Used for decades by the owners as a pied-à-terre, this renovation reimagines the one-bedroom apartment into a functional, flexible, and warm gathering space for two older professors with an impressive art collection, an adult-age pianist son, and his growing family.
For two longtime New Yorkers and one beloved dog, making their plain one-bedroom apartment work required a hefty infusion of storage, flexibility, and refinement. Before making any decisions, we took stock of how the owners lived, as avid hosts, serious readers, and passionate home cooks. From there we set out to reimagine the space into a highly calibrated apartment with an airness that belies its size.
On the top floor of a converted factory building in Williamsburg, an artist and her family were living in a loft they mostly loved: tall ceilings, a crowning skylight, original industrial details. However, they approached us with one nagging problem; the cramped kitchen, with its awkward dimensions, poor lighting, and dated materials, was no match for their busy days and love of cooking. Our solution weaves together exacting space planning and a material warmth to transform the compact, underutilized area into one that is both exceptionally functional and an authentic portrait of its inhabitants.
In Manhattan’s notorious real estate market, every square inch counts. After studying this compartmentalized one-bedroom apartment near Columbus Circle, we realized the odd, underutilized storage space off the foyer presented a rare opportunity to expand the program without increasing the footprint. Untouched since the 1980s, the apartment required a contemporary interior that replaced the broken cabinetry, faux-brass finishes, and damaged parquet floors with natural materials and sleek lighting. .