NYC Pre-war Expert

Light-view-space filled apartments with more useable (enjoyable!) space.

Upper West Side Townhouse

NEW YORK, NY

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HONORABLE MENTION BLT Design Awards 2023: Architectural Design Category.

THE STORY

THE CHALLENGE: Create big changes on a tight budget. Including adding central air, and creating a large Prime Bathroom and plenty of closets in the Prime Suite.

THE CLIENT: A Real Estate Professional and a Special Education Teacher leaving the suburbs found their ideal home, an investment property with an owner’s apartment.

THE TRANSFORMATION: We stripped away elements from multiple renovations to reveal the light and views of this garden apartment; now the entertaining spaces flow together. We created a spacious Prime Bathroom and a wall of closets for the Prime Suite.

A teak paneled wall A divides the minimalist stair from the Entry. The low ceiling at the Entry is made higher with a recessed oval architectural light; wide wood floorboards connect the spaces.
We reduced architectural clutter and made the Entry-level feel bigger. We enhanced the feeling of openness when we replaced the stepped sheetrock wall with a blackened steel railing.
A red Entry Door on the right opens to a 3’ wide carpeted corridor with a wall on one side and sliding closet doors on the other. On the left, a red Entry door opens to a 5’ wide space with cabinets and floors of complementary wood species and a 48” x 54” glowing oval recessed light above.

BEFORE The narrow Entry is only a corridor due to the large closet on the right.
AFTER We made the Entry more open and more welcoming. We evaluated the distribution of space and storage and created more habitable space.

Looking down on double-height dining space, a table with a blue plastic covering, and empty walls. A stepped sheetrock divider obscures a Galley Kitchen (The same view) A glass dining table gleams in the foreground, a stool at a stone countertop wraps the corner into the Galley Kitchen, and flat teak paneled refrigerator continue the cabinetry from the Kitchen into the Dining Room

BEFORE This light-filled room does not live up to its potential.
AFTER We maximized views and storage when we removed the sheetrock that obscured this jewel-box Kitchen. We increased storage capacity and added custom teak cabinetry that blends the transition between the Kitchen and the Dining Room.

A 19’ wide contemporary townhouse Living Room is all sheetrock and wall-to-wall carpet. It is dim and filled with mismatched furniture and a tv on the floor (the same view) The glow of layered architectural lighting emanates from the ceiling, the teak-lined niches, and the covered ceiling in the Entry beyond. The stair has an open blackened steel railing instead of a stepped sheetrock wall. A wide cabinet with miniature carved wood animals is in the foreground.

BEFORE Poor lighting, wall-to-wall carpet, and ornamental sheetrock construction obscure the spaciousness of this ground floor apartment.
AFTER We made this narrow Living Room feel more expansive. We used light and materials to create the experience of more depth for each view.

A glass dining table gleams in the foreground, a teak paneled refrigerator and lit barware cabinet with beverage refrigerator continue the cabinetry from the Kitchen into the Dining Room.
We designed this large Dining Room to make entertaining easy, with ample storage for hosting large family gatherings.
A ribbon of windows wraps this Kitchen which reaches into the garden.
We created a gem. A ribbon of windows wraps this Kitchen which reaches into the garden. The swirls of the Manhattan granite, the satin mirrored backsplash, sleek flat fronts of the teak cabinets, and black slate floor bring the outside in.
A man sitting at a table with a blue plastic covering in front of a sheetrock niche (the same view) Chairs of different colors surround a glass table; the niche now has architectural lighting and frosted mirror accent the niche

BEFORE Lacked inspiration.
AFTER We worked with and enhanced the existing architecture.

The Dining Area, Kitchen, and garden are below, and the wide cabinet with miniature carved wood animals is now on the left.
We removed all elements that obscured the garden and we emphasized the apartment’s connection with nature by introducing natural materials to break up the sheetrock.
View up a staircase with light from the garden visible through the railing.
We connected the stair up to the bedroom level to the views and light of the entertaining spaces. We removed a stepped sheetrock enclosure and added an open blackened steel railing with wood treads to match the new floor.
At dusk, the house glows; the galley Kitchen projects out from the double-height glass facade of the rear of the townhouse.
We created an inviting home by using warm materials that invite the outside in.
A 25’ wall of full height cabinets lines the wall from the door to the window over the garden.
A wall of full-height storage leads to the Main Bedroom.
A custom curved side table and contrasting wall color frame the bed. A pocket door connects the Main Bedroom with its glowing white ensuite bathroom.
The bedroom is a calm retreat.
A glowing white bathroom with a double sink on the left, a double shower and pullout storage for towels and toiletries reflected in the mirror above the sinks, a tube in the center on the back wall of the bathroom.
We created a gracious, spacious ADA-accessible bathroom with a double shower, a double sink, and plenty of storage – of course!
A textured white tile-clad double shower has a built-in bench on the left and a full-width niche for shower supplies with an accent of clear glass tile.
We created a gracious, spacious ADA-accessible bathroom with a double shower, a double sink, and plenty of storage – of course!
A narrow bathroom with materials that match the finishes of the Living and Dining Rooms, teak vanity with flamed black granite countertop and floors, extra-long white subway tiles in a staggered pattern.
We created a custom sink cabinet for this expanded ½ bath downstairs. We added a shower
The off-white sandstone townhouse from the street, with a classic stoop, the upper stories partly hidden by the delicate leaves of Spring.
Our clients moved from the suburbs to their forever home in this classic 19th-century townhouse.

photos: Eduard Hueber © Archphoto.com

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