Create an ideabook for your next remodeling project!
Browse more than 1,000,000 photos from top designers and save your favorites
Houzz Tours
Top Ideabooks
- A San Diego Townhouse Gets a Bright Update
- Sustainable Bamboo for a Prototype Home in Nicaragua
- 10 Acres, 3 Generations and Many Animals in North Carolina
- Gentleness and Comfort for a Rustic Vermont Barn House
- Retro Fun Brings an Ohio Home to Life
- Thrifted Finds Invigorate a Montreal Artist Couple's Loft
Houzz Tour: 2 Prewar Condo Units Merge in Manhattan
Add a studio to an existing condo and what do you get? A modern loft-like home with an open feeling and an abundance of light
Spacious units are hard to come by in prewar Manhattan condo buildings, where walls and doors typically divide every room. But with the help of architect Matthew Miller, the owners of this unit transformed their 1,400-square-foot condo by combining it with a neighboring studio. Miller reconfigured and opened up the floor plan, creating sleek multipurpose spaces for entertaining, work, storage and overnight guests.
He began by moving the living room and the kitchen near the south-facing windows, filling those key areas with light and updating the interior design. Before, "my clients didn't really invest in anything that their kids could potentially ruin," he says. "But their kids are older now, so they felt like it was time to renovate — and rebrand — their home entirely."
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their 2 kids, ages 12 and 16
Location: New York City
Size: 2,000 square feet
That's interesting: This is a Vantage "smart home," meaning the homeowners can control the air conditioning, lighting and solar shades remotely.
He began by moving the living room and the kitchen near the south-facing windows, filling those key areas with light and updating the interior design. Before, "my clients didn't really invest in anything that their kids could potentially ruin," he says. "But their kids are older now, so they felt like it was time to renovate — and rebrand — their home entirely."
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their 2 kids, ages 12 and 16
Location: New York City
Size: 2,000 square feet
That's interesting: This is a Vantage "smart home," meaning the homeowners can control the air conditioning, lighting and solar shades remotely.
|
by StudioLAB, LLC
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
|
by StudioLAB, LLC
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| LED cove ceiling lights lead the eye to the living room from the hall. The sectional's open arrangement extends the expansive, loft-like feel. Built-in seating and concealed underbench storage make for a sleek mudroom. |
|
by StudioLAB, LLC
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| BEFORE: "Previously you'd walk into a room that basically had a box around it; you'd walk into the dining room or the living room and close a door behind you," says Miller. |
|
by StudioLAB, LLC
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| AFTER: The architect created a loft-like feel by opening up the rooms to one another while still framing out different activity areas. Dropped or cove ceilings signal transitions from one space to the next. |
|
by StudioLAB, LLC
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| "We had some extra space that we could have added to the dining area, but we decided that the space would best serve the family as a functional addition. So we made it into a concrete-box home office, which also transitions into a media room," says Miller. Dining chairs: Cassina; dining table: Matthew Hilton |
|
by StudioLAB, LLC
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Installing the unit's centralized air conditioning — making it the building's first and only centralized unit — posed a challenge for Miller. He says, "The condo board scrutinized us for the central AC installation. We hired an acoustical engineer to analyze the noise impact and a structural engineer to analyze the vibration." Also, coordinating the AC installation without actually seeing the condenser units (hidden in one of the kids' rooms) proved challenging. "But we're really happy with the end result. The AC is quiet, and the hidden linear diffusers out of where air spills out aren't the least bit intrusive," says Miller. Here, a horizontal ceiling slit in the home office gives the only visual cue of the diffuser. |
|
by StudioLAB, LLC
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| BEFORE: The old kitchen captured a moment in mid-'80s design. |
|
by StudioLAB, LLC
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| AFTER: Like he did with the living room, Miller moved the kitchen next to the southern window wall, where it gets plenty of light — so much so that motorized solar shades sometimes sheath the windows. Walnut-veneered cabinetry lends the bright and white kitchen a warm, cozy appeal. Informal gatherings and dinners frequently happen around the L-shaped bar table. Kitchen chairs: Arper; fixtures, accessories, plumbing: AF Supply; kitchen counter: Ceasarstone; shades: Somfy Motorized Shades |
|
by StudioLAB, LLC
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| A barely visible line to the left of the framed photo marks a door that conceals a stacked washer and dryer. The light wood door on the left leads to the guest bath; the pocket door on the right, usually open when guests aren't around, leads to the kids' bedrooms. |
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
BEFORE: A mishmash of towels and other toiletries visually cluttered the guest bathroom.
|
by StudioLAB, LLC
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
|
by StudioLAB, LLC
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| A loft bunk bed adds more room for weekend sleepovers. Sky-blue walls bring bright color to the home's largely neutral palette. Bed: Room & Board; ceiling fan: Minka Aire |
|
by StudioLAB, LLC
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Underbed drawers give more space-saving storage options. Despite the robots, toys and framed prints, this tween boy's room can easily transition into a comfortable guest bedroom. Blink and you might just miss the AC condensor units beneath the window, thanks to Miller's signature brushstroke of sleek, concealed and unobtrusive design. Bed: Modu-licious, Blu Dot; ceiling fan: Minka Aire |
Ideabook published on Sept. 26, 2012.
What are you working on?
News From Our Partners
Latest Ideabooks
People found the photos in this ideabook after searching for:
View over a million photos:
basements · bedrooms · dining rooms · entries · family rooms · garage and sheds · halls · home offices · landscapes · laundry rooms · powder rooms · wine cellars and more.
Beautiful? Love it - and may steal some ideas for my 900 sq ft Manhattan loft - but at a much, much lower price.