East River Coop Apartment

For Hilary Semel and Tony Russo, the opportunity to move into the East River Coop was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The housing cooperative on the Lower East Side of Manhattan is a community of tall buildings, built in the 1950’s, with rich amenities that make it feel like a village within a city. The two-bedroom unit would also allow their son Dylan a space of his own to house his train collection. As a family, the apartment blends the lifestyles of a music promoter and the Director at NYC Mayor’s Office of Environmental Coordination, with musical instruments and mementoes of Dominican heritage alongside the travel books and souvenirs of an environmental lawyer with a love of the outdoors.

The original apartment was divided into small rooms and clad in dark paneling. Although the reinforced concrete apartment structure had its limitations, walls came down to open the kitchen to the south-facing living room and allow for a dining room where the family can gather for meals. Additional storage was added to accommodate a workspace and entry closets that can be closed down to hide the mess. A built-in bar ends the entry hall and becomes the center for entertaining friends.

Layers of flooring were removed to expose the original parquet which was restored to its original color. Bright, reflective materials in the kitchen were used to bounce light around the living space which opens to views of the East River out the south and east windows, capturing the industrial and recreational life of the city from the fifteenth floor.

(1000 sf apartment renovation)