Ludlow Street Co-Op

Ludlow Street has changed a lot over the years, once part of the politician James De Lancey’s huge estate before the Revolutionary War until several tenement buildings were constructed for workers in the 1800s. But by the 1960s, it was home to a thriving music and art scene, where Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground were living and working.

The co-op building used to be an old factory, and most of the residences had seen very little renovation until the last decade. This apartment was about 2,000 square feet with an open floor plan, so with the exception of the bedrooms and bathrooms, it was one long, narrow space, reminiscent of a bowling alley. Overall, it was dark and without life or character, but the owner was hoping for something light and airy, but with some rusticity to it, in keeping with its Ludlow Street factory past.

So we changed everything, except for the location of the kitchen, bedrooms, and bathrooms: all new, mechanical systems, lighting and plumbing fixtures, walls, doors, and appliances. We constructed a suspended hard wood flooring systmen, raising it a few inches to install cables and pipes underneath.. In the bathrooms, we installed radiant heating under the new tile floors.

In the former kitchen area, we removed the cabinetry hanging down from the ceiling in the middle of the space and made a contemporary coffered ceiling with recessed lighting, which also delineated the space. We designed and  installed a built-in bar and built-in banquette for dining. When it came to the furniture, we had most everything custom-designed and built, reusing natural materials to give the pieces an unpretentious character.

A huge transformation of this NYC co-op apartment overall, the duration of the project was just over eighteen months.