Ceiling

This bedroom’s ‘silvered’ ceiling was a high-finish detail Urban used in his own New York apartment, his Manhattan architectural office (1925), and several other private and public commissions. In addition to adding a sense of modernity and luxury, the ceiling reflected light and, like the polished glass walls, created a visual illusion that extended the rigid boundaries of the space. Realizing this effect with silver would have been outrageously expensive and difficult to maintain. Instead, aluminum leaf was used. Aluminum does not tarnish and is much less expensive.