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A Post-War Manhattan Apartment Gets a Contemporary Renovation

01.29.16 | By
A Post-War Manhattan Apartment Gets a Contemporary Renovation

Billinkoff Architecture were hired by a couple who were interested in downsizing from a 7,000-square-foot family home in Westchester, New York to a much smaller Manhattan apartment. The clients settled on a two-bedroom, post-war apartment but with several demands to make it work. The apartment appeared to have zero potential when first viewed as it was located in a 1960’s white brick building with low quality finishes and details. The one appeal—an outdoor terrace the owners were allowed to enclose if they desired.

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The new apartment needed to have the same attention to detail that their previous home had, although it didn’t need to be a replica. Their desire was a contemporary, urban interior that allowed for large family get togethers and plenty of places for storage.

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The only requirement that had to be incorporated into the new apartment was the owners’ prized art collection that they had amassed over the years. Other than that, all of their possessions were negotiable.

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The living room is wrapped with a built-in storage cabinet set to 42″ in height leaving room for a rotating display of art, along with niches to hold their various sculptures.

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For additional seating, a bench upholstered in leather was built into the storage wall.

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The terrace was built out for extra interior space. The sliding doors were removed and the ceiling and floor heights were leveled out to create a seamless transition. A built-in chaise and two leather Poltrona Frau chairs fill the space.

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In the den, a custom sofa bed is placed in front of a 65″ wall-mounted television. Additional display shelves hold artwork.

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Throughout the apartment, two wood finishes were used – a deep walnut for warmth and a light TABU veneer for contrast. Other accents incorporated were blackened steel and charcoal-colored quartz.

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Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.