Upper Westside Apartment

New York, New York

Architecture and Interiors: Deepika Shrestha Ross with Frank Wilkenson as Architect of Record

Located in the Upper Westside of Manhattan, this floor through apartment had at one time been functioning as boarding house before the rowhouse - one in a series of four - were all converted to a single Cooperative. From front to back, the apartment is eighty feet long (punctuated with small light wells to provide natural light), but only twenty four feet wide. The main goal was to create a sense of spaciousness in the new design. Also important was to uncover the original natural wood finishes - oak baseboards and beaded trim, and bird's eye maple doors - which were under layers and layers of paint. This required all the wood to be removed, numbered, and then shipped to upstate New York to be dipped in solvent baths to strip the paint. One of the doors was weighed before and then after the process. The difference in weight was 25 pounds!