[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]There are plenty of reasons to renovate a home. You might want to remodel a newly purchased house to match your style, repair water damage from a leaky roof, or modernize certain areas that haven’t been updated in a while. In this South End Avenue apartment expansion in New York, the family’s changing needs have been the primary drivers. We have worked with them through multiple renovations in their existing apartment and continue to be available for the most recent development: an expansion into the neighboring unit.  

Phase One: Main Living Area, Floors, Bedrooms, and Kitchen 

Several years ago, we were engaged by the clients to renovate the main living area, bedrooms for the parents and daughter, the kitchen, and all of the floors throughout the apartment. Special attention was paid to the daughter’s bedroom, with a custom storage headboard and cheerful blue chalkboard paint to inspire daily creativity. We also updated the look of the entire apartment by replacing the existing parquet floor with beautiful rift-sawn oak flooring.

Phase Two: Two Bathrooms and Powder Room

The second phase of the project focused on the bathrooms. Because we had worked with Gregory Hitchcock so successfully on the kitchen and bath design for previous projects, we wanted to work with him again on the bathroom cabinetry, this time through Cesar NYC Kitchens.

The master bathroom was designed with a custom-made floating vanity cabinet, and smooth rocks were laid on the shower floor to create a spa-like environment. The second bathroom features a mosaic tiled accent wall and a custom-fabricated vanity. 

Phase Three: Apartment Expansion

Several years later, the daughter is now a teen, so naturally her lifestyle has evolved. Rather than writing and drawing on the chalkboard walls in her bedroom, she invites multiple friends over to hang out in the common spaces in the apartment. Wanting to give her the space to entertain, her parents find themselves retreating to the master suite. 

Over the past couple of years, they searched for a new apartment with more space so everybody in the family would be able to do their own thing without feeling crowded. However, it was hard to beat the current home that they truly love. It has a waterfront balcony, large closets, and all of the custom features that were designed in the first two phases. After having no luck with the apartment search, they were thrilled to learn that the neighboring duplex was for sale. Two weeks later, they closed the deal and now have the opportunity for an apartment expansion that will completely change their home.  

At the same time that the new apartment was being purchased, the clients had reached out to us to help with a kitchen faucet issue. Little did we know that a small fix-it job would turn into the third phase of renovations with long-term clients. The mother called us to say, “We bought an apartment, and you have a job!” 

We referred architect Michael Scaduto, whom we had worked with on another recent project. We thought his easygoing approach would be a great fit with these clients because we know that they like to be heavily involved in the design process. We worked with multiple partners, including Gregory Hitchcock, to create a custom Italian lacquer wall unit with walnut doors in the existing living room and a side table in the dining room. He drew the plans and we provided the custom millwork to execute them. 

The neighboring duplex will be home to the master suite, with its own waterfront balcony and private entrance. The daughter will have her own space to host friends while the parents will have a spacious retreat that is close enough to keep an eye on their daughter and her friends while still providing privacy for the whole family.

Nurturing Trusted Relationships

This project is an excellent example of the many ways that building trusted relationships helps everybody involved. The clients have a contractor they can call to fix a faucet or do a major apartment expansion; we have trusted partners that we rely on to provide outstanding designs, millwork, and custom features; and our partners know that we will continue to refer them to clients as new projects come in. 

You can read more about the first two phases of this project in our gallery. The third phase will be completed later this year, so stay tuned for updates and photos.

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