A favorite repeat client of ours moved to a converted apartment in the Financial District that needed some love. The galley kitchen was one-sided; there was no foyer or home office; and the bathroom lacked a shower.

By cutting cabinets into the dead half of the kitchen, we doubled the usable counterspace. On one side, we ran the soapstone slabs up the backsplash wall. And on the other, we backed open glass shelves with a mural by a Dutch master.

The new home office has work space for two. We screened it from household disruptions with sliding panels of ribbed glass and steel.

We carved out a new foyer and coat closet for a more graceful arrival. And the bathroom not only got a walk-in shower but an infrared sauna and a custom black steel mirror.