Before & After: A Small, Blah Hell’s Kitchen Co-op Gets a Helluva Makeover
Name: JM Chilgren, my Boston Terrier, Betty, and my boyfriend, Matthew
Location: Hell’s Kitchen — New York, NY
Size: 450-475 square feet
Years lived in: 5 years, owned
I’ve owned my one-bedroom apartment in The Whitby (a charming co-op pre-war building, designed by Emory Roth and built in 1923) since 2012, and it’s changed a lot since I moved in. For one, I now have two roommates: my Boston Terrier, Betty, who was born and raised in the apartment (a bone-ified apartment dog) and my boyfriend, Matthew, who moved in last year.
It’s not the largest apartment (roughly 475 square feet), but I’ve done what I can to make it warm, inviting, and stretching everything I can so we can all live comfortably. We do have two large closets, so that definitely makes co-habitation easier!
Because I’m on the ground floor, I don’t get a ton of light—so I focused on decorating with bright and bold colors, and using warm light grey paint on the walls and mirrors to open it up. For furniture, I like a modern look, but I also didn’t want my apartment looking like it’s directly from a West Elm catalog—so I found a mix of antique furniture (some mid-century pieces collected from around the New York area and eBay), along with some simple clean and modern pieces I picked up as floor samples at ABC Home and CB2. Every now and then I update with new pillows and throws to change the color palette up a bit, which keeps things interesting, without needing to totally redecorate. (Though, now I definitely have way too many pillows and throws!)
As for art, I’ve just found some pieces over the years that I liked from online galleries, along with some paintings that my grandmother left me. We recently found a modern piece hanging in our living room at a gallery in Chelsea that we bought each other for our birthdays (we’re only a week apart).
Some have described the decor as “eclectic”—and while I’m not sure that’s a “good” term or not, I like that it has a unique personality and I am really happy with how it has evolved. Overall, to me, the apartment feels cozy and makes a great escape for us from the chaos outside happening in Hell’s Kitchen and nearby Times Square.
My favorite room is definitely the bathroom, which we renovated early last year. It definitely took longer than expected (it was a total gut-reno) but it turned out pretty amazing.
We used light marble throughout, installed brushed gold Kohler fixtures, and installed a rainhead shower and a handheld, which has made bathing Betty such a breeze! (She might not *love* it, but it’s much easier than the old cup method when we had a tub). We put in plenty of storage and even a special shelf up top with a plug for a Sonos speaker.
The bathroom feels so much larger and brighter, and it’s made waking up and getting ready in the morning a bit more enjoyable.
Thanks, JM Chilgren!
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