Before & After: A Serious Overhaul for a ‘Destroyed’ East Village Kitchen

When Henry purchased his one-bedroom co-op in a former tenement building in Manhattan’s East Village, it was in bad shape. Really, really, really bad shape. The entire apartment was falling apart, and the kitchen was, in a word, ‘destroyed’. Never had a space been more ripe for a makeover. Luckily, Sweeten was there to help Henry revitalize his space, and he didn’t just stop at the kitchen.

Henry didn’t just want to update his kitchen: he had big plans to re-orient the kitchen and tear down a wall separating it from the living room, which would bring more light into both rooms and give the modestly-sized apartment a spacious feel.

Believe it or not, this is the same room. Tearing down the wall between the kitchen and living room makes a huge difference — now, instead two small cramped rooms, Henry has a single big, bright entertaining space full of significantly more light.

New 5″ wide-plank wood flooring ties the kitchen and living room together, and white shaker-style cabinets lend a classic beauty to the kitchen. Henry paired them with a quartz countertop, a backsplash that incorporates steel and glass tiles, and sleek stainless-steel appliances (including the Sirius stainless steel hood, whose slim profile keeps the range hood from interrupting the space).

But the crowning glory of the new space is the new washers and dryer, which hide behind the folding doors that can be seen in the very first ‘after’ photo. A New York apartment with a kitchen like this and an in-unit washer and dryer? Now that’s real luxury.

Henry found his contractor, Louie, through Sweeten, an online resource that connects New York-area homeowners with designers, architects, and contractors. Read more about the project and see more photos on the Sweeten blog.

Re-edited from a post originally published 2.8.16-NT