He wowed the interiors of the first tower on Billionaire’s Row – now, Thomas Juul-Hansen shares his current work and favorite spots in NYC

Divorced and “rootless,” Danish-born architect Thomas Juul-Hansen had just graduated from Harvard University’s School of Design with a Master’s degree in Architecture when he decided to go on a two-month motorcycle tour.

“I started in New York and this is where I ended up,” Juul-Hansen told Gimme Shelter. “It’s the only part of America I could see myself staying in.”

And so, he did. “The people and the energy of the city,” is why he stayed, remarried and raised his beautiful children here.

But it’s not just his personal life that’s thriving in the Big Apple — it’s his professional life, too. Through his work, he left a lasting mark, not to mention style, on the city’s skyline. It is a canvas that he loves very much.

New York City is inspiring, he added, because, “it’s a huge melting pot, not only in terms of who lives here, but also in terms of who you interact with — people from all kinds of different economic backgrounds , social and cultural across the spectrum of the planet. You don’t get that in a car culture, where you’re just in and out of your car with no interaction with humanity, just, ‘Get out of my way, a-hole.’

“The constant energy of the city is inspiring,” said Juul-Hansen, who often commutes into the city on the subway and Citi Bikes.

Juul-Hansen began working for architect Richard Meier before striking out on his own, opening his own firm in 2003.

He made his name dazzling the interiors for One57, at 157 W. 57th St., the city’s first “supertall” residential tower on what is now known as Billionaires Row. One57, he said, became “the DNA for all of 57th Street. It’s the most attractive real estate proposition.”

Juul-Hansen has since created 505 W. 19th on the High Line, and its latest building, the Sutton Tower, is an 848-foot-tall limestone tower on the Upper East Side — currently the tallest in the area. That’s likely to stay that way, as zoning rules now outlaw buildings taller than 250 feet in the neighborhood. His other projects are in Miami, Los Angeles, London, Bangkok, Washington, DC and beyond.

Gimme Shelter sat down to interview Juul-Hansen in his Financial District home, with 20-foot ceilings and walls of glass, at 50 West St., a building whose interiors he also designed. We also toured the city from a helicopter to see Sutton Tower from the sky and walked the High Line.

From there, Juul-Hansen showed us one of his favorite buildings, the Standard Hotel. He didn’t work for her, but that doesn’t stop him from loving her.

“Most buildings have views for people on the inside looking out, but here, the High Line is the spectator,” said Juul-Hansen, who has also worked on hospitality and retail projects for clients such as Michelin-starred flagship restaurant Jean- Georges Vongerichten. and others. He also worked at the Scarpetta restaurant. With all his projects, Juul-Hansen is known for his masterful use of natural materials – wood and stone – that are always classic.

Sales at Sutton Tower are currently going “really well”, Juul-Hansen said. Other current projects include 96+ Broadway, where he led the exterior and interior design, and a new 20-story luxury apartment tower project in West Chelsea, which is still nearing completion.

Now that the US presidential election is over, the architect said, real estate sales are starting to pick up.

“There is a new optimism in terms of developers preparing to be more active after COVID-19, which is already almost five years ago. There is a new energy with customers. I can feel that they are more active” , Juul-Hansen said.

He added that his firm is receiving more calls and inquiries about potential development sites and projects.

“It’s not necessarily a science, but when this vibe is in the air, it means more prosperous times are ahead in New York City,” Juul-Hansen said, adding, “Now is a good time to buy “, even if news about the direction of interest rates under a new administration is still unclear.

As for anyone looking to make home improvements for the sake of generating “a new appreciation for the home, if it stays, or if you’re thinking about selling down the road and making a profit,” Juul-Hansen had some advice.

“Make sure the materials and expressions stay clean and neutral. Don’t try to make a design statement. Chances are you’ll get through it – 99% of people are against it because it’s not easy,” he said.

Juul-Hansen added that it’s the “energy” of the city that drives him — every day.

“I think the energy of the city inspires me to get up and see what I can do better today than I did yesterday—how I can improve on what I did before, that whatever I do next will be better than what I did I used to. It drives what I do. I don’t know how I’d get the energy to do what I do. I’d be in “off” mode 90% of the time. If you are not ‘in’ most of the time in New York City, you’ll drown!”