This Tiny Manhattan Kitchen from the 1960s Felt “Abysmal” Until Its Space-Savvy Makeover

When Larry Fish bought his 520-square-foot apartment in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, he knew that it would need some reimagining — and that included the kitchen, which was still original from the 1960s.

“To be frank, it was pretty abysmal,” architect Drew Powers of DRYY STUDIO, who led the renovation, says. “The old kitchen was a tiny, enclosed room with a door that shut it off from the rest of the apartment. It was also very bare-bones; it had a sink cabinet, one tall pantry cabinet, a refrigerator, and a range.”

While the original kitchen had a big window that let in a lot of natural light, the space itself wasn’t super functional. Larry loves to cook, and the former layout wasn’t going to work. The original swinging saloon doors made the kitchen feel separate from the rest of the home, it didn’t have a dishwasher, and the creaky cabinets and fixed shelves weren’t ideal for storage. 

Because of the kitchen’s cramped and dysfunctional layout, they knew they’d have to renovate the room, but the process didn’t come without roadblocks. For example, Drew explains, it was impossible to open the kitchen up to the living room because the wall in between the two housed the building’s gas riser, electrical riser, and structural column. 

So, Drew got crafty. The existing foyer was large, so they took some of that essentially unused space and opened the wall between the two spaces to expand the kitchen. Maximizing vertical storage was also important — they installed a full-height refrigerator and pantry, plus adjustable shelving at the back of the kitchen, which can be seen as soon as you open the door. 

Remember how the wall between the living room and kitchen couldn’t be removed? Well, Drew wasn’t going to let that get in the way of connecting the two spaces — when the kitchen was extended into the foyer, they also elongated the counter, which created a small breakfast bar. Now, guests can feel like they’re in both rooms at once. 

“Additionally, the counter wraps into the living room to become a small display shelf,” Drew explains. “From the living room, this shelf creates a visual cue that the kitchen is just beyond the wall. It’s a little trick to make those spaces feel more connected and therefore makes the kitchen feel less closed-off.”

Drew says the goal of the kitchen’s aesthetic, beyond functionality, was to bring “warmth and richness” into the space. He dreamed of installing walnut veneer panels on the cabinets and back wall, but his client wasn’t immediately on-board. “Larry was initially picturing 1970s faux wood wall paneling, so he needed a bit of convincing that it would look good and not seem outdated or overly retro,” he says. 

“We wanted the wood to be the star of the show, so we kept the countertop pretty simple by choosing an off-white quartz,” Drew says. “We thought that adding another material for the backsplash (such as tile) would make a small kitchen feel too busy, so we opted to use the same quartz material for the backsplash as well.” Additional light gray cabinets, a cost-effective way to save while not darkening the room, complemented the walnut throughout. 

Larry also got a Bosch dishwasher in addition to his new refrigerator (they are both hidden behind the wall panels). There weren’t any DIY projects during the renovation, which Larry says was “the best gift.” It took around eight months from start to finish, and Drew estimates it cost around $50,000. 

“I love that it’s so open,” Larry says of his new kitchen. “As someone who likes to cook for others, I can be in the kitchen and we have two stools at a ‘breakfast bar’ that people can sit at as I cook. They can chat with me, help prepare items, or have a drink.” To see more of Larry’s stunning apartment, see his living room makeover and visit the full house tour on Apartment Therapy.

This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: Before & After: A Tiny “Abysmal” 1960s Kitchen Gets a Stunning Modern Makeover (It’s Unrecognizable!)