This apartment was the result of a waiting game. A young professional couple had owned another investment property in the building, but had been hoping for something more permanent. They had been patiently renting in the neighborhood, and jumped on this property the moment it became available. They then hired Pappas Miron to help make it a home.

When designers Tatyana Pappas and Alexandra Miron first saw it, there were parquet floors, a Formica kitchen, and over-the-top marble bathrooms with colored plumbing fixtures. Though the transformation would ultimately be extensive, their goal was quite simple — open things up and make it feel like a modern home. “Like something you might find downtown as opposed to on the upper east side,” the designers recall. “The clients  wanted a showpiece kitchen as the husband loves to cook and also collects wine. We had to find and maximize storage (as you do with all NYC apartments), find a spot for 2 wine fridges, an upright piano, conceal a TV, and generally fit a lot into a moderately sized 2 bedroom apartment.”

The complete gut renovation left very few of the original interior walls as they were, creating a slight separation between the foyer and the living zones. They brought in beautiful white washed oak chevron floors from LV WOODS, while a specialty painter (Kenneth Widener) applied a warm grey venetian plaster to the walls. With this project, the biggest challenge would be the lighting. The concrete slab ceilings meant the only power source was at the walls, so the designers used a FLOS system. They strung a gorgeous pattern of lights, dropping them where needed.

In the slideshow, the designers take us on a detailed tour of the home. What’s noteworthy is that every space feels like it has multiple uses, proof that every decision the pair made was very well thought out, working with the architect as well as the builder to create a striking yet livable design. This is a hallmark of a Pappas Miron space — luxury, functionality, and plenty of genius ideas.