apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

it's amazing how much walls can get in the way...

I love that chandelier :P

http://cozylittlecave.blogspot.com

That light fixture is fabulous!

Isn't this a(nother) repeat post?

Holy crap! That's awesome!

This reno looks stunning, but I'm not a fan of open kitchens in general. I'd have closed the wall off altogether -- those little pass-throughs are neither open nor closed. They're just places to catch clutter and get a view of the sink. Ugh.

Love the tile and fixtures. I think I'd prefer a wall beneath the counter. And I'm curious about the floor cabinet that faces away from the kitchen. Is it used to for kitchen storage or something else?

Hm. It's a definite improvement but it's awkward and looks borderline outdated already.
- The tile flooring should extend under the breakfast bar, to the edge of the outer cabinet so it looks like it is in the kitchen and not the living room.
-The rounded open shelf on the end is so borderline country and doesn't work with the other finishes.
- I know ppl will disagree but I think the light fixture is wretched.

Meh.

Another reapeat, but I agree w/ Luckypeach. I dont know why they didnt extend the tile to the ouside edge of the cabinets. It would have made the kitchen look so much larger and made the counter and stools look like an integral part of the kitchen instead of the living area.

An improvement for sure. However, if you don't have a dishwasher, you need a full sized sink. Just imagine trying to wash the cutting board in the foreground in that sink!! Ugh.

Looks like an awesome improvement!

Yup, it's a repeat. It's an improvement for sure, beautiful cabinetry, but it doesn't feel practical. Kitchens and bathrooms are the 2 rooms where practical is more important than aesthetic.

The redution of all that clutter outside of the kitchen makes a pretty big difference, too.

I like the kitchen, but would have kept the wall below the new counter. If there weren't cabinets there before, this would be a great way to add some more storage. And it would solve the tile/wood issue.

I also agree that a full sized sink is needed.

I like the new cabinets and backsplash, but I agree with mdbee. The current empty space below the counter looks awkward and would've been better used as storage. And maybe this is just a quirk of mine, but I also dislike sitting in tall stools and having my lower half on display like that.

Not particularly clever, inspiring or attractive -- to me, at least.

The cabinetry is boring and common (the naught equivalent of '80s oak kitchen cabinets). The open bar counter is a waste of space and draws attention to the difference in flooring, which looks awkward. The sink is too small. Maybe that suits the current owner, but it will be a problem for others.

In such a small space, I would have splurged on true cabinetry, especially since it has been made open, so that it carries through a certain elegance to the living area. That is to say, I would have gone with Hansen or something similar.

http://www.hansenkitchen.com/

I truly dislike the bar stools too.

Hey, that's what you get with a repost... it all comes out.

I loved that light fixture the first 50 times I saw it, but now it just dates the remodel.

It's a vast improvement!

However, just a few things to note...

I agree with the other posters that the tile should extend to include the bar area. Perhaps double faced cabinetry beneath the bar would prevent the bar from looking "empty" or "flimsy" and provide extra storage (we all need more storage!)

I'm not too keen on the rounded open shelving...

Also - perhaps the stone for the bar should match the counter to make it more seamless for the eyes. If they already match, then my bad (just can't see it in the pic).
The backsplash looks great, so maybe the counter/bar should go back to the backsplash and be less speckly?

The sink is a little too small, but it would be fine if the owner doesn't cook. No dishwasher is a bummer, but that very well could be rules of the co-op or condo and the owner wouldn't be able to install one.

We had to sign something and get approval from our co-op when we installed our dishwasher...

http://www.donkeehouse.com

It looks like there is a dishwasher.

Nope, I take that back :)

J'adore, J'adore, J'adore!! It looks expensive, especially the stools and chandelier, but I bet one wouldn't have to break the bank to accomplish this look. Well done!

Not a bad remodel, but it could use some improvements, first off, I'd have left the half wall there and created a counter height section in teh kitchen, bar height in the living area and had storage below and it would then hide to some extent the kitchen sink.

I agree the sink is much too small for practical purposes and if they DO have a dishwasher, would not be suprised they are drawer models but I doubt it.

The cabinets aren't bad at all, although they'd not be what I would have chosen but it seems they work with the space to a degree. But the stainless/walnut/granite thing is just over done and now cliche'd for the amount of times people resort to it as a "look".

I also agree if they were to open up the wall like they did to extend the floor under the counter to help integrate the bar into the kitchen area, but then again, perhaps they had another justification, the bar being more living area, who knows but it DOES kind of look awkward.

love it. just love it!

I think the renovation is a definite improvement, since pass-throughs feel kind of 80s to me. I do feel that the open bar draws attention to the difference in flooring, and I think I might have opted for extending the wood floor right through the kitchen instead of extending the tiles outward, as some have suggested.

There are a lot of haters out today...

Yes, this is a repost, but it's still a good remodel. I don't love the countertop or the drastic change between the wood floor and kitchen tiles, but it's still a nice kitchen.

Also, I have lived in NYC for 10 years. For the first 9 years, my kichen was half the size of that one, also with a small sink and no dishwasher. Did I ever cook? No! For a bowl of cereal in the morning and plate at night for the take out food, the small sink is perfectly fine. People need to stop inposing their over-sized standards to our city. :-)

design.va - they have full size stove and fridge so we must assume they intend to cook and therefore have pots and pans to wash.

design.va, don't make this about geographic assumptions or, uhm, hateration. I'm a New Yorker --and have been one longer than you-- and there is nothing about space limitations that makes someone choose an oh-so-2007 light fixture or cabinets that look oddly cheap or backsplash that might look great in person but doesn't photo very well. The bar 'solution' was a nice attempt but it misses the mark and not because of its size. The overall effect is one of a flipped condo in a 'transitioning' neighborhood, not a thoughtful upgrade.

I agree with the previous comments, but can see using a small bar sink simply to gain counter space. Depending on the cook, it might be an understandable trade-off if the sink is deep enough. The tile transition might have been acceptable if the floor tile was darker w/out such contrast. Maybe the wood floor could have just continued into the kitchen.

the open bar is what I love about this kitchen...definitely opens up the space - I love the tall cabinets too...just love the whole place!

Definitely an improvement, while its not by any means spectacular.

The whole granite/travertine/stainless steel look is just wretched to begin with, so the issue with the boundaries of the flooring materials isn't the biggest thing here. The people who redid this have no taste whatsoever, and they only reaffirm that thought by selecting that hideous chandelier. I think the open bar works for the space to make it seem larger. The sink is fine... if they needed a bigger one, I'm sure they would have put one in. The bar stools are chillin'. I'm neutral on the cabinets - don't love them, don't hate them. But I do hate this room as a whole!

The biggest problem with this space is the materials used - the actual layout and design is alright, but the materials used look cheap (although they are obviously trying to express luxury and wealth with their granite and S.S. appliances) and just plain out tasteless.

Also, I hate fruit as decorative elements!

Way too cookie cutter and boring. Should have extended wood floor into kitchen. Should have been more inspired.

Where is the blue ball now?

wow, I'm stunned by all the negative comments.... I think it's quite a nice upgrade. I do hope they have a drawer dishwasher somewhere.... Since I love to cook, if it were my kitchen, I would have probably extended the bottom cabinets under the breakfast bar counter... just to get the extra storage.

They obviously didn't extend the wood floors into the kitchen becuase the wood was there prior to the wall removal. Therefore, they likely would have to redo the floor throughout the apartment just to have it flow into the kitchen.

I actually recognize that light fixture. I forget the designer, but if it's the one I'm thinking of, it's quite $$$.

Overall, I like it a lot! It's difficult to fit a complete kitchen in a NYC apt... they did a decent job....

Hey, I think it's great, small but functional and stylish

http://www.kitchens-review.co.uk