Renovation and update of an apartment on the 26th floor with stunning views in the Upper East Side, NY
What makes every project unique is the clients, their personal preferences, the existing conditions and the team. This project started out as a tough interivew, where initially, I failed to impress but was called upon eventually and we made magic happen. The cleints had beautiful things from a life well travelled and collected, some vintage antiques, art and treasured heirlooms. I wanted to create a space for them that felt modern and updated and celebrated their life. Photography by Daniel Wang
We kept the existing footprint in the kitchen and the flooring, and made it feel like a whole new kitchen. We repainted the cabinets a dark color; now because the apartment is filled with natural light, this saturated color works very well here, but always test paint colors on site. We added new quartz countertop and backsplash to modernise the kitchen. The quartz window sil is one of my favourite spots in this kitchen.
A beautiful quartz waterfall edge creates a moment here paired with outstanding art by the client in the adjoining family room. I added open wine bottle storage and floating shelves above to extend the abrupt ending of the original cabinetry, just shy of the wall. This created a cohesive termination to the kitchen and also increased functional countertop space. On the right is a coffee bar and a custom panelled fridge.
This master bathroom is a complete transformation. It went from a dated tub+shower combination with a single vanity, lots of wasted space to a large shower with a built in bench, double vanity, huge linen closet and a modern update. As with the rest of the house, we kept the colorway neutral towards grey tones to let the view shine. We installed a mirror wall above the double vanity to reflect the beautiful textured tile in the shower. The wall sconce is good accent lighting coupled with recessed lighting above.
I am showing here a detailed shot of the expansive shower with a built in bench. The transition from one material to the next is the sole purpose of this photograph. Notice how the mosaic penny tile meets the bench’s facade and the textured wall tile. The honed marble sits flush on the curb to finish it off. The custom shower glass door travels along the profile of the bench in a beautiful way. And the tile meets the painted sheetrock without a schluter. Nerding out on such details is one of the joys of my work.
Like everything else, the living room in this apartment is such a huge transformation. It went from dated and yellow to modern and light. Paint is the biggest contributing factor here. I painted the walls, ceiling and the trim the same color. The amount of natural light in the space creates a multitude of shadows and changes the color through the day. Keeping the color the same allows for the paint to not be distracting and lets the view shine. All new funiture in monochramtic light grey tones and modern solohuettes updates the living room and keeps it open to the formal dining space beyond.
The challenge here was also to create a design that could incorporate the existing collection of antiques including the vintage secretary, grandfather clock and art. In this view, I am showing how the living room is the central room in this open concept home and leads to other spaces. The entry foyer is grounded by a favourite art piece which shows patina on the canvas as well as the frame. The opening to the dining room previously had french doors with glass detail and by removing these we have created much needed flow and united the home, while also updating it.
We kept the existing dining table because it was the perfect size for the room and expensive. I got new chairs that have clean lines and textured upholstery. Added some sconces to give purpose to the walls and voila… fresh, modern and collected.