Executive of the Month: Alton, principal of Stephen Alton Architecture: Shaping Manhattan's luxury buildings from the inside out

Stephen Alton, principal of Stephen Alton Architecture, a New York City-based interior architecture and design firm, knew from a young age he wanted to be an architect. In high school, he began work at a family-owned architecture firm running errands and taking photographs of nearby Vanderbilt University, a longtime client of theirs, in his hometown of Nashville, Tenn. Alton has come a long way since his teenage years. His eponymous architecture firm has most recently designed the interior architecture for developments such as The Touraine at 132 East 65th St. and 400 Park Ave. South. Alton's success at a variety of residential buildings over the years, such as The Clement Clarke at 140 West 22nd St., The Atlas at 66 West 38th St. and New Gotham at 520 West 43rd St., has made him the go-to choice for a slew of big-names developers including Gotham Organization, Toll Brothers and AvalonBay Communities. "Architecture counts," Alton said. "An interior should strengthen the architectural concept. That's how I define my group in terms of what we do." After attending the Rhode Island School of Design, Alton moved to New York and started his own firm in 1995. Alton uniquely designs the interiors of each building to build upon the brand. He explained that interior architecture is a key part of a development because, when properly done, the little details in a luxury development can make all the different when selling multi-million-dollar units. "Branding is critical. It's what sets your project apart from your neighbors' and gives a unique quality to your building. For example, we like to do the front door handles of the building first, because it's one of the first things a person comes in contact with," Alton said. "There are unique details or components that create a memory or interest in an apartment and that is going to separate you from your competition and make people want to rent or buy your unit — a countertop that has a specific type of carving on it, a backsplash that might meet the countertop. Sales people call it whistles and bells." New developments, even ones that now sell for upwards of $5,000 per s/f, can be very generic, and there's often very little a developer can do that hasn't been done before to make it unique. Alton says he uses design techniques that, although pricey, can attract the sophisticated luxury buyer. His most recent project to hit the market, The Touraine, has one duplex penthouse unit left on the market. He also teamed up on the project with longtime collaborator, Toll Brothers City Living, for whom Alton has designed Northside Piers II and his most recent endeavor, 400 Park Ave. South. The Touraine, however, was a different task for Alton, who is used to designing more modern projects opposed to The Touraine's more traditional Upper East Side aesthetic. "The Touraine is a completely unique market for us, which was exciting," Alton said. "We have more of a track record with a more modernist aesthetic. It was like trying out a lot of different hats." Meanwhile, 400 Park Ave. South is set to be a massive residential development with many big names attached to it. On Park Ave. near Madison Sq. Park, the building is designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Christian de Portzamparc, with the bottom half of the building developed as rentals by Sam Zell's Equity Residential and the top half luxury condos by Toll Brothers. "It's extremely exciting because Christian is the designing architect," Alton said. "It's so unique, not only in terms of buildings in Manhattan, but in the world. It's a very different concept of a building. We really get to do something exciting and interesting with the design to look carefully at what the building represents and the context of the building."