The kitchen may just be the most important room in a home and it certainly can be the most expensive one to renovate. I am an architect in NYC and owner of Fontan Architecture a Manhattan based architecture firm. In this post we will be looking at a few NYC Kitchen renovations in apartments, lofts, and townhouses that we renovated over the past few years.
Manhattan Modern One Wall Kitchen
This first kitchen is in a loft apartment in the Financial District. The kitchen is a very simple one wall kitchen that is recessed into the wall. These cabinets were made in Italy so be aware that European Kitchen cabinets take a long time to order and you will really need to plan ahead on this.
Manhattan Modern Kitchen Renovation
The Appliances are all panel ready so that they match the cabinets and the walls around are painted to match as well. This creates a simple modern look. The overall apartment had a darker moodier feel with dim lighting and lots of grey.
Panel Ready Kitchen NYC
The backsplash is a wood look porcelain that adds a bit of warmth to the kitchen. There is high contrast accent under cabinet lighting to provide task lighting and a dramatic feel to the dimly lit apartment.
Under Cabinet Lighting
The open shelves and articulating kitchen faucet add to the modern and industrial feel of the apartment. If you want to see the rest of this apartment and some of its unique finishes you can check it out: Modern Concrete Manhattan Apartment.
Kitchen Under Cabinet Lighting
Manhattan White on White Kitchen
In this kitchen the client owned a prewar apartment in NYC with a fully enclosed galley kitchen. We removed part of one of the walls to open the kitchen to the living room and add a peninsula for counter seating.
The kitchen is mostly white but has a vibrant gold faucet to add a pop of color. This really brings the kitchen to life and makes a simple space a bit more dynamic.
Gold faucet white kitchen
The white kitchen has stainless steel appliances and bronze pendant lights to add depth and material.
Pendant Kitchen Lighting
White on white kitchen with white flat panel cabinet doors, white countertop, and white subway tile backsplash.
White on White Kitchen Design
Undercabinet lighting adds task lighting and an accent. It also highlights the gold gooseneck faucet which acts as a centerpiece to the kitchen design.
White Kitchen with Gold Faucet
Tribeca Loft Kitchen
This is a simple white kitchen in a 4,000 square foot Tribeca Loft. The kitchen is all white except for stainless steel appliances. It is mostly open with a peninsula and counter seating.
Kitchen Loft Design NYC
The peninsula has a continuous marble waterfall. This is a popular modern detail for kitchen islands and peninsulas.
Waterfall Kitchen Countertop
Kitchens are a centerpiece to an apartment. you want to open up your kitchen and frame views. The kitchen can have direct relationships with the dining, and living spaces.
NYC Kitchen Renovation
Brooklyn Townhouse Kitchen
This is a kitchen in a Brooklyn Townhouse. The kitchen has white shaker style cabinets to have a bit more of a traditional look in this 100 year old townhouse.
Townhouse Interior Renovation
Keeping exposed brick adds color and texture making an old and new feel that works well in a New York City Townhouse.
NYC Townhouse Kitchen Island
Having high ceilings means you can add a second row of cabinets above. this can be a great benefit for storage of less often used items.
Kitchen Upper Row of Cabinets
The backsplash is an important feature. It can be made to stand out or to blend in. In this kitchen the backsplash has a clay look to compliment the exposed brick across the kitchen in the dining area.
Unique Backsplash
Brooklyn Apartment Kitchen
This is a dark kitchen in a Brooklyn apartment. The kitchen has dark cabinets, stainless steel appliances, and white countertops. It is a simple modern kitchen designed around function.
Modern Kitchen Island
The island waterfall countertop is miter cut to have a near seamless edge.
Modern Kitchen Miter Cut Counter Waterfall Detail
We have another post on Modern Interior Details if you want to read more.
One fun detail for a kitchen is to add magnetic paint as we did in this kitchen. The owner liked to put all of her children’s school, sports, and artwork up on her proud mom wall.
Magnetic Wall Paint Ideas
NYC Kitchen Design and Renovation
The kitchen is the most important and expensive room in a home. The design should be thoughtful and well planned. You do not want to spend time and money on a kitchen just to be disappointed with the final product. Make sure to work with a good team, always hire quality professionals. We have another post you may want to check out with Tips for Renovating an Apartment in NYC.
As an architect, I study design and construction, but these are complicated and quite involved issues. Every project is different and must be assessed on its own unique characteristics. This post does not assume to cover every possible issue or condition, but provide a general overview of the topic.
Thank you for reading our blog post on our NYC Kitchen Renovations
I hope this was helpful. Please leave questions and comments below. If you would like to speak with an architect about a potential project you can contact us directly.
This post was written by Jorge Fontan AIA a Registered Architect and owner of New York City architecture firm Fontan Architecture. Jorge Fontan has earned 3 degrees in the study of architecture including two degrees from the City University of New York and a Masters Degree in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University. Jorge has a background in construction and has been practicing architecture for 20 years where he has designed renovations and new developments of various building types.
