15 Central Park West, Unit 31B, Upper West Side

15 Central Park West is among the most restrained buildings in New York — Indiana limestone, prewar proportions, Robert A.M. Stern's disciplined homage to Rosario Candela and Carpenter. Residence 31B is its counterpoint: a two-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath home finished through a room-by-room commission in the tradition of the great Parisian private apartments — hand-painted plasterwork ceilings, gilt and silver-leafed millwork, integrated murals, and bookmatched marble baths. The contrast between building and interior is precisely the point. The living and dining rooms run in sequence along the park, each framing unobstructed Central Park views through floor-to-ceiling windows, and each finished beneath raised plaster ceilings and crystal chandeliers. In the living room, a carved rosette anchors the ceiling and an ornately detailed mantel anchors the interior wall. In the dining room, scenic garden panels are set into shaped plaster surrounds — the kind of finish more commonly encountered in a grand Parisian apartment than on Central Park West. A breakfast area connects the dining room to the kitchen, its banquette framed by a still-life panel. The kitchen is fitted with carved, gilt-detailed cabinetry, a center island in dark stone, and a hood dressed in matching ornament. A powder room serves the entertaining spaces. The bedroom wing sits across the residence, its windows oriented west for open sky and sunset views. The primary bedroom is finished in pale celadon plaster beneath a crystal chandelier, with a walk-in closet and dressing room leading to a bath with a soaking tub set beneath a mirrored marble panel, dual vanities, and sconce lighting. A second bedroom completes the wing with its own ensuite bath and the same western exposure. Residents of 15 Central Park West enjoy a private motor entrance, full-time staff, a cinema, playroom, fitness center with a 75-foot skylit lap pool, a private restaurant, and a wine cellar.