Name: Demian Repucci
Location: Chelsea, New York City
We didn't have a lot of money when we bought this little one-bedroom apartment on West 34th Street but it was in need of major renovation. The kitchen and the bathroom are both small and I needed to figure out a way to incorporate an office area into the space as I work from home some of the time. Being a designer, how our home looks and how it functions are both very important to me. But with limited space and a limited budget it can be a challenge to be true to my modernist style leanings.
I have designed a few restaurants (I won the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Restaurant Design in 2002 for Blackbird Restaurant in Chicago) and have worked in a few restaurant kitchens (St. John in London, Blue Hill) so I wanted our kitchen to have a modern feel and the serious functionality of a restaurant kitchen. To solve this I stole some space from an under-utilized hall closet and swapped the big upright fridge for two high-end under counter units, enabling me to expand the kitchen’s counter space from 3 ½ to 7 linear feet. Utilizing horizontal cabinets allows the sight lines to run horizontally and switching from closed cabinets to open stainless steel restaurant shelving at the far wall lets the sight lines move further into the space, giving the room a larger, more spacious feel.
For the compact bathroom I was able to accomplish several things. I built and installed a maple plywood vanity that is cantilevered from the wall, removing the need for any base or legs. This allows the floor surface to flow underneath the sink giving the room a more expansive feel with less visual interruptions. The oversized mirror effectively doubles the perception of the space. The ample lighting recessed behind the mirror makes the room bright and chases away any shadows that might creep into the corners. I removed the traditional shower curtain rod, annoyingly positioned at head level, and replaced it with aluminum hospital curtain track on the ceiling. So now when the curtain is pulled back the bathroom's space is uninterrupted all the way to the far tub wall.
For the issue of an office area, I was able to carve out some space from a living room closet. Now the closet doors open up and slide back into the closet to reveal a desk, filing cabinet and shelving for a computer and work space.
A little creative thinking and some elbow grease enabled us to turn our straight-forward one bedroom apartment into a spacious modern home. Now that we are selling this apartment I think that the design solutions incorporated into the renovations are the thing that has made this apartment stand out ahead of the rest.
Thanks, Demian!
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I adore the clean lines and the simplicity but a touch more color would have been nice. The repurposed orange chairs are a beautiful jolt of color, for instance. (Anyone thinking about doing this on the cheap might want to score the $15 yellow stools from CB2 that I highlight here as nightstand alternatives: http://onegrandhome.wordpress.com/2009/04/18/picture-this-primary-colored-bedroom/ ) Maybe a pair of boldly colored window panels in the living room or even painting the beam running above the windows a contrasting color? Still, lovely.
view 1GH's profile
WOULD LOVE TO SEE MORE PICS!! :)
view flobeau's profile
Thanks for the kitchen inspiration - I'm moving into a new condo with a horrible 80s galley kitchen, and I am looking at incorporating some of your ideas.
view chriskayTO's profile
Really nice - love the bathroom sink cabinet. Would love to see more pics.
view david @ justveggingout.com's profile
Very nice kitchen, I love the green/blue color. What paint did you use? It looks like it matches your dishes in on the back shelf, maybe it's just the picture that looks that way.
view sfteri's profile
i have been looking for good under-counter fridges (same idea -- i need counter space!) --where did you get yours?
view marketgirl's profile
love the bathroom and kitchen. wish i could copy and paste it into my apt reno!
view greybreaks's profile
Thanks for the comments everyone. The bathroom sink cabinet I built myself. The kitchen undercounter refrigerators are by Summit. Both have freezers. Feel free to check out my other design work at:
www.lovegroverepucci.com
and
www.demianrepucci.com
or contact me at demian@demianrepucci.com
view Demian's profile
I love the platform bed!
Where and when did you get it?
view osnizzap's profile
I find the way that you have arranged/colored your space makes it look smaller to me. It looks like you have very small feeling about yourself. What is out the window? I would either focus on the window and view or cover it with some fantastic translucent fabric to let the light in and the ugly out.
Round table takes up so much space. What is your ceiling height? I can see an "entrance" feature to frame the livingroom and make it more spactacular. Maybe I am looking at it all wrong; it just looks boring to me. Too open, not cosy, nothing to welcome me home to. Sorry
view fabriccolor's profile
drooling over the kitchen. I also do that thing with chairs as side tables! Good work.
view cmk's profile
I admire your kitchen and bath. What sort of material is the kitchen counter? Also, in the kitchen where are the lights coming from -- under the counter or ceiling track lights?
You say your bathroom light is recessed but I don't understand how it is.
Good luck on the sale. I think your bath and kitchen do give you the edge.
view Mon Truc en Plumes's profile
Cool! Didn't realize this was the designer of Blackbird in Chicago--one of my fav restaurants.
view art's profile
Well, I love it. I would guess it's a work in progress (cuz of the money constraints) and I think it's hard to make less into more personally (a lot easier to use clutter and color than to minimize and make it look this good). The simplicity is good.
I like the spareness and cleanness of it all. Esp the fabulous blindingly white in the bathroom, tempered with the wooden sink cabinet. I would be happy to take a bath or shower in that bathroom and would emerge feeling cleaner than clean every time. And I would feel very happy cooking in that kitchen too!
Anyway - can you tell me where I can get that platform bed? I need one desperately. I'm going nuts with my mattress directly on the floor!
view LuluParis's profile
The bed, I believe, is Malm, from Ikea.
view dscherman's profile