The co-op apartment we purchased recently in Manhattan’s Midtown East was extremely gray. On the positive side, everything was relatively new, the appliances were nice, the floors were in good shape and there was a ton of storage.
On the other hand, it had no personality and the overall paint showed a lot of wear and tear. In another post, All About Paint, the color specifics are shared. Here I would like to show an overall basic before and after, starting with the living room and kitchen.
In addition to paint and removable wallpaper, the choice of rug and the art added the most visual interest to the living room space, along with the lighting.
In the kitchen, the charcoal gray lacquer cabinets were very modern and European, but with the silver handles and stainless steel appliances, the kitchen was no fun. With a splash of sunshine and some quirky accessories, it turned into an inviting place to cook.
The bath and bedroom also required transformation. The lighting in the bath was a rather dim LED fixture, likely installed by someone who did not require great lighting for makeup application.
Simply replacing the vanity light and adding natural bamboo sheves and some orange accents, as well as my favorite thing – Alessi’s Mr. Cold soap dispenser, turned a room the color of concrete into a nice mini spa.
The bedroom went from blah to wow with a brightly painted accent wall, a unifying rug (the same pattern as the living room) and lots of art.
Whimsical touches throughout, like bright orange handles on the custom IKEA PAX and pendant lights with colorful cords help to bring some life into a blank canvas.
Midtown Century Modern 