Before & After: A New York Apartment Dream Come True
This Before & After is all about the pursuit of a beautiful dream. When they bought their co-op in Manhattan, Laura and Peter had a dream, the same dream that animates the hopes of millions of New Yorkers: an in-unit washer and dryer.
In pursuit of their dream, they intentionally bought in a building that allowed retrofits of washer and dryer connections. But they had heard horror stories of buildings that originally allowed owners to add connections and later changed their restrictions, so time was of the essence.
For the hoped-for washer and dryer, they had their eyes on a hallway closet, adjacent to both the kitchen and the bathroom. When a little initial surveying determined that the laundry closet could share water connections with the bathroom, Laura and Peter decided that a remodel of their bathroom was in order, too.
The bathroom, although not in nearly as dire shape as some of the ‘Befores’ we’ve seen here, had a few undesirable quirks. There was no heat source in the room, which meant that on cold winter mornings the bathroom felt like a tiny tiled igloo. Plus, the oversized pedestal sink meant that Laura couldn’t reach the shower tap without stepping into the tub — so turning on the water first to warm it up was not an option. So the renovation took on two purposes: the addition of the longed-for washer and dryer, and the transformation of the chilly, awkward bathroom into a space you’d actually want to be.
Isn’t it lovely? Peter and Laura took their cue from the vintage baths they admired in other apartments they’d looked at, and gave their space a classic look. Underneath the traditional black-and-white tile floor is an especially covetable feature: radiant heating for those chilly mornings. The heating elements run on a timer, so the floor is nice and warm when you step into the bathroom each morning.
A new chrome sink console, with twin medicine cabinets above, adds a bit of modern flair, and the new sliding glass shower door has a pleasingly minimal visual footprint.
12″ square marble wall add to the room’s classic feel, with minimal grout lines. The new chrome fixtures are a streamlined, updated take on classic shapes.
In the shower, Laura and Peter’s contractor added a helpful touch: marble shelves for storing necessities.
And here’s the piece de resistance, the culmination of all that effort: the laundry closet. It’s hidden by sliding doors when not in use, so a casual observer might not even notice a difference… but Laura and Peter know there’s something wonderful in there.
Laura and Peter found their contractors, Valeria and Eduard, through Sweeten, an online resource that connects homeowners in New York City, New Jersey, and Philadelphia with a network of architects, designers, and contractors. You can read more about the project, see more photos, and find sources on the Sweeten blog.