Before & After: A New Kitchen (and Bedroom) for a Little Brooklyn Apartment

When Sarah and Oleg connected their Prospect Heights apartment’s galley kitchen to the living room, and turned the adjoining dining nook into an office, they had no idea how perfectly timed their renovation was. They found out they were expecting soon thereafter and the newly separate office became a perfect new home for two baby girls.

The apartment was set up with a long, narrow kitchen running parallel to the living room, and separated by a wall. One end of the kitchen opened to the apartment’s foyer: at the other end was a disused dining nook. lined with shelves. For their renovation, Sarah and Oleg wanted to open their kitchen up to the rest of the apartment, and also turn the dining nook into a more private, useful space.

Down came the wall between the living room and kitchen: up went another, smaller wall to frame the study (and soon to be nursery). Rearranging the cabinets a bit allowed Oleg and Sarah to fit a lot more counter and cabinet space into the same amount of floor space. The new cabinets form a ‘U’ (well, really more like a ‘C’, almost), with cabinets completely wrapping the space, and a peninsula with storage on one side and bar seating on the other separating the kitchen from the living room.

For the finishes in their kitchen, Oleg and Sarah chose simple, modern materials: Shaker-style cabinets, subway tile, and a hardwearing grey quartz countertop. Stainless appliances give the kitchen a bit of shine, and a small run of open shelving over the sink provides a spot to display treasured items. The kitchen floor is made of light grey planks that resemble slate.

The new kitchen — bright, friendly, and open — is the perfect setup for a family, and the new nursery means that this family of two-turned-four will be able to call this place home for some time to come.

Oleg and Sarah found their contractor, Niki, on Sweeten, a free online resource that connects homeowners with local design and construction experts for renovations. You can read more about the project, see more photos, and find sources on the Sweeten blog.