Name: Lucinda and Nicholas
Location: Lower East Side
Size: 1000 sqft
Lived in: 12 years in the back half of the current apartment. (The front half was sublet). One year in the combined apartment
Lucinda and Nicholas, with the help of an architect, transformed two tenement apartments that they had owned for more than a decade, into one sleek and modern home for themselves and their newborn child. The space, in its former state, was very cave like so to see it in its current state, is a revelation.
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Lucinda and Nicholas desired, a well lit home above almost anything else. They loved time spent elsewhere--on both coasts, uptown and downtown — in really sun drenched apartments. For a long time, they thought they'd have to give up and sell the Lower East Side place for a brighter future. After looking around at various options, they turned back to basics, and with the help of a friend and architect, they realized that what they had in front of them had tremendous potential.
They knocked down as many walls as possible — including the use if a huge exposed steel beam rather than a supporting wall! And they painted as many walls white as possible. They didn't stop there. Any and every surface is light. The kitchen cabinets are reflective of the sun, the closets are all behind white doors, the floors are light and the furniture is light as well. The strong sun pores straight down the hall and hints at the back bedrooms, which also get some good light.
The front living space feels expansive and welcoming. The apartment is completely unrecognizable from its previous incarnation. Color in the apartment comes from the books that create almost one entire wall, the playful green on the ceiling in the bathroom and the single purple wall in the office. The sun does the rest. Over the course of the day, it's effect on the furniture and surfaces creates a envious changing palette.
AT Survey:
Inspiration: We wanted lots of light in our life after living in small cramped and dank NYC apartments, so we strove to incorporate as much light into our design as possible. The kitchen is a prime example — we chose to use glossy white cabinets to reflect the sun coming in from the windows
Favorite Element: Baby's accent wall
Biggest Challenge: The heating/cooling system. We wanted to install an HVAC system for central heating and cooling but because of structural and economic constraints, it was ultimately not possible.
What Friends Say: LOVE it!
Biggest Embarrassment: The wall mounted air conditioners. They're loud and inefficient.
Proudest DIY: The Tord Boontje Garland light/chandelier over the dining room table. It was so cheap and easy to construct. And so cool!
Biggest Indulgence: The bamboo floors and the Hunter Douglas blinds (they cost a small fortune!)
Best Advice: Plan, plan and plan ahead. Choose a good architect who comes with his/her own contractor. An architect and contractor who work and know each other well makes all the difference. It literally translates into the final work product.
Dream Source: Surface and Dwell magazines, Apartment Therapy, Design Sponge, Hive Modern (for furniture and lighting), Modern Seed (for modern baby furniture).
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Love the horizontal tile on the back splash
i love it! there are so many lovely things about this space.
the book shelves are perfect. i have to ask - custom? or where can i find them?
thanks!
love the art above the bed, the bathroom especially the floor and ceiling, and the mobile idea. also like the two different colored leather couches.
This place is amazing! I think it combines modern, almost minimalist elements such as the white walls and cupboards, and large furniture pieces, but it still feels like a home with personality. The bookshelf adds colour and randomness through shelf length. The cards, photos and notes on the front door soften its harsh steel character. A wall (or ceiling - brilliant!) adds a splash of colour without becoming overbearing. And the natural light makes all of that work together without seeming bland. I absolutely love this place!
On another front, its small and it has lots of natural light, which would be great for their energy bill. Bonus!
PS. What are your thoughts on having the couch backing onto the kitchen island?
That's a huge transformation. I know all too well what tenement apartments usually look like, and spacious they're not. Good job!
This tenement-renter says Bravo!
Great place! I love the simplicity of the bedroom and the art piece. I was noticing your laundry basket- that has been an issue in our small bedroom and I have searching high and low for hampers to pleasantly disguise our dirty clothes. You made me see how having laundry visible can work! I also like the black beam separating the living room and kitchen, adds a nice dimension to the space.
Boring & messing. For Gods sake put up your laundry baskets before taking photos to display your home & I will never understand why people take photos of a vase on a window ledge as if its added any value to the work on their home? Negative - dont like.
Hope4, I'm with you. The importance of staging is totally lost on some people. I thought this place looked kind of scattered, the white made it so washed out, and the furniture placement was just awkward. With the black couch shoved up against the kitchen like that, it looks like they created a "stage" where their guests can sit and watch their "amazing" children. Sorry. Nice job on the renovation, but I don't think this is anything special.
Hello, I just love the overall feel of your space. Please please tell me where you purchased the white couch, and is it leather or vinyl? Thank you!!!
Overall the place looks a little messy and uninspiring. However, I gave it a chance and examined the details and I have to say I really love so many things in this place I could easily find myself at home here. The shot of the kitchen from the living room looks bad but once you get inside the kitchen it feels very utilitarian and kind of warm. I don't know how to explain it. I love the glossy white cabinets, LOVE LOVE LOVE the butcher block top, the dark blue glass tiles with the white grout for the backsplash(goes splendidly with the wood of the countertops), the stainless steel countertop, the black floor with the large rectangular tiles, the drawer pulls, the white cabinets continued under the stainless steel countertops, the little plant at the end. WOW! I write a lot :) It just looks very real, very lived-in and bright. I love the views from the apartment, especially the red fire escape zig-zagging across the street. It looks like artwork in the window. And, OMG, that bathroom, I LOVE IT! That minty green pouring down from the ceiling looks so yummy. It is brilliant, and brilliantly simple. I love the bathroom, the oversized sink is awesome, the floor is really pretty and I know how handy a dark bathroom floor comes, and I love the walls entirely tiled in white. The lighting looks great and I love the inset shower curtain slide. Again, this house is nothing "special" as far as cutting edge design but it is just very functional and pleasing to the senses. It feels like a real home that a friend would have that I would be envious of. Ok well, one last thing. I love the origami style baby mobile! How endearing and different. I do agree it looks like they didn't really starighten up or hide everything, but maybe they wanted to show it that way, or maybe because they have a new baby they could have cared less! :) It looks like there is a lot of stuff in the bathroom laying about, maybe they don't have enough storage perhaps. But overall I really really like this place.
Could you please source the art in the bedroom?
Great job! Looks quite functional and comfortable plus the details are nice. I especially like the shelving. I second the request for details on the white couch, thanks.
I would love to have that place. However, the art in the living room is bugging me. It's too large and its placement only draws for attention to the a/c unit.
Where is the white vase from? I love it!
i love this home. the renovations made it so bright, open and beautiful. why is it that everyday items left in everyday places equals "messy"? personally, i like the fact that the desk has got stacks of papers on it. it shows how people actually work here, raise kids here and still manage to make it look like an amazing place to live.
The tree picture in the living room and the big gold leaf picture in the bedroom are both Marimekko fabric prints. (I have the same ones!)
I think you guys did a great job creating a very livable space. I love house tours like this, where you can actually imagine a family living there. The kitchen is my favorite part, also love the bookshelves. It's a very open, welcoming layout. Great job!
I completely agree with you, elisa and mollybb. Why should house tours just be of completely pristine homes that look like no one has ever "made footprints in the snow"? It's nice to see the lived-in quality as well.
Lovely place. Where did you get the kitchen drawer pulls from? They are exactly what I'd like to use to replace my current knobs.
i love your place. it feels like a real home. i love the bookshelves, the kitchen, and the mural. love the mobile too. great view of the fire escape - it's its own artwork. thanks for sharing your home with us.
I love the artwork in your home. I didn't see a single piece I wouldn't consider for my own.
Lovely!
Love the colorful ceiling in your bathroom!
Could some tell me where I can find the brown leather sofa?
Dear AT readers, we would first like to thank you for all the thoughtful comments and questions. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that it generated so much commentary and discussion. After living in only one half of the apartment for many years complete with all the quirks of a tenement apartment, including a shower in the kitchen, our new home embodies all that the previous was lacking - space, light, functionality and our own aesthetic. When we agreed to a photo shoot and to virtually invite everyone into our home, we decided that it was important to let you view it as we live in it every day. The apartment was not "styled" for the shoot. So yes, we did not put away our laundry. And yes, the mess on the desk is real mess. But we also live with a newborn so cut us some slack. And what is wrong with creating a space (and not a "stage") for a growing child to play in? That said, we'll try to answer some of your questions and respond to some of your comments as best as we can.
The couch against the island was more out of necessity and a lack of space for bar stools.
The bookshelves were custom designed by our architect and constructed by our carpenter.
The white leather couch is actually a pull-out from Jennifer Convertible and the espresso leather couch is from IKEA. Both are very comfortable and practical. Glad you like them.
The white vase is from a store on Avenue A called Alphabets. Also check out Lancelotti (also on Ave. A) for great and affordable home items including furniture.
mollybb is indeed correct - the large prints in the LR and BR are Marimekko. Check out: http://store.txtlart.com/ for wall hanging kits.
The knobs are made by Sagatsune America, Inc.: http://www.sugatsune.com/products/ProductDetails.cfm?CATID=4&SUBCATID=5&PRODUCTID=3262
We wanted to be playful in the bathroom and decided to paint it with a color that reminded us of water. It actually came out looking very much like the classic Tiffany teal.
Actually, we have a ton of storage space (something completely lacking in the previous apartment) - take a look at the hallway - it is entirely closets seamlessly hidden by painting the doors the same color as the walls. One of them holds our stacked washer/dryer unit.
Thanks again AT!
Nice renovation. I particularly love the wall of bookshelves - functional and good looking.
Great job!!! Beautiful and functional. Exactly what kind of Hunter Douglas blinds are you using?
Thanks!
You have created a very beautiful home. I love that it isn't overly staged and looks lived in. Some of the house tours on AT look more like showrooms than homes. Your home is warm and inviting. You did a wonderful job!
Absolutely beautiful job! Well done. Your ideas shown in these pictures have really inspired me. Thanks for sharing!
I really like it! Thanks for sharing!
Terrific job! I'm in love with your new kitchen, and you've been really creative in building unobtrusive storage into the place.
And as for those who want to see more "staged" interiors-- stick to magazines. This site provides a great platform for people to share the way they really use their homes. I find lived-in house tours much more appealing than cold, stylist-perfected interiors where I'd be afraid of spilling a drink or smudge a perfectly polished floor. Fussiness is off-putting.
Holy spelling and grammar errors, Batman!
I'm with those who appreciate the simple, pared down yet homey aesthetic of this place. It's unpretentious yet still stylish without trying too hard. And I don't mind plush toys on the floor and laptops on tables, either!
Cool dining table and bench! I want to make some. Love all the bookcases, and the openness of the new space. Great job remodelling.
Nice Job, did you ever think about reversing the dining area with the living room? I would swap the couches for the table and then you could use bar stools. I wouls mount the flat screen on the wall next to the bookshelves, and have the two couches face each other for a really nice conversation area.. this would be better then the current placement and make more sense. Put a nice picture over the fireplace and add a candle scape below, now that's a living room. p.s. you will need to floate one couch off the wall where I would put the tv, or better yet get 2 armchairs.
There are a ton of really well thought out details here. We lived in a tenement style place for a few years, and you're really limited as to what you can do...long, dark and narrow are three obstacles to great design.
My only quibble is with the kitchen area: I'm assuming it was a gut reno so I might have installed 4" recessed cans in the ceiling, and also I would have used a larger top-mount sink. I also would have installed a cook top on the island. that way you;'d have a lot of usable prep space near the sink
I don't mind that the owners left the space as they live in it. I liked how they made it their space, for what they need...it will be different for all. Sometimes when looking at AT posts I think, they 1) must have scurried around and cleaned it up like mother-in-law is on the way! 2) very orderly which I am not. Either way I end up feeling like I need to do a better job with my cleaning/organizing vs. just living.
Additionally, who reads these posts for gramatical/spelling? Please, they are blog posts, lighten up.
I fail to see what is so special about this place. The place seriously needs some staging.
Staging makes me hurl....it is like airbrushing....anyway, there is a lot I liked about this place but I give it two thumbs up for the simple reason that when looking at the pics I seriously want to live there...or would seriously want to hang out there...Enjoy!
Nice place you've created, I live in LES too, in one of the Gouverneurs gardens apartment buildings, we are suffering from lack of space ughhhhh so I look with envy at openness, light in your new apartment.
I love the dining table and bench - where is it form?
Could you please let me know where we could get it?
Any idea of approximate cost of such renovation?
Great Great place! Really!
Please tell me where you got the office desk, really need one just like it, it's perfect.
Where is that desk from? Thank you!
I am impressed with the owners honesty. A display that shows how the house is lived in, thus showing it as a home.
Well done for not running around lining up every novel and magazines' spine!
It is clear you have a style that is simple, with clean lines and one that reflects a young family that decorates to their own needs, not ones imposed by "fashion" decorators!
Lovely home.
I also believe staging is a little silly. I don't adovocate a messy house either, but it's refreshing to see your real home. A lot pf people "stage" their homes, but, as pretty as their designs may be, they are totally impractical. Thanks for showing that you don't live in a magazine page.
A few of my faves:
-The purple color over the desk in the baby's room
-Painting only the ceiling of the bathroom (in a yummy color!)
-Marimekko prints
-Three cheers for your architect not wrapping the structural column in drywall, but leaving it exposed
-Not being afraid to push the sofa against the kitchen island
-built-ins!
Congratulations! You did an amazing job and I love your apartment. I really like your ceiling light in the living room. Can you tell me where you got it? Thanks.
ACK! This place is too amazing! I want it.
I love the oversized art! And showing your lived-in home was very refreshing for AT. It's nice to see the delicate and the industrial combined. This is really a sweet place, and that mobile backstory is fabulous.
This is a beautiful apartment. I like that it actually looks lived in, especially the office.
Gorgeous home...love the use of light throughout the space. Lucinda and Nicholas, if you are still answering questions, could you tell me (1) who made the standards and brackets for the LR wall, and (2) where or how did you get that great hi-gloss finish on the shelves? We are looking to do exactly the same thing on a 20' long wall. Thanks!
Comfortably stylish! I love this place, it of course has a few odd design ideas (couch backing up to island) but with children I understand the need to be practical instead of arranging furniture in your home to where it is more akward for your family to "live" in. I like that it was photographed without any staging and that you can tell a family lives here, it would be awful to "stage" a family home because some people would get the idea that it could stay obsessively clean and that is never the way children should be forced to live, children need room to run and be creatively expressive! I think this family home is amazing...
who wrote the comments? the person needs help.