Bathroom makeover

Like the kitchen, the bathroom in the apartment hadn't been touched since the day it was built in 1968. Unlike the kitchen, which desperately needed a complete overhaul, the bathroom was at least functional, but aesthetically challenged. So this project was a bathroom makeover, not a renovation, because only the sink, vanity, and light fixture were replaced.

Here's how the bathroom looked originally:



The light fixture was hideous. A cracked chrome base, with two exposed bulbs and a third "roaming" bulb which had the base of an old bulb rusted inside of it. Its one redeeming quality was it had an outlet, which was the only one in the bathroom. The mirror was chipped, its doors didn't slide properly, and it had mismatching handles. The sink was in ok shape, but the fixtures were old, and the bottom of the sink was at about knee level for me which was ergonomically awkward (did I mention I'm 6' 6" tall?).

With the help from a handyman, recommended by a friend, they were all ripped out and replaced. With a little inspiration from an Ikea hacker, I used a Bekvam kitchen cart, that was a handy piece in my old apartment, but had no room for in my current place, as the new vanity/base for the sink. It added a lot of height to the sink, making it easier for me to use. The light fixture was purchased down in Chinatown's light district here in NYC. The vessel sink was the floor model, the last in stock (at a discount), from Lowes, along with the faucet (which was a splurge). The cabinet is West Elm (which I don't buy anything from anymore. their stuff is not that well made, especially for the price). The handyman also added a proper outlet. Oh, and a nice new coat of icy blue paint was slapped on to brighten the space up a bit. Here is how it all looks now:

Kitchen Renovation

The majority of the kitchen renovation was done about 2 and a half years ago. I did the demolition myself, which was a thrilling, frightening, fun, and most of all, loud experience. I had no idea if neighbors might blow my cover. Lucky I have uber-cool, tolerant neighbors. Here are some shots of the demo in progress:

The only tools I used to demo the kitchen. Crazy, eh?

This is the vent and where the upper corner cabinets used to be. All the black stuff on the ceiling and around the vent is dirt and grime built up over the years. It was disgusting.

Original sink and counter.

Original wall oven and counter top stove. With oil build-up on the wall behind the stove. Gross.

Floor and original lower cabinet footprint. A typical tiny NYC kitchen.

And the after shots. Cabinetry is from Ikea. Very budget friendly. Design concept, to use high gloss red cabinets, and slate floor tile, was suggested by a friend. The overall design was by me. I went with black granite counter tops for their durability and resale value. Ikea has preferred kitchen installers. I hired Basic Builders and they were terrific. Their contractor, Peter, answered all of my questions, reviewed my design ideas, made suggestions, advised on electrical wiring options, etc. He also had no problem busting a hole in the wall to create a pass-through window between the kitchen and dining area.

Slate floor tile, purchased from Craigslist. Doing this myself saved me about $2,000.

Pass-through from the dining area into the kitchen.

Pass-through from kitchen into the dining area. Where the wall oven, stove top and nasty oil wall used to be.


New sink, counter tops and horizontal cabinets. Also, new vent cover, unpainted, in the upper right corner.


New cabinet footprint. Still a tiny NYC kitchen. But much nicer.