Three years after first meeting their clients, Alexander Butler and Panmela Alvim of ABDS have transformed a dated duplex high above Manhattan’s East Side into a 6,000-square-foot residence with four bedrooms, six bathrooms, a gym, a game room and 360-degree views of the city. The original layout was heavily partitioned, with a wall at every column and each window its own room. ABDS opened the frontage so the living, dining and family spaces stay distinct but flow into one another, with the skyline as their backdrop.

Because ABDS develops architecture and interiors side by side, the floor came first. “The first decision in a project, when we define the floor plan, is to define the floor,” says Alvim. Rather than drop the ceilings, the team wanted a surface that would help bounce light through the open plan, which pointed them toward a lighter tone. For Butler, the floor in a space this open is “the fifth wall.”

The final selection came together during visits to Carlisle’s showroom, where the clients compared large panels across a full range of tones before arriving at a custom color. The result is Carlisle Engineered White Oak in Heirloom Grade, laid in 8-inch planks up to 12 feet long with softened edges and an Extra Matte finish. Silver travertine baseboards frame the floor and bring out its quiet, natural grain.

Across more than 4,000 square feet, the floor carries one continuous palette from the wood-paneled foyer and game room to the living room’s sweeping velvet de Sede sofas. The result is a home that feels human in scale: expansive, yet warm, comfortable and made to be lived in.