We are currently working on a beautiful apartment remodel in the city. The goal of the project was to modify the floor plan such that we could better celebrate the views of the East River and the Wards Island walking bridge. We were tasked to open up the space but still maintain the same amount of storage. In addition, the clients requested a color and pattern driven design solution throughout. The couple was open to the idea of flexible space, which gave us a lot more freedom to incorporate a moving wall solution. While not currently installed, the majority of the new design elements are in place and we couldn't be more happy with the current progress. Read on for the plan development...
The East River view is located on the right side of the apartment and was only visible through the two smaller bedrooms and the kitchen. The oddly placed storage closets in the center of the plan broke up the space so our goal was to reclaim space elsewhere for storage and clean up the layout a bit.
Old view from the front door.
The apartment had a strange compartmentalization happening and it was apparent when you entered. Furthermore, the layout was such that the window views became a secondary selling point. Our goal was to open up the space to create a more welcoming and free flowing feel.
To gain access to the river views, we converted the first bedroom to a small family/media open area, removing most of it's walls. We relocated the first bedroom to the left side of the living area adjacent to the master bedroom to be used primarily as an open study and extension of the living area. When guests come to visit, a soon-to-be installed collapsible wall is unfolded from the existing built in storage to create an actual room. We also removed the obtrusive storage closets from the center of the plan and replaced them with a closet wall accessible from inside the hallway leading to the bathrooms and bedrooms. Furthermore, we added closets in the funny nook area adjacent to the entryway closet squaring off the space more effectively. The new storage square footage offsets the loss of the previous one.
With storage solutions considered, we saw an opportunity to create a strong design feature that would greet the couple as they enter the apartment. And here is the new view from the front door...
New view from the front door showcases wood panel accent walls that conveniently disguises the storage functionality and creates drama upon entering.
Looking from the newly created family room into the dining room and living area, you get a better sense of the added storage. With walls removed we were concerned about the floor patches, however, the contractor did a great job marrying old parquet flooring with the new. We are also loving the new floor finish.
As requested, significantly more cabinets were added to the kitchen area along with a bar counter. We also upgraded the finishes including a quartzite countertop and a beautiful custom backsplash.
Quartzite countertops and blue pendants from Tech Lighting will help to highlight the soon to be installed Pratt & Larsen backsplash.
Love the contrast of the white kitchen and the gold wallpaper.
Phase 2 of the project is underway, focusing on furnishings. We will incorporate a few of the couple's existing pieces and upgrade the rest to suit the beautiful new environment. In a few months we expect moving wall and furnishings to be in place so you can see our final vision come to life. See rendering below:
Cannot wait to incorporate this Schumacher fabric, shown on the dining room chairs in our early rendering.
More of this project in a few months time :)
One,
idi team