apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

It's gorgeous--would you mind giving details about the kitchen backsplash and what looks like brick work in the shower (can't possibly be brickwork, right?)?. also, can you estimate your square footage?

I'm so in love with that kitchen! And I'd love to know where you got the bathroom vanity.

The bedroom ceiling is awesome.

How is it that the ceiling is brick?

Your place is so fabulous. How did you use the Cure?

Love the stove and microwave!

This place is even more amazing after seeing the before and after pictures. It doesn't even closely resemble the same place. Excellent job! I love the mix of the antique/distressed looking pieces you have mixed in with the modern kitchen. I'm trying to figure out how to make that work for me. Where did you get that brown leather chair with the wooden arms?

Wow! Great job guys.
Not only do I love what you have done but also like the way you displayed the before, during and after shots.

Would also love to get more detail on how you came to certain design decisions, how you managed the process etc. If you have the time ;)

What's the square footage on the place? And where is it located?

Beautiful brick. Is it whitewashed in the shower?
Coated to make it waterproof? Do tell!

BTW, that is a very clever way to do the kitchen in that you get such a large kitchen in a relatively small space by encroaching into the LR without it seeming that you are due to the bar's position. The color scheme does work very well also.

I love the play of light and shadows around your tv/fireplace/mantle area. Thanks for sharing!

You've created a really nice space for yourselves, think it'll still look great in 10 years and what I like about it the most is that you haven't slatthered the walls with art, pictures, allowing it to breath. Love it!

Good job. Many nice details. The most interesting part of doing a renovation are the small problems you have to solve along the way. You've come up with really nice solutions to an unusual space and made it work very well for you. Congratulations.

what i want to know is how were you able/allowed to move the main entrance door to your apartment. and where did you get the bedroom dresser?

well done! what a beautiful home you have created. i would love to know how your designed the pillar (?) in the center of the room with the studs. great idea.

Fantastic job. Congratulations!

Great job--I bet it will look even better after a few years of being lived in.

It is absolutely beautiful! Clean and sophisticated but the play of textures ensures it isn't sterile. I love it!

Wow! how beautiful.
Can I hire you guys to come and renovate my place?

(Dave de Man!)

i really wanted to hate this place, but i just can't bring myself to it.

i do have to say that i disagree adamantly with louise who says that it'll still look great in 10 years. in 10 years the espresso wood, vessel sinks, and stainless steel appliances are going to be about the equivalent of the avocado/burnt orange/mustard yellow color scheme of the 70's. that said, Dave & Melissa did a wonderful job and right now, in 2006, it looks fantastic. but i do hope they went into this project realizing that making the choices they've made here, this place is going to have to evolve as styles change. which is not necessarily a terrible thing, it's just a different approach from "timeless and classic".

i think what sets this space apart for me in terms of the trendiness of a lot of its features is that everything that is done is done WELL and it really suits the space. the brick-like tilework in both the bathroom and the kitchen is fantastic (and brilliant considering those phenomenal brick ceilings), and the horizontally accented style of cabinetry creates an interesting contrast with this very vertical space.

the flatscreen-over-fireplace look usually makes me want to go sid vicious on a space, but somehow Dave & Melissa have made it work -- it comes off more as a space-saving solution than as a flashy 'look what awesome toys we have' statement. also, due to the relatively slow-slung mantle, the TV actually looks like it's at a feasible height for viewing, which is at the root of what usually bugs me about that arrangement -- not only is it too showy for my taste, you can't even properly enjoy it displayed like that. it's like that line from Fiddler On The Roof where Tevye sings about wanting a house with three staircases, one for up, one for down, and one that doesn't go anywhere at all.

but just to clarify, i think your tv-over-fireplace is done right, and though this isn't my taste, i think it works fantastically as yours.

You did an amazing job, the place is beautiful - congratulations!

Your color scheme, espresso-white-silver-stainless, are all neutrals, easy to live with, and will pass the test of time, as in mid-century modern -- you have a very classic look. Kudos!

Gotta disagree with opoponax. I think stainless steel and dark wood will be around for a long time. Dark wood has stood the test of time, and stainless has been around for a lot longer (in a professional sense) than people are willing to admit.

It's not for everyone, but then neither are a lot of things people say are classic.

i actually remember 8 or 10 years ago being at one of my first 'grownup' family gatherings at the home of a family friend, and there was a lively conversation about their choice to keep the original dark wood moldings rather than paint them white, and whether dark wood was 'coming back' or not. i also remember my mother disparaging my childhood best friend's parents' taste because they had a lot of dark wood furniture (this was late 80's or early 90's).

so i wouldn't necessarily consider it timeless at all. quite the contrary -- dark wood has really only resurged in popularity over the last decade or so, and i'm pretty sure that another 10-15 years will bring it firmly back around to passe, as happens all the time with everything.

the only looks that are really timeless are exceptionally classic ones: shaker furniture, white walls, hardwood floors. certain modern furniture, especially stuff that is so classic it's become universal, for instance cafe chairs, parsons tables, etc. again, i'm not saying there's anything wrong with espresso veneers or any of the rest of it (i have a wenge coffee table myself and plan on keeping it a few years yet). but it's a bit dishonest to call it 'timeless', when what you mean is 'currently popular'.

Thanks for the kind comments! The design evolved over a year of thinking about how to best rearrange the very awkward space, in consultation with my good friends (who are architects in San Francisco). Some quick answers to your questions:

Size: About 750 sf.

Ceiling: Original terracotta tile (this was a 1910 department store in "SoFi"), exposed and somewhat roughly patched.

Backsplash: 2x1 slate tile. The multiple shades and rough texture is meant to play off the ceiling.

Bathroom: 3x6 white subway tile on the ends of the tub surround combined with a 3x6 rough slate floor tile applied to the long wall. The vanity was custom, inspired by this NYT photo and meant to blend with the kitchen.

Column: The rivets are original -- this building predates rolled steel shapes, so the column was formed by riveting plates together. The column is coated in a special intumescent paint to retain the appropriate fire rating.

Door: My coop allowed the door relocation as fortunately there were no wires, loadbearing elements or hallway wallcoverings in the way.

Mantle: Non-gas ventless fireplace, though it is a real firebox so could be wired for electric heat if desired. The goal was to break up a very flat wall and give the room some focus. With a single side window and extremely poor natural light, the "den look" from the library room of Esquire House LA was the original inspiration.

Bar: I didn't really document it well in the photos, but the kitchen breakfast bar slides along the counter freely (on felt pads) so that the kitchen can shrink and grow as needed. Most of the time it sits close to the stove, exposing a kneewell so that the outer part of the counter can be used as a workstation. The end drawers actually contain laptops and files rather than kitchen goods.

Furniture: A blend of some favorite pieces that we already had combined with new midprice items from Door Store and others. The upstairs dresser is actually two inexpensive assemble-yourself units because that's all that could be easily carried upstairs (in pieces).

Money-saving tips -- the brushed aluminum outlet covers in the kitchen were 99 cents at Jack's on 33rd St. The kitchen cabinet handles were $4 each from Ikea. And the carbonized bamboo flooring was less expensive than almost any other wood product out there.

The rolling island is a wonderful feature -- clever! Thanks for the sources, I'm interested in the bamboo flooring.

Stunning! Your kitchen and fireplace area is fab(everything else is brilliant as well)!! It makes me so happy to see such chic creativity. Thank you for sharing.

Oh yeah, forgot to say that your fireplace, tv placement and how you came up with that are all brilliant also.

As to the dating of certain styles, while I agree that certain popular styles in the 90's and early noughties will date very quickly (the browny/pinky granite, ornate high end wooden cabinets and stainless steel all in one look that you get in McMansions - and I'm not talking about stainless steel on its own) I'm not so sure that sleek, clean lined kitchens will.
Another example of such a kitchen here (and it does have stainless steel):
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/competitions/kitchen-3-aidas-fabulousness-002246

It's kinda like hardwood floors. Do we really think ppl are going to go back to carpet everywhere?

Or how about boot cut jeans? Do we really think that the current hipster look of drainpipe jeans will stand the test of time when, for most people, the boot cut is far more flattering?

You articulated what I wanted to far better Jaime Pup. The chatter about stainless looking dated "in a few years" (which started more than a few years ago) has often sounded like Y2K fears to me. Sure random insertions of stainless steel will look dated. Just like randomly throwing anything into a design can often look odd.

I've seen some kitchens where the counter is stainless, the backsplash is stainless, and the appliances are stainless. To paraphrase Dennis Lehane, if a 2000 NYC developer threw up this is what would hit the toilet.

But a well thought out kitchen layout with nice appliances I don't see looking dated just because of stainless fronts.

Can someone point out to me a timeless dishwasher?

i never said a streamlined kitchen would go out of style in a few years. a well laid out kitchen is always classic regardless of the finishes and appliances chosen. and modern will always be an available counterpart to more traditional looks.

for me it's more about certain finishes - espresso wood and stainless steel for instance - which, yeah, do change with the times.

i feel a little like Winston in 1984 mentioning "i remember just a few years ago when dark wood was considered tacky and honey finishes were Classic". and i feel that a lot of the home furnishings industry either creates or takes advantage of that doublethink -- whatever is currently in style is Classic and Timeless. until, of course, it isn't. i'm seeing the same thing with the resurgence of deep orange/green color combinations, which used to be Tacky and are now gradually shifting back to Classic.

also, i specifically said that i really like their kitchen and think that many of the choices they made there are inspired, with the understanding that some elements will eventually have to change as styles change. as is the case in a great many homes. if everyone chose only pieces that would truly stand the test of time, everyone would have a really boring home.

also, like Max, i'm not sure it's entirely possible to create a truly timeless kitchen. i can't think of a cabinet finish or appliance style that won't date a place. it's just the way it is, unfortunately.

but i think we should be honest here. there is NOTHING about espresso cabinetry with brushed stainless steel pulls that is timeless. is it beautiful? yes. does it work very well in this kitchen, in 2006? yes. is the kitchen put together very well in general? yes. but is that cabinet style 'classic'? no. it's not. it just isn't, just like Hoboken isn't a part of New York City and beige is not a color and purpose-built luxury apartments with high ceilings aren't lofts.

Oh I understood you perfectly. I just disagree. And I was including the color (at least in my mind) when I made my comment.

I don't think anyone will go back to panelling their walls in pine as another example but I do believe that a a dark wood like Wenge or a really nice dark finish on quarter sawn oak will stand the test of time.

Going back to my Maly platform bed example - although I said I was not disagreeing with you on platform beds getting dated and that it was simply a point of interest that you sparked in me - I will say that as a 1983 design that is not classic looking in the "classic" sense, it has lasted longer than 1983 and I am sure the espresso wood look will last longer than 2006.

In the 70's, sneaker culture was only really starting to get traction and now it is a mainstream look that looks likely never to go away, there are certain "new" looks that look set to endure.

" . . . and purpose-built luxury apartments with high ceilings aren't lofts."

You just described Washington DC's condos to a T!

well, then, i guess we will have to agree to disagree.

until of course, all the design mags start talking about how paneling is the latest hot new thing, and how it's a really classic way to bring beautiful wood grains into a sterile and boxy space.

kind of like they are doing with wallpaper now -- 5 years ago i'd have rolled my eyes in disbelief if someone told me that wallpaper was going to make a comeback. i still can't quite get my head around it now, even though i'll concede that it looks fab in the showrooms and magazines. but you know that in a year or so, as the wallpaper trend hits middle america, everyone's going to be talking about how Timeless and Classic these ornate victorian-inspired wallpapers are. when just a few years ago any design-literate person would have turned their nose up at such a thing.

yes, davendc. and those are condos. with high ceilings. a loft is that Inside Out house tour everyone hated the other day. even though all the haters would jump at the chance to live in one of those high ceilinged white box condos which are marketed as "Lofts".

I think this is a gorgeous apartment. Great job!

I do agree with Opoponax. I think stainless steel is already starting to date, though I am probably going to use it for kitchen appliances, unless I come up with some brilliant alternative in the meantime.

I also think the dark wood, while gorgeous, is of a certain timeframe. But what isn't? It's the rare item/kitchen/room that does not date at some point--and usually, if it makes it to timeless, it still has to go through an in-between, dated period. It's just inevitable.

But don't you remember the NYT H&H section doing a piece on how wall to wall carpeting was back in a big way about 2 years ago? Yes, they did have the fabulous ppl showing their fabulous places but it did not catch so there is hope.

Gasp! Fiona, we always used to agree!

Now I am going off to sulk in my corner and concede defeat. How can I argue against that?

wow. I totally missed the 'before' link above. I can't believe it's the same apartment. Congratulations on a great vision - you took an average cookie-cutter apartment and turned it into something really special. I'm curious to know how high the ceilings are in the loft area. Again...wow.

Just wish I had used the term "classy" rather than "classic."

What a great job you guys did. Sometimes I hate this site becuase I always want to go home and gut things out.

louise - ha!

don't worry -- this is what we do here. or at least this is what i do here. my favorite thing about AT is having this community of generally likeminded (and sometimes totally not) individuals who know as much about design if not more, who i can bounce ideas off of. this site has actually been a huge career help for me as i've started to transition from PA flunky to potential future designer/art director. and this sort of discussion is precisely what has helped me begin to move in that direction.

though i will agree with you that while the space may not be 'classic' in the shaker furniture, basic white wall, hardwood floor sense, it sure is classy!

and fiona, i'm in the same boat. my late 70's fridge is giving off a death rattle, and i know it's only a matter of time before my landlord has to replace it, most likely with something tres 90's/oughts. i'm just hoping she doesn't pick stark white, as it'll massively clash with the whole thing i'm trying to do in the kitchen to camoflage the rest of her bad choices.

Love the movable counter idea...that's fantastic! I also love the little table near the spiral staircase. Where did you get that? Wonderful place...thanks for sharing!

As for the "timeless" debate, I think few designs are truly timeless which is what makes design so interesting. I was looking at some pictures of rooms done in a traditional style from the 80s, and you could really tell "this is the 80s" just as you can tell a 1950s room from a room now that has 1950s furniture in it. I like wall to wall carpeting sometimes. Does that make me passe? I don't like stainless appliances either, so maybe i am!

I think the most classic kitchen is a black and white one. It's my favorite. Kind of like jeans and a crisp white shirt. The kitchen on this tour is lovely, though, but I don't think it's classic.

Well, Christine, I'm with you on the not liking stainless appliances, but you lost me on the wall-to-wall carpeting!

I think what I've learned from seeing so many places on AT is that the most "timeless" to me are the ones that take several years of acquiring both new and used stuff for their homes and have a strong personality or taste that shows through and isn't dictated by whatever is au currant in Dwell, domino or Wallpaper. I love seeing places that have all of the of-the-moment furniture because most of it is quite nice, but it isn't timeless. No matter what, I'm always grateful to those people who open up their homes here on AT. Sappy, yes, but heartfelt.

regards,
trillium

Ha! Jamie pup, you know I think you have great taste, and I agree with you 99% of the time. I actually really like stainless steel, but it seems like there are rumblings of discontent against it, so I'm a little afraid to use it...but I probably will, so I hope I'm wrong! Maybe the issue is that right now, it's about the only modernist choice, so rebellion is inevitable. Maybe another choice will emerge to happily co-exist with ss.

As for the dark wood, I think there IS a classic dark wood that will always endure. However, there are a lot of cheap imitations right now, and I think those may put people off for a while--but the beautiful, high-quality stuff will probably endure.

So how's that for meeting you halfway?!

Phew! Now I feel a lot better.
Nice job Fiona and all the best with your renovations.

please..oh...please can you tell me what fridge you have...and dimensions would be awesome!!

we are in the midst of designing of kitchen which is 10.5 x 10.5...i desperatley want double sliders out to our small yard, along w/ an island, and a wine fridge...

my architect husband is skeptical...but me, miss construction feels it can be done!

i have been searching high and low for a counterdepth fridge, but they are all 36" wide (or more!)

having a hard time finding a fridge that will work in ths space.

thanks - tracy

Tracey, that fridge is the Conserve Equater or the Summit CP171 (same manufacturer - slightly different specs) and the Conserve as well as the equivalent (in terms of looks and form factor) Liebherr have been mentioned a few times on AT.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/appliances-small/the-conserv-refrigerator-001653

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/news/fabulous-conserv-fridge-not-replaced-yet-003536

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/appliances-large/refrigerator-report-liebherr-rolls-out-a-stunner-006057

You can get a 30" counter depth subzero BTW, the 611 which is 30" wide
http://www.subzero.com/subzero/description.asp?id=611
and the 700TC which is 27" wide
http://www.subzero.com/subzero/description.asp?id=700TC

You guys have sharp eyes. Yes, it is in fact a Summit CP171, obtained from Blum & Krup. That fridge is a (beneficial) virus -- I saw it at a friend's housewarming, and she saw it at a neighbor's apartment. It's not suburb-huge, but certainly big enough for a couple.

You can get it from any Summit dealer. See
http://summitappliance.com/detail/r22s.

The true secret of the fridge is that Summit imports it from Vestfrost, a German company. They have even sleeker models that are not sold here. Drool away at:

http://www.vestfrost.com/Default.aspx?Page=household&Group=23

Oops, I meant Danish, not German. I wonder if anyone else in North America imports their products?