To step onto the terrace of the Esquire SoHo apartment is to step out into the city.

With 360-degree vistas, the terrace sparkles with the greatest decoration of all—the island of Manhattan. This linear space straddling the boundary between what is “inside” and what is “outside” is a world of experience and the rewards of a spectacular life. Marc Thorpe, of Third Eye Studios in New York, has channeled the Davidoff Cigarette brand’s philosophy of the art of living in his design for the 3,000-square-foot wraparound terrace. “Zino Davidoff famously said, ‘The more you know about pleasure, the more you know about life,’ ” explains Tim Jones, Vice President, Marketing, Commonwealth Brands, Inc. “The Esquire SoHo space is synonymous with this belief, with its luxurious surroundings created by some of the top designers in the world.”

Thorpe has choreographed a series of experiences for the Esquire bachelor and his fortunate guests. The terrace is programmed as five distinct zones of activity. First, the Davidoff Cigarettes smoking lounge is located on the south end of the main terrace. The second zone, on the north section of the main terrace, is the signature Esquire lounge. The outdoor bar, positioned between the north and south lounges, acts as a connection and transition zone; and two more private lounge areas take up the west side of the terrace, overlooking the signature SoHo Mews gardens.

Inspired by Davidoff CIgarettes, Thorpe has designed six glossy white sunscreens to define the Davidoff lounge on the south end of the main terrace. The formal language of the sunscreens reflects the construction method of the furnishings, as well as the beveled graphic language of the Davidoff brand identity. “Take one look at the Davidoff Cigarette box and you will immediately notice our unique octagonal shape, which gives the brand its contemporary style,” says Jones. “Marc Thorpe’s designs for the Davidoff Cigarettes smoking lounge amplify that simple but powerful design element.”

The Davidoff octagon is further reflected in custom-designed concrete ashtray-tables designed by David Zachary, and jewel-like glass ashtrays from Davidoff. At night, the screens transition from being daytime shading devices to becoming fully illuminated by four-foot strips of Davidoff-red LEDs. Says Thorpe, “The resulting effect can only be described as epic.”

“The theme for the roof terrace design begins with the building’s architecture,” says Thorpe. “Considering the building’s architect, Charles Gwathmey, the space had to embody the essence and tradition of the modernist movement.” Thorpe’s first move in honoring the tradition of Gwathmey’s work was to furnish the entire roof terrace with Richard Schultz’s 1966 Swell furniture collection. Originally designed for Florence Knoll, the 1966 collection embodies the modernist dictum of “form follows function”; cast-aluminum frames, articulated connection details and woven-mesh cladding represent the unflinching honesty of modernist design.

Thorpe subverts the traditional severity and egoism of the modernist aesthetic through dramatic lighting and collaborative design. The roof terrace is alive at night with custom lighting elements, furniture, and landscaping that Thorpe assembled from some of the brightest New York City design talent. Custom lamps have been created by internationally renowned lighting designer David Weeks. MPS of Brooklyn contributed Plateau benches made from Richlite™, a unique sustainable material created from paper pulp that is warmer than stone or cement but equally durable.

The custom-designed, white-lacquer outdoor Esquire bar was created by furniture designer Brad Ascalon. His goal was to make the bar feel like a natural fit for the space—not only to mimic the glass-and-steel geometry of the SoHo Mews building, but also to serve as dialogue with the surrounding cityscape of SoHo itself. “What makes the city skyline so beautiful is not only the scattering of buildings, but the negative space in between,” Ascalon says. “The bar is made of six individual pieces of different sizes with space in between to emulate that aspect of the city’s skyline.”

The standout landscaping and specimen trees, including Japanese maples and evergreens, are provided by SoHo-based PlantWorks NYC. With its extensive nursery/showroom just a few blocks away, PlantWorks specializes in the rising to the challenge that is New York City rooftop garden. Terrace lighting is designed by John Newman of world-famous lighting-design firm Kugler Ning. While the south end of the terrace is bathed in sexy, loungey red, the north end fades into languid blue—the effect is that of a midnight moon shining through breeze-blown trees, created by a series of mirror-reflected gobo lights mounted on the building’s rooftop.

The overall feeling is just what the bachelor seeks on his terrace: a modern, sensual oasis, replete with lush vegetation and the bubbling waters of two inviting, wood-clad hot tubs. From this relaxing perch, he can contemplate the historic, steely skylines of both Wall Street and Midtown Manhattan, and plot his advance—or retreat.

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