Modernizing Upper West Side Charm

Upper West Side homeowners sought after a space they could rework and personalize to fit their personalities and lifestyles. They found the perfect fit in this pre-war apartment, which had been upgraded with modern features and contemporary charm. The work included necessary mechanical upgrades, coupled with beautiful finishing touches such as Havwoods herringbone floors, lighting fixtures, and stone finishes, and custom millwork throughout the home.

When asked about the selection of color flooring and pattern, architect Matthew Rauch shared his thoughtful approach. "The apartment's only windows face a typical NYC rear courtyard that doesn't get a lot of light," he explained. Though the co-op had good bones, the inefficient layout was the primary concern of the homeowners, who wanted to get more use out of their homes' relatively small 700-square-foot footprint. "We wanted to select a lighter-colored wood that would maximize the reflected light in the space. The pattern was selected because we liked the sense of movement that the herringbone introduced. The complex geometry of the floor plan also meant that there were not a lot of clean right angles in the space, so the herringbone helped create a continuous flowing pattern that tied the entire space together."

The flooring played a vital role in the overall design of the space, according to Rauch. "Flooring plays an important role in the design not only because it is one of the largest single, uninterrupted surfaces that you see, but it's also the surface that you interact with the most physically," he emphasized. "Because of gravity (of course!), you are almost always touching the floor, making it a crucial element to consider not only in terms of aesthetics but also performance, function, and 'feel.' I can't think of any other surface or component that is as important as the flooring on so many levels – from walking on it barefoot to having kids crawling on it to being durable enough for spills, scratches, and dents.

The homeowners' vision came to life over the course of a year. Among the most visually striking features of the renovated apartment are the light herringbone floors, which gracefully adorn the pre-war apartment and accent the beautiful doorway arches throughout the space.