Rauch Architecture was hired to renovate a live-work loft in Chelsea, NYC, that used to be a dance studio. The new owner is also a dancer, so he wanted to keep the existing spring floor system, but relocate the kitchen and bathroom spaces to create a more open and efficient layout. The budget was the main driver for most of the decisions on the project, so Rauch Architecture worked closely with the owner to carefully select materials and finishes that would provide the most “bang-for-buck”.
The old kitchen was a dark, cramped “galley-style” layout at the very back of the apartment separated from the rest of the space. Rauch Architecture relocated the kitchen towards the center of the apartment, and created a peninsula at the separation line to the existing dance floor. This layout created a unique scenario where the “counter height” peninsula turns into a “dining table” height at the open loft side.
Light streams into the apartment from all sides, creating a much more open and flexible layout throughout the apartment.
The kitchen features all custom walnut cabinetry and stainless fixtures and appliances, creating a bold counterpoint to the muted palette throughout the main living spaces.
The bathrooms were also previously laid out in a continuous line, which was an inefficient use of the available space. Rauch Architecture reconfigured the main bathroom into an en-suite layout, with a full dressing room leading into a custom tiled space with a bathtub by the window.
The secondary bathroom also was reconfigured to make more sense with the new layout, and it features a custom mosaic tile pattern with a continuous niche.
