegant atmosphere.
