The clients asked I-Beam Design to create a new kind of minimal white space—part home, part gallery—for an important collection of Cuban and South American art. Rather than simply designing a neutral backdrop, the project explores a dialogue between the compositional strategies of painting and the three-dimensional space of architecture.

I-Beam collaborated with artist Joan Waltemath, whose work is based on a matrix of harmonic numerical ratios. Together, the team projected this proportional system throughout the loft, using its lines to generate the architecture itself—from moving exhibition panels and cabinetry to a home office, entertainment center, dining area and a temporary guest room whose cantilevered wall unfolds from the built-in furniture to create privacy when needed.

At the origin of the matrix, Waltemath created an illuminated “cold hearth”—simultaneously artwork, sculpture, hearth and door. Developed with lighting designer Linnaea Tillett, the piece combines LED technology with phosphorescent acrylic, glowing cerulean blue as daylight fades and transforming the darker center of the loft into its conceptual and luminous heart.