Space-Saving New York Apartment Renovation

Called the Five to One Apartment, this Gramercy Park home was extensively renovated by  Braden Caldwell and Michael Chen of MKCA. The small space is part of a co-op from the 1920s, but the new layout explores a contemporary trend in architecture: micro housing.

At one end of the studio, a sliding element transforms the corner into a day-to-night office, living room, and bedroom. With the motorized component against the wall, the space serves as a living room and a home office, which can be hidden or revealed behind optic white doors. The living room includes a rotating TV, audiovisual and networking devices, storage and display, plus room for a sofa. Adjacent, the office is complete with a built-in desk, computer suite, and dry bar. The more private areas, the bedroom and dressing chamber, unfold from the other wall. These sections include built-in chest of drawers, storage, a fold-down queen-sized bed, and a night stand.

Opposite, there is a recently expanded kitchen and renovated bathroom. The open kitchen gleams with lacquered cabinetry. The bathroom, on the other hand, is accessed behind a pocket door and organized with a linen and laundry hamper cabinet. Throughout the apartment, there are now LED-compatible designs such as the bedroom reading lamp, the millwork lighting baffles, and the cabinetry lighting cove.

Photography by Alan Tansey