Location: New York, NY
Completion Date: 2018
Our clients purchased their studio sized apartment with a tiny bedroom for use as pied-a-terre. Located in brownstone building in a Landmarked district, we worked with the clients to maintain the character and charm of the unit, while increasing the functionality of their space.
The existing layout included a closed-off kitchen with minimal counterspace, a dis-portioned bedroom just wide enough to fit a blow-up mattress, and a bathroom door in the kitchen. We were able to widen the bedroom and add a walk-in closet off of the foyer. By removing the tub, we reduced the bathroom size giving needed inches to the adjoining kitchen. The kitchen was opened to the living room and custom cabinets were designed to maximize every inch of storage. In the bathroom a new shower replaced the removed tub. The original metal hamper unit was salvaged, restored to the bare steel, and re-installed for storage. A stone mosaic accent tile compliments the custom marble slab floor and walls, handpicked by the clients.
A six-foot-wide custom pocket door was designed for the wall between the bedroom and living room, allowing for area near the rear windows to be open. That pocket door, along with new bathroom and patio doors were designed to match original doors in the foyer, which we had salvaged and refinished back to the original wood. Each new door has frosted infill panels that mirror the proportion of the wood panels and allow light to permeate through the rooms. After finding original leaded windows in the cellar, the building owner allowed our clients to incorporate them into their renovation. We were happy to redesign the custom doors to add the original glass as transoms above.
Unable to save the original floor, a new parquet floor and boarder was designed to match the proportions of the existing. The floor was lightened and the boarder was narrowed helping make the space feel larger. A portion of the original floor was saved at the client request and is now hung in the bedroom.
The client’s purchased a pendant fixture salvaged from Waldorf Astoria which was installed in the foyer. At the existing fireplace, we cleaned the brick at the chimney and added a new marble mosaic surround & slab hearth. The wood trim of the existing mantel was replaced, better integrating the fireplace with the renovated space.
