Page 54 - ArchDC_Spring 2020

struck by both the limitations and prospects of the site. Construction required stripping the space bare.
“We saw the immediate potential of the space when we Upgrading the electrical panel and water utilities in
didn’t enter the apartment through an interior corridor, the 50-plus-year-old building involved temporarily
but through a courtyard,” said Boza. They were drawn shutting down those services in a whole wing of the
to the street-front aspect and the fact that the front door complex. Plus, there was asbestos everywhere, in
was seldom used. perimeter walls and in the insulation, which needed to
Inside, the extent of the work required to adapt be remediated before demolition.
this unit became apparent. “The space was extremely Another obstacle was the couple’s king-size bed,
dark and filled with old furniture,” recalled Boza. which occupied an incredibly large portion of the space
“There were multiple code violations left over from the in the previous layout. The architects decided that, like
original design, like a lack of ventilation for the stove many other functions, this too could be embedded into
and an electrical panel above the sink, in addition to a the wall. It would be stored in a customized vertical
low-clearance shower.” pull-down cabinet.
The clients, a married couple who purchased The apartment was transformed from being
the studio apartment two years earlier, share the essentially a dark, cluttered bedroom that happened
500-square-foot unit. It’s a tight space for two people, to have a kitchen in it, into a bright, open living and
especially given that the husband stands 6’-8” tall, and entertaining space that happened to have a bed in
often works from home, and the wife is a chef who it—or not, when the bed is stashed away. The high-
wanted ample space for cooking. The design team gloss lacquer surfaces are luminous, and serve to blur
benefited from the open-mindedness of their clients. perceptions of the space’s perimeter. “The intention of
“They had a desire to be in the city,” the team noted. high-gloss was to create a reflection that would subtly…
Rather than directing the architects on how they expand the space and to make it feel that it goes on
wanted the space to look, they instead shared their beyond the cabinets,” explained Boza.
vision for its use—working from home, cooking, and By adding pops of color where activity would
hosting guests. occur, the architects could both demarcate areas of
The team explored various configurations during function and provide visual accents to create a sense
the design phase, eventually landing on a scheme of depth, especially when seen from the outside. The
in which most built-in elements were pushed to wood flooring that begins at the sliding door entryway
the perimeter walls, with cabinets enclosing much turns up again on the back side of the kitchen island
equipment in order to maintain a calm, simple interior in the heart of the space, and yellow tilework is used
aesthetic. “By embedding the different programs like as a backboard for the sink, as well as for the bed and
cooking, bath, entertainment, sleeping, and storage, television program areas. A beloved line of red mid-
the limited space is both maximized and highly century kitchen cabinets was the only thing carried
customized for the users,” explained Geiss. over from the old apartment. At the suggestion of the

Living area with patio visible in background.

52 BIG LITTLE LIVING