Built in 1992 and formerly serving as a dormitory for New York Medical College, The Omni Condominium today offers 18 floors of residences in a range of options: studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and two-bedroom duplex apartments. When American Development Group (ADG) purchased the building in 2005, its renovation strategy was centered on high-end design, highest-quality finishes, and integrating futuristic technology into the design.
Central to the redesign strategy is the concept of the kitchen as the focal point of apartment living; accordingly, units are organized to create open, flowing spaces, interspersing functional areas with sitting areas and designing to enlarge living spaces for maximum appeal.
Special Design Features
The overall design concept was driven by the most extraordinary features of the building: its light and views. The design team sought to capitalize on the abundant natural light in the apartments by creating open living spaces so the light and views could be enjoyed from all points. Kitchen partitions were removed; bleached white oak cabinets and glass-tile backsplashes reflect the natural light. Likewise, the glass tile in bathrooms provides a luminescent backdrop for the vanity and tub.
The theme of light was carried into the lobby, specifically with light-reflective materials and decorative light fixtures as focal points. Inspiration came from the design team's discovery of a unique material made of hundreds of light-conductive channels that allow light to travel from one end of the channel to the other. This movement of light creates a flickering effect when objects pass over the surface; it is a completely passive system that requires no power source. Available in different forms, the material is used on the lobby floor (with the light channels embedded in a concrete-like matrix) and the reception area (with the channels carved into a block of clear acrylic, and another type featuring tiny fiber-optic tubes embedded in colored slabs of resin).
