L.E.S. One Bedroom
WHAT: Renovation of a small 1-bedroom apartment on the Lower East Side.
CHALLENGE: Maximizing storage and kitchen work space without cluttering
the rooms, and creating distinct areas in an open L-shaped space, on a budget.
STRATEGY: Custom bamboo wing shelves create focal points and a theme
that plays off against the plain, closed cabinetry from Ikea (with custom doors).
Small spatial moves add lots of possibilities for storage
CONSTRUCTION: STJ Contracting PHOTOGRAPHY: Ben Rahn, A-Frame Studio
High open shelves between kitchen and front door define the entry area while keeping it open to the kitchen. Back-to-back cabinets provide kitchen storage from one side, shoe storage from the other.
Past the dining area, a bamboo countertop tops the ‘sideboard’ and a small desk at the window.
Dyed concrete tiles on the floor and far wall of the bath bring whimsy into the otherwise clean white-and-gray space. The bamboo of the wing shelves is repeated in the vanity.
The bathroom combines broom closet and medicine cabinet. A radiator pipe (riser) heats the space through a grille made up of the morse code of the date the couple first met.