Houzz Tour: Elegant, Efficient Manhattan Studio
Clever storage, clearly defined areas and high-end materials turn a dormlike New York studio into a stylish space for work and play
Darrick Borowski, creative director at Jordan Parnass Digital Architecture, likens the previous incarnation of Michael Pozner's studio to a college dorm. "He had been occupying the space without ever really living in it; nothing had a home,” says Borowski. “Our goal was to embed his lifestyle into the DNA of the place, let his living patterns sculpt and mold the space to create an elegant and efficient environment.”
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Michael Pozner
Location: East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York
Size: Almost 500 square feet
That's interesting: Secret drawers for clothing storage hide in the stair risers to the loft.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Michael Pozner
Location: East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York
Size: Almost 500 square feet
That's interesting: Secret drawers for clothing storage hide in the stair risers to the loft.
| When Pozner, the head of retail development for American Apparel, approached Borowski and his team for a consultation, everyone thought that Pozner's needs would be fairly standard: sourcing for basic furniture, giving advice on paint colors and working on floor refinishing. But after discussing Pozner's needs for his combined work and personal space, Borowski knew that a more comprehensive renovation was needed. Pozner had been pushing the limits of his apartment before Borowski and his team were in the picture: Not only did he use the studio as an office space and sleeping quarters, but he also used it as a holding area for his toys and art pieces. Borowski says, "The resulting sculptural volume appears to have been dropped into an otherwise clean white box, creating a focal object and organizing the space into public and private areas." |
White oak planks wrap the kitchen, bathroom, closets and sleeping loft. Every opportunity for storage was used, including drawers built into the stair risers, cabinets that go to the ceiling and a new walk-in closet under the sleeping loft.
| Building the bed platform as part of the loft structure allowed for the walk-in closet below; it can accommodate Pozner's full height of over 6 feet. A roller shade lowers to separate the sleeping loft from the living space. |
| The kitchen countertops are thin slabs of ebony marble from Ann Sacks. The appliances are all stainless and mostly European. Pozner's studio contains two appliances that every city dweller would love to have: a stacked washer and dryer next to the fridge. |
A wall-mounted unit replaced a standard toilet to create more floor area. The walls are tiled in a narrow Italian porcelain brick mosaic that has the visual effect of natural stone.
| Borowski and his team clearly defined each space. This is the living room and work area. Once each space in the unit was assigned a specific function, the effect was a sense of visual clarity in the overall apartment. |
A pair of niches in the shower create more storage and surface area. Matte black powder-coated toilet and shower fixtures were ordered specially for the unit, as the finish was not yet available in the United States at the time of the remodel.
The end result is a highly efficient living space that exploits every square inch of space to meet the demands of both the client’s professional work ...
| ... and personal lifestyle. The finished apartment has an air of openness — "and Mike didn't have to move apartments!" says Borowski. More: Ingenious Garage Tour Makeover in Bordeaux Modern Houseboat in Vancouver, B.C. |
Ideabook published on April 24, 2012.
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On another note, I got a chuckle out of the way this layout was done. We see the client at 'work', looking as if he might be texting someone - perhaps the elements of his 'personal lifestyle' we first observe in the studio loft and, later, in the livingroom / office. Ooh-la-la...
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150642392616708.407600.560266707&type=1
Re hanging toilet - love it as I HATE to clean around floor-mounted toilets.
AWESOMENESS!!!