Stunning transformation! Where's the living room rug from?

Where is the rug in the living room from and what kind of rug is it?

The House Tour links seem to only link to the kitchen tour. Where's the rest of the tour?

This is the BEST renovation I've ever seen of a small space. It's absolutely beautiful; practical and uncluttered and stylish. I love how they got all that light into the living room by switching the rooms out -- and the kitchen and bathroom are fantastic. i would stay in this apartment forever! Lucky nellie!

I had the same problem as Pixie and had to go through the thumbnails to see any more of the tour.

The renovations look nice, but it's hard to get a sense of the space because of the odd angles of the photos. I would like a more cohesive view of the living room and bedroom.

I have to say I'm pretty impressed that you can fit 2 bedrooms into 500 square feet in the first place! It looks much more spacious that I guess it is, and I like her simple decor for the small space. And the renovation does look very nice and tasteful.

That said, I'm a sucker for the kind of beautiful old cabinetry she had before (so much good storage!) as well as for claw foot tubs and porcelain fixtures. If I were given the new version of the place, I'd pay to have it restored to how it was before! I would kill for a place with all those great prewar details!

Best kitchen EVER!!!!

One of the best House Tours I've seen! Love all of the built-in storage. I think "smart" best describes this beautiful new space. I could go on and on about the kitchen and bathroom. The flooring in the bathroom is gorgeous! Great job!

What a wonderful renovation! Perfect in every way. One of the best meldings of old / new I've seen. The bathroom floor tile is terrific.

i can only see the kitchen. :(

Seriously what a brilliant transformation. I love the wood you used in the kitchen and the laundry built-in wow!

I love love the built in bookcase and hide-a-way desk really one of the best uses of space. Congrats a super well done job.

Wow. WOW!

In the bathroom before picture, what is that little bowl on top of a pipe, above the bath tub? Is it a sink? Fascinating.

Wow. It looks so spacious - amazing how much is squeezed into 500 sq ft. Gorgeous.

I love this. It still says "tenement," but the more uncomfortable/crusty bits left over from tenement life have been eliminated.

A note on claw-foot tubs: they're impossible to clean around/under in a small space. And old cabinets can be pretty awful. The doors rarely close well, they're not level, etc. I like that one of the old cabinets was restored, but I understand why most of the old fixtures were taken out.

LOVE that kitchen!

A beautifully done restoration.

But a litterbox in a dining room? I'll pass on that one. Ew.

That coat closet is too cute

I want your built-ins. All of them. My belongings would fill maybe 1/4 of the cabinet space, but looking at all the cool doors and shelves would keep me busy for hours.

I love the kitchen, great how you kept the good original details but updated the look and made it more functional.

This is really unbelievable.

This is a great house tour with beautiful pics. But it was too short.
The kitchen looks lovely, thanks for sharing.

I love the built-ins and all the storage. This place seems much larger than 500 sq ft.

I also couldn't view past the 12th image unless I went to "show thumbnails," then the rest appeared. This is happening a lot lately, what's the problem?

bravo! it's stunning! amazing what can be done with a small kitchen to make it really, really wonderful. i'm very envious of all the counter space! my kitchen is double that size and i don't have near that counter space! kudos to the designers; it's fantastic work. xo

Beautiful!

just amazing!!!

I love this apartment. I thought the kitchen was the best ever, and then I saw that wall of storage in the living room - be still my heart!

love

This is stunning work! Very smart use of the space.

This is the best home tour renovation I have ever seen here! The home is beautiful and clean and really retains the charm of an old pre-war apartment. I love the color tones and the wall paper in the dining room and the fantastic shelves and storage in the living room & dining room. If I lived in NY I would hire your designers tomorrow for my place.

The wall of storage in the living room is just too awesome: it is so very functional and can store so much, and doesn't look the least bit bulky. I love the way they have incorporated pull-down desks.
If and when my budget allows it, I would love to have something similar under the stairs in our entryway hall.

Absolutely amazing. well done

After the kitchen, you have to scroll down to see the rest of the house EVERY TIME YOU CLICK A THUMBNAIL. It is a testament to how AWESOME this house is, that I scrolled through most of the photos. WONDERFUL decor.

It's not cookie-cutter. I still see the owner's original style in there, it's just more chic and put together. It's smart too, lots of storage and space-expanding decisions.

Excellent tour.

BREATHTAKING kitchen.........and I am not exaggerating. Seriously, I am thisclose to crying tears of joy and beauty over that kitchen....

I haven't even seen the rest of the house, yet, lol

Like a few others, I can only see twelve slides and I know there are more. I wonder what's going on...

I have a kitty litter box behind a door off of my kitchen that very similiar looking. As long as you take care of the cat (and if you have one you should be) then you will never know there's anything there.
You should know, I don't even like cats-it's my husbands animal-and it doesn't bother me. I like this solution for a small space.
I love this kitchen more and more with each viewing- it's wonderful.

PLEASE tell us where you got the rug.

I am very impressed by the living room transformation. I'm with everyone else I want more.

ZOMG Ponieeeees!!! The best house tour ever. Every storage fantasy made real. Not that the before was bad; it was just too cluttered.

It is like a little jewelry box. I especially love the kitchen. the only peeve is the litter box in the dining room.

Does anyone know why my internet crashes every time I try to load a slideshow on AT?? It's getting painful . . .

GREAT house tour! Love the before pics, and the fact that it's mostly wide room shots instead of a boatload of vignettes. I also really love the use of color here - the plum on the bedroom walls is an inspired choice in a small room, and it works beautifully. And that kitchen! Those counters! Lots of photos for my inspiration files here.

This was so fun to look at. Lots of little surprises.

Absolutely brilliant. I love this space - one of the best - so clever and inspiring.

No one mentioned the bathroom? Genius. I too have the smallest bathroom ever and this evening I will show my husband what we can do. BTW does your shower have a curtain? and if not, do you have any problems getting the floor too wet?
Thanks!

would basically ditto most of the comments already posted and just add that I love the painted wood paneled walls - especially that plum wall. So totally unexpected for my heart to leap over anything plum or purple but its divine with the white trim and bed frame. Could we get the brand/color?

I love this remodel, I think the panel style wood makes it look so cute. I'm confused about one thing in this tour though, those wooden floor level 'cutting board' pieces in the living room under the pull down desk... what exactly are they/what is their purpose?

Hi everyone,
Thanks so much for the positive comments on Nellie's apartment renovation. We are thrilled that you like it! In answer to some of your questions...

The rug in the living room is an antique that has been in Nellie's family for years, we don't really have much more information on it.

The shower does have a curtain, which prevents the tile outside of the shower from getting wet. There is a little bit of a step into the shower, so that definitely blocks any water leaking out.

The pull-out pieces in the living room built-in, under the desk are mounted on drawer slides and they are made to discreetly house a printer and scanner.

The bathroom is, indeed, off the kitchen and is teeny-tiny.

As for the aubergine wall color, Nellie sourced that herself so we're not sure about the exact color. It's definitely Benjamin Moore. We'll investigate and will post the exact name and color code.

Also, a few of you wrote to ask about the framed art in Nellie's living room -- it was commissioned by the artist, Karen Schaefer. Her website and contact info can be found here: http://www.karinschaefer.com

Thanks again for your lovely comments and let us know if you have any other questions!

Gorgeous! Love the clean design.

I don't usually like wallpaper, but I love, LOVE that dining room paper.
Also: I would happily live in your kitchen. It's gorgeous!
OK.. the whole thing is gorgeous -- so much smart design, such careful thought by the owner as to what to display, what to store.

Beautiful mix of rich rustics and clean whites, such a dream!

Oh, I really like how old was mixed with new, especially in the kitchen. I the stainless works well, and I love the mix of wood finished cabinets with white & wood counters (I don't like the museum look.) Those 2 guys are really good at their work!

I don't know. I'm pretty sure I have the smallest bathroom in the world.

Maybe it's a function of the tour not progressing (mine ended on slide 33: a picture of the old toilet and odd choice if it is intentional) even with thumbnails shown, but where's the bathroom sink?
Other than that, love it!

would you share where in nyc you purchased the kitchen appliances? thx!

Love, love, love the kitchen, bathroom and built ins! I am a bit creeped out by having the litter box in the same place as the linens and dishes. I really like the built-in housing the printer/scanner described above. Amazing solutions!

simply. amazing. what a great combination of form and function. now please forgive me for being crass, but can someone please give me a ballpark estimate for how much a reno like this might cost? I have absolutely no idea -- $50k? $200k?? I need to find out whether I can actually call off my search for more square footage and opt to re-do a smaller space instead . . . . .

This house tour is the very reason I signed up for AT! Please keep showing us how REAL people have transformed REAL apartments. There are no less than ten ideas for my own 500 sq. foot apartment that I can start in on this weekend.

Thank you!

I AM DYING!!! I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE THIS HOUSE TOUR!! THANK YOU!

Am I the only one that liked it before? I can see that the space is better used after, but I think some of the charm and originality were lost. I think I would have just fixed it up the way it was before.

How many square feet would we estimate were lost when built-ins gobbled up the precious few available?

Guess the cat is kept in another room when the dining room is in use, otherwise the odor must be be used as an appetite suppressant.

Absolutely delightful. Beautiful. I am so loving that dining room....

LOVe the blend of old and new... not the typical gut and modernize remodel that way too many do. This remodel won't be dated in a few years! Whenever possible it is far more green to save whatever you can when doing a remodel and this is a good example. 5 stars!

Great place. I can't believe there were 60 comments before someone brought up the fact that the litter box is in the dining room! I would be mortified to have to explain to my dinner guests why the cat is scratching at the beautiful custom-built cabinetry door...assuming of course it's closed during dinner parties. Perhaps the cat is caged or behind a closed door at these times... but still, eww.

Charming!! The woodstripping idea was genius. The wallpaper in the dining room is beautiful; what a great contrast with the chandelier's blue tints. The bedroom looks tight, tight, tight (er, cozy?), but that closet will surely make up for it. I, too, am curious to see the sink/vanity in the bathroom.

Thank you for sharing this small space renovation!!

Loooooove this space. The shelving is to die for, and those floor tiles in the bathroom are making me swoon!

amazing! My place is 300 sq ft larger, but your new place seems so much more spacious! I need to seriously rethink and plan a remodeling of my galley kitchen. This is a great inspiration!

Fabulous! Love the kitchen and the bathroom transformation. The bathroom floor tile is charming! Would like to see the vanity.

Move out for six months and come back to this? I'd be pissed.

The walls of that kitchen are so unappetizing, living there would have the effect of dieting.

Living/dining cabinetry is well done, but other than that, meh.

Haven't read comments, but aren't these design folks who bought a house in Woodhaven?

500 square feet never looked so good. I LOVE this renovation. The kitchen is amazing. Love the white and wood combo. I just did a smiliar thing in my kitchen (wood and cream) and love it. The built-ins are amazing. Enjoy!! You deserve it.

Isn't it awesome how excited we can be about the transformation of a tenement apartment? It's so much fun to see how these wonderful Made By Two folks succeeded in solving this puzzle.

My personal fave -- the bathroom. Wish I could see a floorplan though.

BTW I lived in one of these babies back in the day when junkies would break in and steal anything, including our winter coats.

Excellent job. An inspiration for many similar ones with the same challenges.

I hardly ever comment on house tours, but I think this is amazing, like everyone else seems to. It has really inspired me because I would love a modern aesthetic in a historic setting, and living in the UK its easy to find a historic setting, but hard to get ideas of how to creatively streamline the space.
And I would like to echo calls for a floor plan. Its great to see a floor plan in the slide show (and in cases like this where recent and professional work was done, a floor plan must exist). It might help people understand how much square footage was taken up by built in units (for example).
Another thing that I wish AT would encourage for these slide shows, is to show rooms finally done and in use. Because I doubt we would be in as much awe of the kitchen counter space in use (with the toaster, blender, cutting board out) but might appreciate even more the clever recess for shampoo in the shower. I must disagree with those who wish the old fixtures were retained in the bathroom--it so hard to clean around that kind of tub. And when you have cats...
And finally, Nellie might be happy in the smaller bedroom, but in the long run, if its not possible to fit a double bed in her room, future residents will probably wish to relocate the bedroom into living room and in that case the fantastic built in storage could be a liability. Although, I think its important that renovations be aimed at how you want to live now, and a floor plan might show there is ample room to squeeze a double bed in there...

SUPERB SUPERB SUPERB!! The imaginative use of 500 sq-ft is one of the best Ive ever seen. Clean, airy....and definitely larger than life.

xham,

I'm with you! I kinda liked it before; With some cleaning up and de-cluttering, it could definitely work out. Of course the livingroom did need some help, but still a nice makeover job.

whoa nellie. this is so cool. are we allowed to ask how much it cost for parts & service on this reno?

This might be the best post on AT ever. It's much more about the use of space than the decorating. Many brilliant ideas going on here.

I love that kitchen, the sink, the organization, and the wood is beautiful.
You are very lucky.

I am speechless. But thank you for sharing. Very inspiring.

Overall pretty great. Nice transformation. Too much the same paneling though. For example in the kitchen painted walls would have been enough with the with painted brickwork and would have broken up the paneling in the dining room. Liked a lot the old wooden cabinets but did not like the new lower cabinets that much. They looked mismatched and not a good way. Great storage in the kitchen. The built-in unit with desk was a clever idea but again a touch too much of a good thing and paneling. Tall doors for example would have broken the horizontal lines. Also lining up everything is too much. Breaking up horizontal lines greats intrest. In the bath room clear glass door without the dividing wall would have opened the small bathroom. Liked a lot the simple tile with the colorful, fun floor.

Hands down the best kitchen reno i've ever seen. respectfully disagree with krisse. Using the same panelling throughout and lining things up keeps a place this small from feeling cramped and patchwork. breaking things up works better in places that are a bit bigger imo. the only thing that bothered me was the niche in the shower. Probably would have tweaked location and dimensions so that it worked with full tiles.

What a stunning transformation! And I love how the character of the apartment has been preserved and made very functional! Thanks for including the "Before" pictures, they make this tour that much more special. Love the look of the kitchen. Clean with wood accents and uncluttered. You are so lucky to have such a cool home in NYC.

http://www.notesfromastudio.blogspot.com

oh good god. that's amazing.

WOW! I am amazed. This is one of my favorite posts ever. A washer/dryer in the dining room? You're killing me!!

Fabulous of space in the kitchen...I would love to have more details on the appliances and cabinetry used in the kitchen....Please!!!

Hello again,
In answer to some of your latest questions -- we sourced our appliances from AJ Madison and Dial-A-Brand (516-378-9694). We've been very happy with both suppliers.

The cabinetry is custom millwork.

The apartment is just over 500 square feet, of which about 38 square feet is used for the entry closet, the dining room built-in and the living room built-in. The closet in the bedroom and kitchen cabinetry are not included in that, since those would be expected in any apartment.

We'd be happy to share an image of the floor plan -- check our website in a few weeks, where we'll post a slide show of the renovation in progress under the Case Studies section.

For those who subscribed to our website updates, stay tuned for our design blog launch announcement and thanks for signing up.

Once again, we really appreciate all of your enthusiastic comments!

This is a-maz-ing! I'm a sucker for subway tile, though :D It's a great job and puts my 1000 sq ft condo to shame! hrhprincess Fiona: the reason the bathroom is off the kitchen is because it's easier to run the water pipes together in a building that small-the rooms need to be back to back. I am interested in why this is illegal in Britain-perhaps because of the sewage pipes in the bathroom being near the kitchen? Always interesting to know those things.

Ballpark figure for the costs? . . . please??

with the kitchen, dining room, living room, and bedroom, how is this only 500 sq feet???

Wow. Beautiful kitchen and gorgeous built-ins. Miss the old bath though...

The new flush overlay lower cabinets don't look very nice next to the historic upper cabinets with inset cabinet doors. Most everything else looks nice enough...

Um, I don't think this could be any more awesome. The reno is stunning, livable, and maintains the spirit of the original in all the best ways.

That said, I'd take the original any day.

I really like the reno and all, but I just can't help but mourn the loss of that cute little clawfoot. I know they are a pain to clean, but I just wouldn't have had the heart to replace it! :(

Stunning!!!!!!! The kitchen is the best!!!!! Love it. Very classy!

Okay, so I am a bit slow, I had to go through the tour twice to understand. Love the built-in storage, wish I had the cash for such work.
Love the light fixture in the dining room.
I love the living room table!
Amazing use of 500 sf!

hrhprincessfiona - why is it against the law to have a loo off the kitchen?

Beautiful! The kitchen is breathtaking, the dining room wallpaper is divine, and the bathroom tile is too cute for words. Such a gorgeous way to honor the home's history but not live in a time capsule.