Savoir vivre — the ability to live elegantly — is a useful brief because it resists the reduction of luxury to material cost. It asks how a space supports the life inside it.
At The Ark, four triplexes and two penthouses are each rigorously planned and carefully lit. The elegance is not applied at the end. It is in ceiling heights that allow light to fall properly and in circulation that never requires passing through one room to reach another.
Minimalism gets blamed for coldness, but cold rooms are usually under-designed rather than over-restrained. Restraint means every element earns its place. Absence means elements were simply never considered.
The test is ordinary use. A minimalist room that cannot absorb a coat, a book and a cup of coffee without looking disturbed was styled, not designed.