A pre-war 2 bedroom bachelor pad, located on a quiet, tree-lined street in the West Village, is updated post-divorce for a forty-year-old client. The project was recently featured in Apartment Therapy.
To maximize a modest budget of $15,000, we repurposed most of the furniture and artwork and bought vintage finds. We bought new lighting, accessories, and focused on small details with maximum impact, accent walls, new finishes and accessories. Along with the strategic purchase of a few new pieces, accessories and moving of artwork, we were able to create a new flow through the rooms that made a dramatic difference.
The master bedroom is the most intimate space a couple shares, but replacing the bed wasn’t an option. A dark gray grass-textured wallpaper was added to one wall to add a pronounced visual effect and to masculinize the room.
Glass pendant lamps placed on either side of the bed replaced an old desk lamp, which immediately changed the ambience. Grey bed linens were paired with orange accents that picked up the brown and copper already in the room and fur pillows and a throw softened the look by adding texture.
A feminine sideboard and lamps were replaced by a sideboard that formerly sat outside the kitchen. We refinished it, added a stool for additional seating, a modern tripod floor lamp, and shifted the artwork.
Because the budget did not permit the purchase of a new dining table, we refinished the original and moved it to the spot where a console once sat. We refinished the kitchen cabinetry and changed the pulls and it felt like a new kitchen.
The upstairs bedroom opened to a beautiful roof terrace, but the blinds were always drawn and an old lumpy sofa was not very inviting, so the room became a dark, storage closet.
We replaced the sofa with a sleeper for overnight guests, updated the lighting, switched out the mirror for a light colored piece of art and added orange and white fur cushions for cheerful warmth. Stripping the windows of the bamboo blinds, the room became a sanctuary rather than a neglected locker.
