Modern Renovation on a Budget

The owners of this 1,500 square-foot, two-bedroom, 2.5 bath New York City apartment – located in Manhattan's Upper West Side – aspired to improve the space's interior to maximize future resale value. 

The gut renovation aimed to incorporate sleek interiors and alter the multi-family design layout to create a loft-like, open floor plan… all with a minimal budget.

The renovation began with kitchen design ideas. The removal of two key elements – a wall enclosing a galley kitchen and window storage units, which blocked two feet of lower curtain wall glazing – were the starting point for the redesign. 

To balance out the symmetry, complementary kitchen and entertainment islands help to convey a clear "kitchen-dining-den-living" arrangement while also offering ample storage.

“The Smoky Brown Pear laminate provided us with the aesthetic and financial answer we were seeking, and I look forward to working with Formica and its product line again in the future.”
Alexander Butler, Interior Designer

Low cabinetry and upper shelving flank the entrance to the master bedroom, providing a strong central axis for the space while also replacing the lost window seat storage. 

The extensive millwork quickly became a major focal point, thereby influencing both the design as a whole and the bottom line. In search of dark tones to contrast with the bright white kitchen and entertainment islands, designer Alexander Butler first specified engineered wenge. 

“ Not only did it have the aesthetic qualities we had wanted in terms of color, vertical graining and even texture - which perhaps impressed me the most - but it slashed the budget by two-thirds and allowed the integrity of the design as a whole to remain intact, ”
Alexander Butler, Interior Designer

Architect/Designer
Alexander Butler | Design Services