UES Apartment Renovation

Why part ways with the typical old NYC charm apartment when you can simply enhance it? This spacious three-bedroom located in the Upper East Side captures perfectly the essence of the old New York homes. The owners immediately fell in love with the iconic decor details and wanted to make sure to preserve them while restoring the space.

With the clients' wishes in mind, the Chapter team took over this renovation project ready to upgrade all pre-war fixtures. From old unplumbed walls, rusted pipes, to non-coded electrical wires - the team had a lot to tackle to bring this apartment up to NYC building codes.

With those structural changes tackled, our designer was able to step in and conceptualize an "old meets new" living space for our clients. She started in the master bathroom where she married classic Italian Carrara marble tiles topping the spacious double sink vanity to the modern customized walk-in shower made out of glass. By adding large arched mirrors in front of the medicine cabinets, our designer added a romantic touch to tie the space together beautifully.

Moving on to the next living area and intending to preserve the original heritage of this pre-war apartment, the owners wanted to keep the kitchen separate from the dining room. Most Upper East side apartments have outdated kitchen layouts which make for a waste of space and an unwelcoming environment.

Design combined to functionality were the two drivers for the redesign of this kitchen. The Chapter team turned the space around, celebrating its "old school feel" with Calacatta quartz counter tops, new recessed lighting, adding a washer/dryer unit, in addition to a wine cooler while making sure to give plenty of cabinet space for everyday family needs.

The limited space available in the kitchen was one of the challenges the Chapter team faced during the construction phase. With no to little space left for the washer/dryer unit, it was imperative to break a wall and relocate it to accommodate all the plumbing fixtures.

The original wall partition piding the dining from the living room made the apartment feel small and dark. With the approval of the clients, the chapter team went ahead and removed it to leave one large living space filled with natural light thanks to the large windows running across the now opened up living room.

Long, skinny, light wooden planks were installed in a geometric yet linear pattern to enhance the traditional look but without feeling outdated. The new floors are the essence of what was intended for this apartment renovation : respecting the NYC heritage while feeling fresh and new.