The secret to this petite Manhattan apartment?
Photography by Eric Petschek.
When two Israeli born architects Noam Dvir and Daniel Rauchwerger of BoND acquired the circa 1910 520 square foot apartment in the city s West Chelsea neighborhood it was laid...
...out like a typical cramped New York flat with a railroad layout and a walled off kitchen and bathroom in the center of the space that didn t get any light
The front living area, after, is white-washed and bright, with minimal furnishings that emphasize the height of the ceilings.
Dvir and Rauchwerger outfitted a side wall with Vitsoe shelving, which keeps books neatly corralled but still on display.
Looking toward the new walk-through kitchen (which was formerly walled off from the rest of the space) and the bedroom beyond.
The architects opted to move all of the utilities and appliances for both the bathroom and kitchen to one side of the apartment.
It’s a simple concept, but the result is a bright walk-through kitchen, no longer boxed-in and dark, with appliances on the right side and a place to hang art on the left.
In the bathroom, an inset niche corrals shower essentials. Note also how the continuous flooring and wall tiles throughout make the room feel bigger and more cohesive.
The peaceful bedroom in the back of the apartment is kept simple, with few furnishings, minimal window dressings, and light colors.
Note how the duo forwent nightstands in favor of discreet wall-mounted lights.
A wardrobe alongside the bed looks sleek when closed. Once again, a sleek surface hides storage in plain sight: Inside, the efficient closets take advantage of the full floor-to-ceiling height.
The apartment before work began, with the walled-off kitchen and bathroom in the middle of the apartment.
The Plans, Before
The Plans, After
The apartment now, with a more open, walk-through design.