Hi everyone! I’m in the early stages of renovating a pre-war apartment in NYC and would love to tap into this community’s experience.

We’re doing a fairly full renovation including kitchen, bathroom, floors, trim, and overall layout improvements. I’m trying to balance keeping some classic pre-war character while updating everything to feel clean, functional, and cohesive.

One design challenge I’m working through: I’ve always chosen white kitchen cabinets in past homes, but for this new chapter—living in the city—I’m really drawn to doing something different, like a darker or richer cabinet color. My hesitation is that I don’t want the kitchen to feel smaller or too closed in.

Would love to hear how others have approached this or found a good balance between bringing in deeper tones while still keeping the space feeling open.

A few things I’d especially love insight on:

• Kitchen layout decisions (what you would do differently if you could do it again)
• Cabinet color choices and how they impacted the feel of the space
• Bathroom design (materials that held up well vs. regrets)
• Flooring transitions and creating a cohesive flow across the apartment
• Anything you wish you knew before starting your renovation

If you’ve done a renovation—big or small—I’d really appreciate hearing what worked, what didn’t, and any tips you’d share.

Thank you so much in advance!