The owner of this one-bedroom apartment in a pre-war building on Manhattan’s famed Riverside Drive had lived there for several years before she contacted Format Architecture Office for a remodel. By that point, she was fast outgrowing her available space. “As with most residential clients in New York City, storage is a huge priority,” says architect Andrew McGee.

The firm’s solution was to thread thoughtful built-ins throughout the apartment, their streamlined treatment contrasting with the home’s historic details. Combined with thickened thresholds made from rich anigre wood, the storage elements set up a new rhythm through the living spaces. “The owner was making it work [before],” says McGee, “but I think she was interested in something that was a little bit more understated that still had some richness, and modern details that were also deferent to the history of the building.”

Before: Entry

After: Entry

The 1926 building had once contained grander units. When it was converted to a cooperative in 1968, those units were divided into smaller apartments, which ultimately created some “unconventional layouts,” says the firm.

This apartment, once the bedroom wing of one of those previous units, had an en-suite bedroom at one end of the apartment and shared living spaces on the other, with a connecting room sandwiched between. Unable to change the apartment’s layout due to infrastructure, the firm made that central room as flexible as possible. Their approach connects the room visually to the public areas, yet allows it to become private when necessary, so that it can function as an extension of the living room or a separate office/guest room.

Before: Office

After: Office

Another challenge was to spread natural light around the apartment. “All the windows are west-facing,” says McGee. “[The apartment] gets decent light at different points in the day, but there’s definitely some of those interior spaces right as you enter that are pretty far away from an immediate, natural light source.”

The answer was to insert panels of fluted glass in strategic spots, such as in existing over-the-door transom openings that had been closed up. “The transoms are a nice combination of something that’s traditional, but with a modern twist with fluted glass,” says McGee.

Before: Living Room and Dining

After: Living and Dining Room

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

By the time the remodel wrapped up in 2018, the firm had delivered on perhaps the client’s biggest wish list item. “When we were first approached, the very first question that was asked was, ‘Hey, I think I want another bathroom. Can we talk about that?’” remembers McGee. With so much efficient storage, the firm was able to do just that, converting a former closest into that sought-after powder bath.

Before: Bathroom

After: Bathroom

More Before & After:

A Resuscitated Row House in Philadelphia Seeks $825K

A Ramshackle Barn in Northern California Becomes a Family’s Rural Retreat

A St. Louis Architect Builds a Perfect Party Pad Over a Brownfield

Project Credits:

Architecture: Format Architecture Office / @format.nyc

Builder: Barry Fishelberg Company

Interior Design: Format Architecture Office

Photography: Nick Glimenakis