Ansonia Apartment

Updated: Feb 23

Location: Upper West Side, NYC

Size: 1,650SF

Gut renovation and major construction to this beautiful prewar apartment in the Iconic Ansonia building.

The apartment was in its original condition since it was built in 1897.

My clients, a couple and their three kids, use the apartment as a pied-à-terre while in NYC. They asked to keep its spirit, preserve and restore as many details as possible, but also to add a modern touch and create an eclectic space. “design a beautiful mess” was their request.

During the renovation, most interior, non-load-bearing walls were removed and by relocating the kitchen, we were able to add a master bathroom, and a third bedroom, changing the apartment from two-bedroom/one bath to a three-bedroom/two bath. That change alone appreciated the apartment’s value by $500,000+.

Mint color was selected for the cabinets. We used the full height of the kitchen and added transom cabinets. A wall mounted pot filler was installed above the cooktop, as the sink is on the other side of the kitchen.

The kitchen’s new location is by the dining room (14 feet circular room), adjacent to the living room (20 feet circular room), in the center of the apartment. A hallway leads from the double door in the entryway to the dining room, which is partially visible from the entrance.

To adhere to the restoration philosophy, windows were cleaned and restored, as well as most of the doors. The old wooden floors were not in good condition, and therefore could not be preserved. The new hardwood floor was installed in herringbone layout. We also restored the trims, wood panels and carpentry details, and in the spirit of the old building, some modern touches were incorporated. Examples include the wallpapers in the master bedroom and the lighting fixtures. Kids’ bedrooms walls were painted in white and gray, and new light fixtures were installed.

An air conditioning system was installed throughout the apartment, including minimal ceiling drops to maintain the high ceilings of ten feet.

As mentioned above, the original apartment had only one bathroom. We gutted it, replaced all pipes and kept the plumbing fixture layout. We selected vintage tiles for the floor and timeless subway tiles for the walls. Washer and Dryer were added to the adjacent bedroom.

In order to create a Master Bathroom, we used a portion of the original bedroom, that was enormous. We created two areas in the shower, one with shower head and one with bench and shower handle. We also installed a wall hung toilet and a custom double vanity that was painted blue. A combination of matte black and brass finishes and faucets were selected for the bathroom, similar to the 2nd bath.