Project: West Village Roost
Architects: CWB Architects
Partner in charge: Ward Welch
Interior Design: Fearins | Welch Interior Design
Location: West Village, Manhattan, New York
Area: 375 sf
Photographer: Nelson Hancock
This 1890s tenement apartment, also known as a cold-water flat, was ripe for a renovation. With a shower and toilet/sink located at opposite ends and a cooktop in the living room, the railroad layout was a disjointed jumble in need of coherent modernization. Our first step was to move the poche — the cluster of plumbing and storage space — into one centralized location.
Opposite the bathroom are built-in closets constructed to detailed specification to accommodate the couple’s wardrobe. The resulting corridor space acts as a fluid connector between the apartment’s public living area and the private bedroom. Open walnut shelving in the kitchen lends a “floating” appearance to stacked dishes and glassware while concealed, small-sized appliances maintain the sleek look. The stove and refrigerator are installed on the stairwell wall, so that the exposed brick of the opposite wall appears to flow through the unit.
The living room fireplace was restored to working condition while the bedroom fireplace, a likely fire hazard located so close to the foot of the bed, was fitted with a custom shoe cabinet.
