Park Slope Studio Apartment
Budget-minded renovation of an existing Pre-War one-room apartment
One year into the pandemic, a new client approached our studio to obtain help with renovating a tiny 300 square-foot studio apartment in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
The existing Pre-War apartment consisted of a tiny entry hallway, 2 closets, a small bathroom with original wall tile and plumbing fixtures, and a 17-foot long by 12-foot wide room for living, cooking and sleeping.
Our client, Irene, was excited to make the switch to living in a small footprint. But, as a passionate home-cook, she knew that she couldn’t easily make use of the existing old-school “convenience kitchen” that was located in one corner of the studio room. Its sink was largely blocked off by a structural column, the two-burner cooktop was installed on a high counter making it very hard to reach, the upper cabinets blocked natural light from a window, and there was zero prep or counter space. Worst of all, there was no oven to bake a cake or roast a meal inside of.
She also wanted to have a clear vision for how she could affordably furnish the space to switch easily between sleeping, cooking, hosting friends, working, exercising and relaxing, plus all the other uses a home needs to enable and accommodate.
After exploring several possible solutions to the tiny kitchen dilemma, we elected to replace part of one of the existing closets with a new kitchen counter, oven, bar fridge and upper cabinets. The rest of the closet was absorbed into the second existing closet, creating a large walk-in closet for Irene’s clothing and luggage storage.
We replaced the upper kitchen cabinets above the sink with open shelves and bright white gloss tile that Irene installed herself. This allowed the light from the adjacent window to flood into the kitchen area, reflected in part off the gloss-finish back splash. We lowered the height of the (new) cooktop, and pulled the sink away from the window. These small changes have made a world of difference to the functionality of the kitchen and the enjoyment of cooking.
Using a simple table on wheels that Irene already owned, plus a new well-priced Murphy Bed unit with some built-in storage, we conceived of a room that allows her to move furniture around easily throughout the day. Sometimes the table is used for prepping food, sometimes for sewing or working, and other times for dining and hosting friends.
Irene installed simple Ikea cabinets herself in the new kitchen, and cleaned up the existing original bathroom subway tile. She painted the upper bathroom walls in a dark grey and installed a new light fixture above the hand basin, giving new life to a standard white bathroom without a lot of expenditure.
By only removing one wall between the closets and making smart choices about storage and fixture locations in the small kitchen, we were able to transform a small space into a highly versatile and functional home, where every inch is used efficiently and cleverly. The impact on our client’s life has been significant, despite a very small budget.
Studio Officina Architecture PLLC
studio@studioofficina.com
196 MacDonough Street
Brooklyn NY 11216
We are a small, friendly Brooklyn-based architecture and design studio. We are dedicated to working closely with our clients to create buildings and spaces that
are a joyful and honest reflection of who they are and how they live and work.
We believe that high-quality spatial design should be available to all,
no matter the budget or brief. And we place sustainability at the core of what we do, as we seek to use nature’s resources carefully and efficiently.
Studio Officina Architecture PLLC
studio@studioofficina.com
196 MacDonough Street
Brooklyn NY 11216
We are a small, friendly Brooklyn-based architecture and design studio. We are dedicated to working closely with our clients to create buildings and spaces that
are a joyful and honest reflection of who they are and how they live and work.
We believe that high-quality spatial design should be available to all,
no matter the budget or brief. And we place sustainability at the core of what we do, as we seek to use nature’s resources carefully and efficiently.
PARK SLOPE STUDIO APARTMENT
Budget-minded renovation of an existing Pre-War one-room apartment
One year into the pandemic, a new client approached our studio to obtain help with renovating a tiny 300 square-foot studio apartment in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
The existing Pre-War apartment consisted of a tiny entry hallway, 2 closets, a small bathroom with original wall tile and plumbing fixtures, and a 17-foot long by 12-foot wide room for living, cooking and sleeping.
Our client, Irene, was excited to make the switch to living in a small footprint. But, as a passionate home-cook, she knew that she couldn’t easily make use of the existing old-school “convenience kitchen” that was located in one corner of the studio room. Its sink was largely blocked off by a structural column, the two-burner cooktop was installed on a high counter making it very hard to reach, the upper cabinets blocked natural light from a window, and there was zero prep or counter space. Worst of all, there was no oven to bake a cake or roast a meal inside of.
She also wanted to have a clear vision for how she could affordably furnish the space to switch easily between sleeping, cooking, hosting friends, working, exercising and relaxing, plus all the other uses a home needs to enable and accommodate.
After exploring several possible solutions to the tiny kitchen dilemma, we elected to replace part of one of the existing closets with a new kitchen counter, oven, bar fridge and upper cabinets. The rest of the closet was absorbed into the second existing closet, creating a large walk-in closet for Irene’s clothing and luggage storage.
We replaced the upper kitchen cabinets above the sink with open shelves and bright white gloss tile that Irene installed herself. This allowed the light from the adjacent window to flood into the kitchen area, reflected in part off the gloss-finish backsplash. We lowered the height of the (new) cooktop, and pulled the sink away from the window. These small changes have made a world of difference to the functionality of the kitchen and the enjoyment of cooking.
Using a simple table on wheels that Irene already owned, plus a new well-priced Murphy Bed unit with some built-in storage, we conceived of a room that allows her to move furniture around easily throughout the day. Sometimes the table is used for prepping food, sometimes for sewing or working, and other times for dining and hosting friends.
Irene installed simple Ikea cabinets herself in the new kitchen, and cleaned up the existing original bathroom subway tile.She painted the upper bathroom walls in a dark grey and installed a new light fixture above the hand basin,giving new life to a standard white bathroom without a lot of expenditure.
By only removing one wall between the closets and making smart choices about storage and fixture locations in the small kitchen, we were able to transform a small space into a highly versatile and functional home, where every inch is used efficiently and cleverly. The impact on our client’s life has been significant, despite a very small budget.
Studio Officina Architecture PLLC
studio@studioofficina.com
We are a small, friendly Brooklyn-based architecture and design studio. We are dedicated to working closely with our clients to create buildings and spaces that are a joyful and honest reflection of who they are and how they live and work.
We believe that high-quality spatial design should be available to all, no matter the budget or brief. And we place sustainability at the core of what we do, as we seek to use nature’s resources carefully and efficiently.
