A young couple, a physician and a writer, found their dream apartment, a classic pre-war unit in a 1909 building on the Upper West Side. Captivated by the apartment’s generously proportioned rooms, arranged in an enfilade sequence, with original details and abundant natural light from three exposures, they looked past the small kitchen, shredded wood floors, and the many decades of paint layers and brought on architect Bade Stageberg Cox (BSC) to re-envision its interiors.
BSC began the design process with studies of the play of natural light on pre-war wall surfaces embellished with paneling, moldings, and intricate plaster details. Known for their exquisitely detailed contemporary interiors, BSC created an apartment that retains the character and richness of the pre-war while overlaying a distinctly up-to-date sensibility. Historic details were restored and new details introduced. The entire composition is unified through the use of a single (painstaking selected) white paint color throughout. A new herringbone oak floor was treated with a white Danish oil, emphasizing the serenity and luminosity of the palette.
Always looking for ways to introduce light into their designs, the architects removed the wall closing off the kitchen and introduced a contemporary interpretation of the traditional molding - a curved screen of profiled wood slats wrapping around a new banquette. This porous edge between the formally, enclosed kitchen and the living spaces allows light from the eastern windows to suffuse the depth of the apartment. The effect is one of mystery and playfulness set against the more formal and classic original spaces of the apartment.
The kitchen is designed for contemporary family life, with a deep red linoleum floor, custom stainless steel counters, and cabinets in oiled white oak. A set of abandoned building pipes, discovered during construction, are shrouded in a curving veil of perforated stainless steel.
Persisting through co-op approvals, pandemic restrictions, a wedding, and finally, the birth of their first child, the newly renovated space achieves balance and serenity, and is a place of respite in their busy lives.
All photos copyright Frank Oudeman
Floor Plan
Screen Time: A Prewar Manhattan Gem Gets a Modern Makeover
A young couple, a physician and a writer, found their dream apartment, a classic pre-war unit in a 1909 building on the Upper West Side. Captivated by the apartment’s generously proportioned rooms, arranged in an enfilade sequence, with original details and abundant natural light from three exposures, they looked past the small kitchen, shredded wood floors, and the many decades of paint layers and brought on architect Bade Stageberg Cox (BSC) to re-envision its interiors.
BSC began the design process with studies of the play of natural light on pre-war wall surfaces embellished with paneling, moldings, and intricate plaster details. Known for their exquisitely detailed contemporary interiors, BSC created an apartment that retains the character and richness of the pre-war while overlaying a distinctly up-to-date sensibility. Historic details were restored and new details introduced. The entire composition is unified through the use of a single (painstaking selected) white paint color throughout. A new herringbone oak floor was treated with a white Danish oil, emphasizing the serenity and luminosity of the palette.
Always looking for ways to introduce light into their designs, the architects removed the wall closing off the kitchen and introduced a contemporary interpretation of the traditional molding - a curved screen of profiled wood slats wrapping around a new banquette. This porous edge between the formally, enclosed kitchen and the living spaces allows light from the eastern windows to suffuse the depth of the apartment. The effect is one of mystery and playfulness set against the more formal and classic original spaces of the apartment.
The kitchen is designed for contemporary family life, with a deep red linoleum floor, custom stainless steel counters, and cabinets in oiled white oak. A set of abandoned building pipes, discovered during construction, are shrouded in a curving veil of perforated stainless steel.
Persisting through co-op approvals, pandemic restrictions, a wedding, and finally, the birth of their first child, the newly renovated space achieves balance and serenity, and is a place of respite in their busy lives.
All photos copyright Frank Oudeman