Gut Renovation of Prewar Co-Op in UES Emery Roth Building

435 E 57th St

Project Overview

TYPE: Prewar Gut Renovation 

LOCATION: 435 East 57th Street, NYC

CONSTRUCTION DURATION: 5 months

The Full Story Behind this Prewar Reno in a UES Emery Roth Building:

The goal was to transform this combined apartment into a beautiful contemporary prewar space, and change the previous one and two bedroom apartments into a cohesive three bedroom plant, with an open kitchen/dining room and family room, separate living room, three bedroom, 2 typical 5 x 7 baths into a contemporary prewar beauty.

The gut renovation included removing partial walls between the kitchen and Dining/Family room, gutted the baths, created the entrance/ foyer hall to room transitions with contrasting wallpaper, enlarged closet openings, new doors and door openings, new door hardware, added through wall AC, new wide plank rift and quarter sawn white oak floors throughout, wired window treatments, new lighting design with dropped ceilings and new crown moldings, new base and shoe moldings, and custom wall to wall and individual radiator and AC covers with integrated sill and grills in caesarstone tops.

We installed new windows and window surrounds for the larger two bedroom side, and electrostatic spray painted the existing window frames white on the one primary bedroom/living room side to match. It was challenging, to say the least! Nothing is plumb, and the ceiling beams made integrating the room areas with new dropped ceilings all the more difficult.

The Challenges of this UES Prewar Co-op Reno:

We came onboard to start over with the client who began the process originally with a different team. The building review was onerous, and it took close to 4 months to get through them and permitting. With a fresh perspective, we changed the layout to improve the lighting design, closet openings, bedroom entrance door locations and open the floor plan.  We added window replacements, added the bath exhaust fans, through the wall ACs, replaced the huge older radiators with new and thermostat controls. The kitchen was expanded with into the Dining Room space by opening the walls and dropped ceiling for lighting, adding the pantry over the microwave drawer, Drawer organizers, Corner cabinet pull out and LED under cabinet lighting.  The backsplash continued the Caesarstone quartz countertops, which we loved with my custom kitchen door design and custom millwork.  Perfect cabinet pulls to finish the look!

Each bathroom was beautifully finished with full wall porcelain that looks like marble, different design with larger tiles and shower with cubby, frameless 1/2 in starphire glass enclosure with custom curbs, custom vanities in each and more!! Each bath has new sandblasted windows and exhaust fans.  Exquisite with they own design personalities!!

Key Renovation Highlights:

• Opened kitchen to Dining room to have a 15 inch seated counter with custom cabinetry throughout
• New paneled Subzero Refrigerator and Bosch induction range and Dishwasher with flood stops
• Vented new Stacked GE washer dryer in a closet in the kitchen with floodstops
• Added 4 new through the wall
• Installed new wide planked rift and quarter sawn select grade European oak floor sanded, sealed with Bona Nordic to lighten and protect the natural color of the wood and finished with polyurethane high traffic Bona topcoats
• New lighting design, recessed lights, and light fixtures throughout
• Installed new Panorama Windows to match the existing Panorama Windows with white interiors
• Wired solar panel shades in Living Room, Family  Room and Office and new block out shades for the bedrooms

Adventures in Design Build – Before & After Videos

Don’t miss this project’s highlights. I included a before and after project video of this Emery Roth Building Prewar co-op as well as a video walkthrough. Each video and photo highlights the transformation, from the initial challenges to deeply satisfying reveals.

Project Result:

The transformation of this space was so significant, it was really magical. We were able to completely surprise the client’s husband who had not seen any of the changes until we were completely finished!  Not even photos or videos…which we shared along the way, I think the big reveal became home!

Honestly, I’ve never done an apartment with a reveal like this that was a total surprise for the owners. It was incredible.!! Starting with opening the door, seeing their faces light up with joy and that incredulous look.. and then to hear your client say how unbelievable it is.. and WOW.. probably more then 10 times in the hour we had, is the greatest complement I’ve ever experienced! We love it, but they were truly amazed, and thrilled.. the affirmation of why I do this.. and how much it means to change someone’s life.  With Joy!!

More Prewar Reno Before & Afters, Walkthrough Videos

For those of you who love the ups and downs of renovation transformations, don’t miss my prewar  project playlists featuring before and after videos of some of my most challenging prewar apartment renovations, and a prewar walkthrough video playlist too.

If you love this Sutton Place UES Gut Reno as much as we do, and you’re ready to renovate, contact Paula McDonald Design Build & Interiors today!

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