Interiors: Sleek and Minimal on Sterling

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Welcome to our new interiors feature. The week, the transformation of a featureless 800-square-foot two-bedroom on Sterling Place into a sleek, minimalist and comfortable place for two architects and their burgeoning family. Got a project you’d like us to publish? Send us some photos and a note.
Leone Design Studio describes the layout of their apartment as a “box with a tail,” re-conceived as a loft-like living area: kitchen, living/dining area and office nook wrapping a flexible space defined by open bookshelves that maximize sunlight. The flex space is used as a sleeping room, playroom and den, with Japanese futons stored in a specially designed nook. The palette is simple and bright: white acrylic for the bathroom door and white lacquer for the cabinetry. Oak floors were stained a dark walnut, to set off the white. The ceiling over the entry hall was dropped make main living space ceilings feel higher.

More from Leone: “The bookshelves were made by a carpenter we met while watching a Yankees game at Bar Minnow (now closed), in Park Slope. The kitchen cabinets are IKEA, but we used a local kitchen shop to build the countertop and other metalwork. Our biggest obstacle was trying to accommodate everything we thought would accompany a child into our lives, such as toy storage and playspace, a comfortable place for family members to stay when visiting, and a place to work from home on occasion. Our son Gabriel was born in July, and the apartment is functioning perfectly. Our dressing room was turned into the perfect size nursery, close enough to our bedroom so we can hear him when he cries. The flex-space functions as a playroom by day, a TV room at night, and a guest room when his grandparents visit. And we have a sleek living space free of kiddie-clutter to enjoy when he is asleep.