If you want to experience real New York City life with a rental apartment, there’s no better place to do it than a famous Art Deco building in Greenwich Village. The client, a Pennsylvania resident, was looking for a second home in Manhattan that would serve as both a backup place for business trips and an experiment in city life. With the kids almost out of the house, he and his partner wanted to try out different cities before deciding on their next chapter.
After finding this 500-square-foot studio in an Emery A. Roth-designed building originally built in 1931 with beautifully preserved architectural details, the client contacted Alex Kalita, founder of Common Bond Design. A master of small spaces and history-conscious renovations, Alex was thrilled to lead the project. “Not only was it very stereotypical ‘New York’ geographically, it was also the epitome of New York architecture,” she says. “The client wanted the unadulterated, focused New York experience.”
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The couple opted for a compact studio to enjoy everything the city has to offer outside of their own home. And with long-term plans still uncertain, Alex insisted the design be flexible and modular, investing only in pieces the couple could take elsewhere. She began by carving out distinct zones within the apartment’s layout, separating the sleeping alcove from the living area and dining nook, and using strategic pieces that create a bespoke, built-in effect. A vintage headboard from 1stDibs and a fabric-covered dining bench from O’Henry House feel made for their future locations, though both are inherently versatile. Meanwhile, a contrasting mix of side and coffee tables creates depth and plays with scale alongside a sculptural wall lamp from Wo & Wé.
