Charged with rethinking a 10-year-old, water-damaged shoebox apartment on New York’s Upper West Side, the team at Workstead transformed it into a model of style and efficiency via extensive millwork installations. The apartment belongs to a London couple who use it as a pied-à-terre that also has to work well as a home office and entertaining space.
“It’s a small apartment?680 square feet?with not much room for maneuvering,” says project architect, Ryan Mahoney, who notes that rather than dramatically changing the layout, they “reworked the relationships between the rooms.” Toward that end, the designers rebuilt walls, introduced oak flooring, camouflaged cooling and heating systems, and furnished the space with a mix of multifunctional pieces by modern and contemporary greats. But the defining feature is Workstead’s all-over use of custom cabinetry with a stepped pattern that extends throughout the apartment, from kitchen to living room and bedroom. Photography by Matthew Williams, courtesy of Workstead.

Above: “The most difficult challenge was designing a living room that could also function as a dining room and work area,” says Mahoney. For a sense of defined space and open flow, Workstead reduced the size of the opening between the living area and adjoining kitchen and extended the kitchen counter into the living space, creating a very presentable work setup.

Above: The cabinet wall turns a corner at ...