A New York apartment shows us how to utilise space

West Village, New York apartment — (Image credit: Hanna Grankvist)

‘This New York apartment’s size was the primary challenge. At 680 square feet [63 square meters], every decision had outsized consequences, particularly given the ambitious brief, which called for generous living, dining, work, and storage areas within a compact footprint,’ says Evan Erlebacher, founder of Brooklyn-based architecture studio Also Office, on his studio's completed renovation of an apartment in New York City’s West Village.

‘Many decisions came down to fractions of an inch, and resolving those demands without compromising light, openness, or clarity required a high level of scrutiny and thoughtfulness throughout the design process.' The result is a light and spacious flat, with dynamic details and pockets of intrigue hidden within its architectural features.

Tour this refreshed New York apartment by Also Office

The one-bedroom New York apartment in Greenwich was subdivided in the 1980s, when the building was converted from a warehouse to a co-op. The design aimed to restore the structure’s original spatial features and industrial characteristics. This was supported by Also Office's discovery of the dropped ceiling, which, once removed, revealed the 19th-century brick original height.

‘Once we realized there was a barrel-vaulted brick ceiling hidden above the dropped ceiling, it became clear that we needed to expose it and organise the apartment in a way that allowed it to flow uninterrupted through the space,’ explains Erlebacher.

‘With that in mind, there are no full-height partitions in the new design. Instead, the ceiling rolls above a series of millwork volumes that organise the apartment into “rooms”. The design focuses on the careful layout and proportion of elements, in service of letting light, material, and the existing building define the space.’

The 'rooms' Erlebacher describes comprise the entrance foyer, kitchen, dining, living, and sleeping areas. The millwork also conceals a valued storage area, including space for two bicycles, and incorporates a work desk, an oversized mirror, and two pocket doors that can enclose the bedroom.

The apartment slots into place like an intricate puzzle. One pocket door features a stepped wooden frame, contoured to match the profile of the existing brick wall, satisfyingly slotting into place.

For Erlebacher, this is a favourite detail, he tells Wallpaper*: ‘The exterior wall is load-bearing masonry, and its brick courses step outward as the wall thickens – an unusual condition that we chose to engage and celebrate. Echoing that stepped profile in the design of the door frame allowed the new work to interlock with the old, telling a small but legible story about building something contemporary within a historic structure.’

The open plan layout and three north-facing windows work hard at drinking up natural light. The material palette is raw and organic, with exposed brick, white oak millwork and floors, and quartzite stone taking centre stage.

‘We wanted the apartment to feel unexpectedly spacious and filled with light,’ says Erlebacher. ‘Ideally, visitors immediately register the unobstructed ceiling floating above the freestanding millwork and a sense of continuity as they enter. As they move through the apartment, we hope they begin to notice the materiality and the small, thoughtful details that make it a comfortable place to inhabit.’

also-office.com

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Tianna Williams is Wallpaper’s staff writer. When she isn’t writing extensively across varying content pillars, ranging from design and architecture to travel and art, she also helps put together the daily newsletter. She enjoys speaking to emerging artists, designers and architects, writing about gorgeously designed houses and restaurants, and day-dreaming about her next travel destination.