Janey Tracey and Peter Efstratiades quickly fell in love with the neighborhood of Astoria in Queens, New York, after moving into a rental apartment there seven years ago.

They enjoy local attractions like the Wellington Court Mural Project, Socrates Sculpture Park, and the Noguchi Museum—and Peter, whose friends call him the “Mayor of Astoria,” founded a dinner club devoted to trying new local restaurants. “It’s such a melting pot of different groups of people and different cuisines,” Peter says. “There are so many different little communities everywhere.”

When Janey and Peter found an apartment for sale in a new building just across Main Avenue from Two Coves Community Garden (where they’d secured a plot after five years on a waiting list), they knew this was their chance to put down roots in Astoria. Or, rather, to erect some arches.

The one-bedroom apartment they purchased in July 2022 is set in a redbrick building with large, industrial-style multipaned windows inspired by the candle factory that used to stand on-site. Though just 715 square feet, “It didn’t feel small, because of these giant windows and really high ceilings,” Janey says. “We loved how open it felt—like it was bigger than it actually was.”

Despite the impression of space, Janey and Peter faced a quintessential New York apartment challenge: a lack of storage. Janey, a writer and editor, treasures her book collection, so she wanted plenty of shelves. Peter is an enthusiastic cook who (channeling his Greek heritage) uses several different types of oregano; he dreamed of space for a well-stocked pantry.

Through a mutual friend they found Brooklyn architect Fareez Giga, who by day works at one of the nation’s most acclaimed firms, Diller Scofidio + Renfro and has contributed to landmark projects like New York’s Museum of Modern Art expansion, Google Pier 57, and as L.A.’s Broad contemporary art museum. The Harvard-trained architect’s own firm, Fareez Giga Design, focuses on small-scale residential projects.

“It’s fun because it’s operating in a completely different scale than my work with DS+R,” Giga explains. “It’s very just me and the clients, really, and the contractor.”

$3,900 Electrical, Drywall, & Paint	$23,550 Flooring	$11,800 Kitchen Cabinetry
$575 Kitchen Cabinetry Hardware	$2,080 Kitchen Plumbing Fixtures	$3,200 Millwork: Floating Shelves
$13,000 Millwork: Living Room Wall Unit	$11,500 Millwork: Bedroom Wall Unit	$5,700 Millwork: Wood Finishing
$3,200 Millwork: Shop Drawings	$19,410 Stone
Grand Total: $97,915

Janey and Peter knew they needed storage, and that they loved the look of natural wood. “But in terms of aesthetics, we really had no idea what we wanted,” Janey says. “We really wanted somebody who could think of something that we would never think of: a vision for our apartment.”

Giga presented the couple with a menu of design options, all involving built-in storage and unified by a repeating motif of arches and curves. They fine-tuned the plan and kicked off the build in April 2023.

In the renovated apartment, completed in June 2024, rectilinear built-ins punctuated with curvaceous elements run from the living room to the bedroom to the kitchen. The millwork—which includes the kitchen cabinetry (for about $12,375) as well as a living room entertainment center, and the bedroom shelves and nightstands (totaling $36,300)—leans a bit Art Deco or faintly postmodern in style, although the form follows function.

“The reason the right nightstand and that bookshelf above curves is because the closet door is right there,” Giga explains. “I thought, ‘If we create this soft arch, then you still have access to that door.’”

“The same thing happens with the bookshelves on the other side,” Giga continues. “There’s a little bit of a bump-out in the wall, so by curving the millwork’s edge we made a unique, custom piece that is actually built to the existing environment.”

In the living room entertainment center, slatted wood masks a mounted air conditioning unit in the upper left corner. Air can pass through the slats, but there is also a cupboard-like door that can be opened to allow easier airflow.

The architect recommended keeping the palette simple, with just one or two materials used throughout: white oak and white quartzite. “The space was sort of telling me that was right,” Giga says. “They wanted that warmth, but they also wanted the brightness, especially because it was a smaller space. So I knew that a darker wood like walnut was going to make the apartment feel a little bit too enclosed.”

Giga also knew that, while not cheap, white oak would offer value through its longevity. To stay within budget, he made a point of shopping around, securing bids from several custom storage builders.

Mont Blanc quartzite from New York’s BAS Stone tops not only the kitchen counter and backsplash but also the living room entertainment center (total stone cost: $19,400). It was actually more expensive than marble, but as with the white oak, Giga and the clients were drawn to its superior durability.

The architect sought to retain some of the interior elements, like the existing kitchen cabinets (paired with new doors) and the gray tile floors to save on budget—but then plans had to change.

Near the end of construction, a water leak coming from the apartment above damaged the existing tile floors, necessitating replacement. The couple chose North American white oak flooring from New York’s PID Floors to match the new built-ins, creating an even more unified look for $23,500.

Janey and Peter like to entertain, and the apartment’s modest size has never been an issue. “We’ve hosted like 10 or 12 people here, and we’re able to cook for them,” Peter says. “Eventually, we plan on having even bigger parties.”

It’s also a comfortable space for working remotely, especially thanks to the cushy kitchen chairs. And though the couple loves sampling all that Astoria has to offer, it’s a great place to simply nest and hang out with their two beloved cats, Mokey and Adeline.

“We want to live here for at least 10 years, or who knows? Maybe we’ll live here forever,” Peter says. “That’s how we saw the investment: just wanting it to last and to be something that would make us happy for a long time.”

“We said, ‘Let’s do what is practical when we can, but also listen to what will make us happy,’” he continues. “If we’re away for a week and then come back, it’s like, ‘Wow, this is where we live!’ I love it so much.”

More Budget Breakdown stories:

An $838K Brooklyn Townhouse Renovation Keeps Two Families Connected

For $31K, a Brooklyn Family Makes Room for All in an 850-Square-Foot Apartment

Here’s What It Cost to Build Two ADUs on the Same Bay Area Block

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Fareez Giga Design / @fareezgigadesign

Builder: Questart Construction

Cabinetry: AXOS Designs

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