He Gutted a Dated 600-Square-Foot NYC Apartment, Exposing the Original Beams
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director
For more than 10 years, I've led Apartment Therapy's real home content, producing thousands of house tours from around the world. Currently, I live in my maximalist dream home in New Orleans, Louisiana, with my partner, a perfect dog, and a cute cat.
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He Gutted a Dated 600-Square-Foot NYC Apartment, Exposing the Original Beams

Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director
For more than 10 years, I've led Apartment Therapy's real home content, producing thousands of house tours from around the world. Currently, I live in my maximalist dream home in New Orleans, Louisiana, with my partner, a perfect dog, and a cute cat.
published now
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About this tour
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Home Type

Apartment

Location

Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York

Style

Modern

Rustic

Scandinavian

Bedrooms

1

Square feet

600

Sq ft

600

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When senior video editor Sean Matthew Robinson bought this 600-square-foot apartment in Hell’s Kitchen five years ago, he says it was a “stuffy two-bedroom with a dated, traditional style.”

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Credit: Sean Matthew Robinson
Sean buys the "Nearly Natural" brand of faux plants from Overstock. The coffee table is from CB2, but not available anymore. The sofa is the Strato from CB2 but is also not available. A similar white side chair can be found at The Home Depot. The curtains are from Nordic Knots.

“Located on the fourth floor of a prewar walk-up, it had tiny rooms and low ceilings, but it was otherwise in fairly good condition,” Sean continues. What made him choose this unit to purchase was the corner exposure and natural light. And although the previous renovations weren’t terrible, Sean still wanted to put his own stamp on the space.

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Credit: Sean Matthew Robinson
"I bought a dining table from Wayfair, removed the original top, and kept the steel base. I then ordered a large Burmese teak butcher-block slab to create a custom top that better matched the apartment’s aesthetic. The Afteroom dining chairs were ordered from Copenhagen and took four months to arrive because of pandemic-related shipping delays, but they were worth the wait," Sean writes. "I love steel furniture, and adding a rug from Nordic Knots beneath the table brought the entire dining area together," he continues.

He had the small apartment gutted from “floor to ceiling,” had all the interior walls removed, and had the ceiling opened up to expose the original beams.

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Credit: Sean Matthew Robinson
"This is my kitchen area, designed to feel clean and minimalist. All the appliances are panel-ready and seamlessly integrated into the cabinetry. Everything is custom from Reform, a Denmark-based company. I also added an extra row of upper cabinets for additional storage," Sean explains. The fridge is from The Home Depot.

“Given the age of the building, my goal was to blend its industrial character with a modern finish — similar to something you might find in Tribeca. With limited square footage, every inch had to be intentional and efficient — integrated storage quickly became a priority!” he writes of the 100-year-old apartment.

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Credit: Sean Matthew Robinson
"I’m a video editor and do a lot of remote work for Paramount. The window on the left brings in great natural light. One of my favorite details is the portrait of Carson, painted by my boyfriend’s mom," Sean writes. The desk in the office area is from CB2. The floating shelves on the wall are from West Elm. The standing floor lamp is from CB2, and the table lamp on the dresser is from Restoration Hardware.

Sean worked with Matt Giddens to design the space, and contractor Francisco Sosa of General Contractor New York City brought the designs to life. “I’ve always had a strong appreciation for interior design and have very specific taste. After five years of living here, I finally feel like the apartment is complete — a long, sometimes arduous process of adding, removing, and rearranging furniture until everything felt exactly right,” he writes of the space he shares with 5-year-old cream-colored mini poodle, Carson, “who not only runs the apartment but somehow also perfectly matches the design aesthetic.”

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Credit: Sean Matthew Robinson
"This is my bedroom enclave. It's small but intentional and makes me feel calm and cozy. My favorite piece is the wall art above the bed, from West Elm; it anchors the space and adds a sculptural element," Sean writes. A similar bed frame can be found on Amazon. The curtains are from Nordic Knots.

“As a gay man who grew up in the Bible Belt to a family who didn’t always accept me, feeling safe and comfortable in my home is crucial for me and my mental health,” Sean writes. “I am proud to have built this and to now feel like my house is also my home.”

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Credit: Sean Matthew Robinson
The black bathroom vanity is from Nameeks.

“After 25 years in New York, this apartment — my first home purchase — has become both a personal sanctuary for Carson and me and a gathering place for the many people I’ve met over the years,” Sean writes. “Because I live in the heart of Hell’s Kitchen, friends are always nearby, and people stop in often.”

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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