Upper East Apartment
Renovation in Manhattan, NY
Our clients chose this apartment overlooking the Central Park Reservoir to move into after selling their much larger New York townhouse. Our brief was to bring the feeling of their former townhouse into this more compact space. We accomplished this by employing a traditional planning methodology to capture and utilize the apartment’s available light. For example, the entry hall has the advantage of the light coming in from two sides, and with the help of new transom windows above the interior doors, we were able to illuminate the entry hall and surrounding rooms. As if there was a large mirror in the middle, this carefully thought out juxtaposition creates a more expansive feeling throughout the space. The dining room is nestled in the study as a cocoon-like room for more intimate moments. Since the master bedroom has both south and west views, we redesigned the existing ceiling and designed a simple molding profile to enable almost continuous natural light throughout the day.
Like the rest of the apartment we designed in the Georgian manner, the living room perfectly complements our client’s artwork and antiques. The Foyer was paneled to welcome guests into an English-styled entrance. The Dining Room became the Library and the Kitchen was expanded using the former maid’s room and bath to form a breakfast sitting area. Behind the English Breakfast table, a glazed pocked door opens into the wife’s compact office. The two bedrooms with ensuite baths became the Master Bedroom and husband’s study.
Upper East Side Apartment
Process
Custom traditional paneling and molding grace each room, including the hallway with built-in wardrobes that lead to the master bathroom. We added paneling, wainscoting, and elegant crown molding to the former completely plain walls.
Interior decorator, Diana Beattie, gives the apartment a rich and cozy feel whilst showing off the owner’s incredible collection of 19th-century American paintings and fine period English rosewood and mahogany antiques.
