New York, New York Apartment, Renovation 700 SF 2021 - 2024
In a historic mid-century Greenwich Village apartment building, MSTMA turned a subdivided space into an airy, open home. Judicious interventions keep the project’s embodied energy low and create subtle contrasts between old and new.
The apartment’s smaller compartments were done away with, allowing sunlight to flood the home’s living spaces. Divisions between zones were clarified via material shifts underfoot: local stone, quarried in Vermont, marks the entry, kitchen and bath, while the original parquet flooring lends warmth to the living and sleeping spaces.
In the front of the apartment, an entrance area contained between ceiling-height built-ins and knee-height storage leads into
the living room, while a tucked-away kitchen feels peaceful thanks to the custom white oak cabinets and panelling that line its vertical surfaces. In the back, a dressing area eases the transition to the stone-lined bathroom for guests, while allowing the bedroom to remain tucked away and private beyond.
Details throughout add warmth and visual interest: a subtle shift in paint color draws attention to the expressed concrete frame typical of buildings of this period, while a custom milled nook fabricated by MSTMA gives the bathroom door handle a place to rest and allows the door to open ninety degrees. These small-scale moves, paired with choices like using a zero-VOC, plant-based curing oil for finished wood surfaces, add up to a holistic transformation that celebrates the apartment’s history, while ushering it into the present.
Photography: Nicholas Venezia & MSTMA
Greenwich Village Apartment
New York, New York Apartment, Renovation 700 SF 2021 - 2024
In a historic mid-century Greenwich Village apartment building, MSTMA turned a subdivided space into an airy, open home. Judicious interventions keep the project’s embodied energy low and create subtle contrasts between old and new.
The apartment’s smaller compartments were done away with, allowing sunlight to flood the home’s living spaces. Divisions between zones were clarified via material shifts underfoot: local stone, quarried in Vermont, marks the entry, kitchen and bath, while the original parquet flooring lends warmth to the living and sleeping spaces.
In the front of the apartment, an entrance area contained between ceiling-height built-ins and knee-height storage leads into
the living room, while a tucked-away kitchen feels peaceful thanks to the custom white oak cabinets and panelling that line its vertical surfaces. In the back, a dressing area eases the transition to the stone-lined bathroom for guests, while allowing the bedroom to remain tucked away and private beyond.
Details throughout add warmth and visual interest: a subtle shift in paint color draws attention to the expressed concrete frame typical of buildings of this period, while a custom milled nook fabricated by MSTMA gives the bathroom door handle a place to rest and allows the door to open ninety degrees. These small-scale moves, paired with choices like using a zero-VOC, plant-based curing oil for finished wood surfaces, add up to a holistic transformation that celebrates the apartment’s history, while ushering it into the present.
