Gwen Calderon's Upper West Side apartment packs a punch. The New York Times shows us how Calderon's careful renovation takes every opportunity to make the most of her 1,300-square-foot apartment. In the kitchen, she stacked four appliances — a steam oven, an espresso maker, a convection oven and a warming drawer — in a tower to maximize space...







Wow - she really uses every square inch. Packed a little tight for my taste. Her deck is amazing.
view amt230's profile
Meh.
view Griffin's profile
give me a break. 1,300 square feet? that's considered palatial to the majority here in NYC. never mind that her terrace is 1,000 square feet. if posting about new yorkers, at least show us folks with REAL design/space issues like those families of four in 800 square footers or individuals living in 400 square foot apartments.
view *heather leaf*'s profile
Wow, she managed to make 1300 square feet look like 600!
view Anna at D16's profile
I wish we could see the bedrooms and bathrooms. :-(
view Monica's profile
Meh, indeed insulting to middle class new yorkers, and for some reason the finishes she chose register on film as if the whole place is clad in cheap linoleum.
view FJ!!'s profile
So she has 1300 square feet inside and another 1000 outside in NYC? That must be nice. It's a nice looking place, wish there were some more pictures of it though. And I agree, it almost does look a little cramped in there. Think she could do with getting rid of a couple pieces of furniture and open the place up a little more.
view tgfoo's profile
i actually think the place looks incredibly cheap
view duckumu's profile
and boring.....with the exception of the terrace which we can barely see... but envy nonetheless.
view btfabt's profile
The furniture in the main living area just feels a little too big (both size-wise and visually, because there's so much black!) for the space. But she certainly has some nice touches and a beautiful built-in bookcase behind the dining table.
view Steven Michael's profile
It's hard to tell with the handful of pictures, but it seems like the biggest problem is the lack of a cohesive color scheme. Everything is very neutral, but not dramatically in the way an all white room would be. It's just begging for some bright throw pillows or a little paint on the walls. (Of course, as a renter, I will always envy people who can paint!)
view lurker2209's profile
I officially "don't feel bad" for anyone who has to maximize a space of over 1,000 square feet.
Wow, can't imagine my biggest design issue being having to save space by stacking my plate warmer and espresso maker!
view Marie's profile
Ditto to all the above. I have a family of four in that amount of space -- and without a terrace -- and our place doesn't feel nearly so squished.
view Lisa (Montreal)'s profile
why so many cynics on apartment therapy comments pages? everyone has different tastes and ideas of what constitutes a small space. accept what is, be positive, and move on.
view Reg's profile
To each his own, but this place already looks like its 30 years old.
view Volvoguy's profile
Her furniture is too big for the space...there is absolutely no available traffic pattern...you have to squish between the furniture and hope you don't have permanent bruises. This place would drive me nuts in a very short period of time.
It does look 30 years old. It all looks like cheap linoleum or peel-and-stick! Even here in Chicago, 1300 sq ft PLUS 1000 sq ft outside is NOT small. Maybe in Texas...
view amiencc's profile
my entire apartment is smaller than her living room.
view twitteringbirdie's profile