MDKA fits same floor twice in 52nd Street shuffle.

MKDA has had its way with one floor at 31 West 52nd Street. The leading corporate space planning and interior design firm recently retrofitted 14,300 s/f on the 16th floor for Stone Harbor Investment Partners, a money management firm that launched earlier this year. MKDA had originally designed the entire 26,000 s/f floor just 18 months earlier for another financial company.

According to Daniel De Siena, senior vice president and director of design at MKDA, Stone Harbor's founder had been to the 16th floor on business before. "He had always said that he loved the contemporary design and could happily move right in," says De Siena. "Of course, little did he know that he actually would one day."

When the occupying company vacated the offices, Stone Harbor leased the entire floor, moved into a portion of the space, and sublet the remaining 8,060 s/f to Centerbridge Partners LP, a private investment firm.

MKDA retrofitted Stone Harbor's portion by reconfiguring the workstations to meet the company's unique personnel needs. Stone Harbor liked the architectural elements so much that it asked MKDA to retain the original features.

"Centerbridge obtained the original reception area, so we also needed to provide Stone Harbor with a separate yet complimentary reception area that established the firm's presence yet embraced the architectural vocabulary that had been previously determined," adds John F. Giuseffi, senior architect at MKDA. "We utilized specialty lighting and finish materials including stone and millwork to enhance their entry and make it their own."

Peter J. Wilby, former CIO of fixed income at Citigroup Asset Management, launched Stone Harbor Investment Partners, in April. The firm has $8.485 billion of assets under management.

MKDA (Milo Kleinberg Design Associates) is a leading corporate space planning and interior design firm. Since its inception in 1959, the firm has earned a reputation as one of New York's most respected and renowned interior architectural design firms. Its success is largely due to its intimate knowledge of the real estate market and long-running relationships with landlords and brokers throughout New York. Clients have included Silverstein Properties, Vornado Realty Trust, Equity Office Properties Trust, Reckson Associates, Durst Organization, CBS Outdoors, Smith Barney, HSBC / Bank of Bermuda, National Kidney Foundation, AICPA, Douglas Elliman, Lowenstein Sandier, and Wachovia, among many others.