Famurat Builders was selected from the matches for this Fort Greene couple’s renovation. The project is due to wrap up shortly, and we can’t wait to see the space built out and refinished!

This apartment combination in Hell’s Kitchen is a collaboration between two tS members — Andrew Mikhael Architect is the project architect, and the team at Bulson Management is carrying out the construction. The project is scheduled to finish up later this summer.  We’ll be sharing more of the construction progress next month.

And since we don’t just do home renovations at theSweeten, here’s a look at a Midtown office remodel that was awarded to Ecostruct. The before, during, & after will be revealed soon!

Before: The existing galley kitchen had little natural light & limited functionality, and the 1980′s aesthetic was ready for a full update.

The Ecostruct team was able to complete the renovation on a tight timeline between Thanksgiving & New Year’s. Here, during construction, the kitchen has been gutted and Jon’s team has framed out a soffit to enclose the new electrical components.

The beautiful new kitchen features warm, natural tones, with custom millwork in sapele & white oak, and has more storage and much more natural light than before.

The open kitchen is also much better integrated into the living & dining spaces, and it takes full advantage of the gorgeous view that is framed by the custom shelves. Sarah custom-designed all the millwork, including the cabinets, shelving, & closet doors in the dining space; then these pieces were fabricated by DHWWD.

Cross-shaped tiles, Ann Sacks Gotham Swiss Cross, create a lovely texture for the all-white backsplash — a nice departure from the common subway tile. Countertops are Caesarstone in Eggshell, with an under-mounted farmhouse sink by Whitehaus.

We love the dining room chandelier, Crown Minor Suspension by Nemo Italianaluce. The suspended tiers of lamps make the chandelier visually similar to the shelving system, creating a dynamic relationship between the two that draws our eye.

Excellent work to the teams at General Assembly & Ecostruct, and many thanks to home owners Kyle & Sophia for sharing their new space!

Before: Franz had a lot of books to store and was looking for a more permanent solution than his ikea bookcase.

Before: His idea was to span shelving across the wall on either side of his studio’s fireplace which would free up floorspace as well as access to the closet.

After some careful planning, South Fork Projects built the new shelves in their Brooklyn shop before installing them in Franz’s studio.

The shelves are made of a combination of Baltic birch & poplar woods, and have been painted, along with the walls, in an off-white tone from the Aura line by Benjamin Moore.

Gennadiy used hidden fasteners to attach the shelves to the wall & brick for a clean, modern aesthetic. He also caulked the edges to make the construction appear more seamless and native to the space.

All the books that crowded this desktop before can be stowed away overhead — now Matt doesn’t have to compete with Franz’s books while the homeowner is away.

The new shelves really complete this comfy studio (and it looks like they were well-prepped for last weekend’s Derby). Here’s to another job well done!

Before: Woodwork detailing throughout the home made the spaces feel dark and outdated — and those yellow walls weren’t helping either! The homeowners wanted to create a brighter and more open space, starting with the removal of a large archway that separated the living and dining spaces.

Removing the fretworked threshold and adding a fresh coat of BM super white on the walls & trim worked wonders to create a brighter, more open space that remains true to the home’s traditional character. Marie Clare & Peter are long-time subscribers to shelter blogs & magazines — and their enthusiasm shows through their curated material selections and collection of furniture, lighting & decorative accessories. We love the ceiling fixtures they chose for the dining and living spaces: a white/wood Turning Pendant by West Elm and an Artemis Fan by Minka Aire.

Marie Clare’s favorite furniture pieces are the Bo Concept ottoman/bed — a take-home from Apartment Therapy – and the Klein blue armchair from Thrive. She says that the double-wide chair is perfect for taking in the beautiful view of the treetops outside her living room windows. At the far left we can see a new radiator cover that was built by NYC Pros to match the home’s traditional aesthetic.

The fireplace also looks great after a creative update — NYC Pros stripped & painted the woodwork, removing 2 wooden columns that supported the mantle, and refaced the tile surface with classic Ruscello mosaic tiles in Fosso Piccolo from Nemo Tile.

Before: The hallway also seemed dark and cramped as an effect of the abundant wood trim, and a louvered folding door to the master bedroom made this space look more like a closet.

Marie Clare & Peter had NYC Pros whitewash the hallway as they had to the living space; they also installed new doors and a bright new Capiz shell pendant from West Elm.

Before: The bathroom was also dark and outdated; the new homeowners liked the layout, but wanted to gut and modernize the fixtures & finishes.

The new bathroom is a huge improvement! We love the super soft accent of  BM sea foam as a compliment to the classic black & white scheme. The floor was done with Embarcadero tiles in Market, and Metro subway tiles in Ultra White are used in the shower; both are by Nemo Tile.

The homeowners found a unique, modern console sink from Duravit’s Happy D series at Grand Central Showroom on Bond St., and a medicine cabinet from Restoration Hardware’s Pharmacy collection tops off the new bathroom beautifully.

Before: The office opened to a 10′ x 13′ reception area with a large closet along one wall. The space was functional, but — with a greater need for desk space than storage — not the most efficient solution for the Zeebox team.

Zeebox’s plan was to tear out the closet, reclaiming its depth, and to wrap a built-in desktop around the 3-wall perimeter of the space — this would add approximately 40 linear ft of desk space. They would also need to update the lighting and add electrical outlets for a fully-functional workspace.

After building this beautiful, custom floating desk last fall, we knew Nick Dillon of NKCI would be perfect for Zeebox’s project. Nick and his team worked closely with Glenn to achieve exactly what the company was looking for. We especially like how the space of the former closet has been turned into a soffited alcove with recessed lighting.

The ‘floating’ desk surface is made of birch plywood and MDF, and supported by a series of 16 custom-fabricated, invisible metal brackets. The desktop also features grommeted openings for the electrical cords and is painted in Benjamin Moore hue white satin with a cabinet coat finish.

A knee-wall was built to support the other end of the desktop, but it also functions as a soft barrier, separating the office entry from the new workspace.

Nick created a shadow detail along the edge of the knee wall and added a red oak cap to match the red oak flooring.

We’re glad to know that Zeebox will be more productive with their added workspace — many thanks to Glenn & the Zeebox team for sharing, and to Nick & Dawn Dillon and the team at Nick Knacks Creative Interiors!

Before the renovation, the first floor was broken into tiny compartments, some of which had no natural light. The homeowners worked with architect Slavica Nikolic to create a layout that works much better with their lifestyle; the open plan is ideal for entertaining and for keeping the family connected, even when working on separate things.

In addition to the floor plan, the interior finishes were long overdue for an upgrade, which we can see quite easily in the kitchen & dining areas.

Here’s a view from the former kitchen on our first visit during demolition. Once the non-load-bearing walls had been removed, we could already start to picture an open, modern home!

And here’s that same view now! In huge contrast to the cramped feeling of before, the first floor is now almost completely open. We love how the kitchen ceiling really seems to float overhead without any apparent vertical structure. Variations in ceiling height — where soffits have been used to conceal mechanical systems — also help to accentuate this lightness.

The new dining area features a clever built-in buffet using ikea cabinetry — ikea’s Ramsjo system lets you alternate solid & glass face panels, which works surprisingly well here to create the feeling of a custom unit. White walls here and throughout the space are painted in Benjamin Moore’s china white.

The buffet’s solid-panel ramsjo cabinets continue into the kitchen, along with caesarstone countertops in ‘pure white.’ A wood top for the island adds a bit of warmth to the space — and interestingly, this red wood, called African Padauk, will transition over time to a darker, purple/brown color due to light exposure. Niches built into the wall for display are another subtle but unique detail, adding even more originality to the space.

Next to the kitchen, this bathroom came as a pleasant surprise — it’s so fresh, with its modern fixtures, hardwood floors, and big pops of color & pattern. Bright red paint was custom matched to this awesome Brooklyn-themed toile wallpaper, designed by Beastie Boy Mike D & Revolver NY, and printed & sold by our friends at Flavorpaper in Brooklyn.

The entry foyer received plenty of updates as well — one of the best is the custom milled front door which turned out beautifully! Underfoot, new white oak flooring runs throughout the whole first floor.

Looking back through the living space from the office — it’s so difficult now to imagine this space chopped into so many separate rooms!

For these happy homeowners, we’re sure it feels great to relax in their much improved home!

Over the course of 4 months, Jill worked with Steven to collect unique items that matched his taste, often coming up with pieces that the homeowner ‘never would have thought of himself, but loved!’ The living room’s furniture and accessories are a mix of vintage & new — among our favorites are the sofa from Room & Board, a vintage brass trunk  by Sarried, and a beautiful vintage rug by Karastan. Vintage items throughout the home were sourced from ebay, craigslist, antique stores & flea markets.

White walls in the living room were painted in chantilly lace by Benjamin Moore; Jill explained that she would have liked to use grass cloth which remained outside the budget for now, but perhaps a few years down the line she’ll be back to twist Steven’s arm! Framed art around the TV include a painting by Steven’s sister and an abstract photo taken by the designer.

Since Steven’s entertaining style gravitates more toward cocktail parties than large dinner parties, a convertible table didn’t seem necessary for his new dining space. Instead, Jill found this tree trunk base table which was the perfect height for the vintage bentwood chairs that the client & designer had already fallen in love with.

Also in the dining area is a vintage Drexel sideboard — the sideboard happens to be from the same collection as the bedroom armoire, though each item was  found separately. Jill used mirrors throughout the living, dining & foyer areas in order to circulate more natural light throughout the space.

Tucked into a nook in the client’s kitchen, adjacent to the dining area, is a small office space.

The office and kitchen were painted in a neutral grey, stone by Benjamin Moore, and Jill used warm wood and rich red / orange accents to keep the space from feeling cold. The shelving brackets here were already in the apartment, but had been hung too high to be functional, so Jill had her contractor lower them and create custom wooden shelves.

Before renovating, Steven’s bedroom walls were a bright yellow — which only worsened the issue he was having with the room’s abundance of direct light. Jill was able to tone down the brightness, starting with more light-absorptive walls in dior gray by Benjamin Moore and a set of green linen curtains from CB2. One of the designer’s favorite pieces is the antique bed which was in very used condition when she took it home from a craigslist seller in NJ. Jill had the piece completely stripped and refinished before delivering it to Steven’s home.

Like the bed, this dresser was also a craigslist find that came with some wear & tear. Jill refinished the piece herself by adding a few coats of bright, california blue by Benjamin Moore. The better-than-new dresser looks perfect with the beautiful floral kilim which was purchased on ebay.

The renovated home is abundant with traditional elements such as built-ins, window seats, and crown moldings, but a modern palette of fixtures, furnishings, color & pattern give the space a distinctly 21st century feel (–it didn’t surprise us to learn that the homeowner is actually an interior designer!). Here in the family room, monochromatic walls in Benjamin Moore hue black pepper are a neutral base for an eclectic mix of furnishings & fixtures. Among our favorites are a pair of Artemide’s miconos sconces at the window seat, and a round marble-top table by Draenert.

The home’s new design was intended to maintain the integrity of its original 1920′s arts & crafts interior, while also updating the architecture to be more open & modern. Looking at this opening to the kitchen, subtle differences in the detailing indicate where the traditional and modern elements meet.

We love the new kitchen — the design here was inspired in part by a photo the homeowner provided of Julia Child’s Boston kitchen. Without becoming a literal translation of the image, the inspiration lead to a slightly 1970′s vibe in the very modern space. The monochromatic scheme in the adjacent family room also continues into the custom kitchen. Other highlights are the David Hicks wallpapered ceiling (a nod to the homeowner’s living room rug by the same designer) and the topan vp6 pendant lamps by &tradition.

Upstairs, Essential built a sitting area and dressing room that compliment the master bedroom’s sleeping quarters. The dressing room is outfitted in full with beautifully designed & executed, custom built-ins.

Like the detailing downstairs, the built-ins showcase a modern play on traditional design & craft.

In the master bathroom, the flooring is a traditional white penny tile with black penny tile accent. Walls are tiled in Saarinen-inspired Echo tile from Waterworks in ‘clear day’ with black accents. The project architect, Daniel Flebut, custom designed the vanity with ‘white zeus extreme’ countertops, as well as the flush, mirrored medicine cabinets.

Another bathroom in the home features a very similar design, but if you look closely, you can find the differences!

The old factory had been left vacant for more than 10 years before GSDO’s  conversion project began.

Here’s a view inside one of the upstairs apartments during construction — there was still a long way to go, but the space was already starting to look like a home! More on the construction process here.

The renovated space makes a beautiful home. We love the modern  furnishings  – the Slot Table is also a GSDO original design. Around the table are a set of Bertoia chairs, available at Design Within Reach. Framed photos by artist Matthew Baum hang on the walls in the living space.

All-white kitchen cabinets and subway tile backsplash make for a minimalist kitchen that works great in the industrial style building. A stainless steel worktable stands in for a conventional kitchen island; the worktable was a second-hand find, picked up at two jakes in Williamsburg.

Another view of the kitchen — the design here reminds us a lot of one of our other favorite projects by GSDO.

For the bathroom, the designers worked with inexpensive materials to create a space that still looks nice. Honed carrera marble tiles from Home Depot are used for the floor; and for the walls they chose matte subway tiles from American Olean. The wooden shelf above the vanity was made from lumber that was reclaimed from the building during the renovation.

Downstairs at the entrance to the nursery school: the blue rubber floor & bright yellow pendant lamps are kid-friendly touches that add some playfulness while staying true to the otherwise restrained aesthetic.

The classrooms are bright and cheery, with white walls that are perfect for displaying the students’ work — looks like a great place to learn & play!

Yet they make it look simple! (Photo: Marcin JM @ Diamond Shot Studio)