PorterFanna Architecture renovated this New York studio apartment for a family with a small child. The 12-foot 6-inch ceilings provided enough height for a sleeping loft and second-level storage, effectively doubling the usable space.
Design Details
- Architect: PorterFanna Architecture
- Location: Brooklyn Heights, New York
- Building History: Former St. John’s University Law School (converted to residential 1981)
- Ceiling Height: 12′ 6″
- Features: Sleeping loft, upper storage, raised deck platform
- Flooring: Stained concrete
First Level Layout
The first level includes a living room, dining area, closets, full bathroom, kitchen, entertainment center, small library, play area, and a child’s room nestled in an alcove.
Entertainment Center and Library Deck
A 36-inch high deck platform serves as an entertainment center, storage area, playroom, and library. The raised level creates distinct zones within the open floor plan.
Play Area and Child’s Room
Multifunctional Built-In Furniture
Custom built-ins throughout include hidden features like a pull-out ironing board and concealed toy storage under the deck platform.
Kitchen and Bathroom
Dining Area with Sleeping Loft Above
Sleeping Loft
The sleeping loft above the dining and kitchen areas provides surprising headroom despite being tucked under the ceiling.
Lessons from This Studio Renovation
- High Ceilings Enable Loft Living: The 12’6″ ceiling height made it possible to add a sleeping loft and upper storage
- Platform Levels Create Zones: Raised areas define different functions within an open floor plan
- Hidden Features Maximize Space: Pull-out ironing boards and concealed storage keep surfaces clear
- Alcoves Become Rooms: A closet-sized space perfectly accommodates a child’s crib and play area
- Historic Buildings Offer Character: Converting former institutional spaces provides unique architectural features
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Alex
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Loved the '60's or '70's molded fiberglass chair retro-fitted as a rocker. I suppose we could say a tad bit of recycling went into this too.
Oops! Almost missed the chalkboard paint job in the kitchen.
Yes—and no, I still haven't played with the chalkboard paint YET! But these photos have been really inspiring Andrea to start remodeling bits of our little apartment…. lol
Some good skull sweat went into that apartment design, along with some thrift shop perusal and purchases. I've saved these photos to the appropriate file for further perusal as there are a LOT of good ideas in here for good small space storage and multipurposing, just need the time for really looking at them, room by room.
I'd also noted the caboose trailer in your face book version of “Talk”, loved it but haven't figured out how to leave a comment yet. I'd run across the outfit that has the full size replica kits about a year ago but this guy did a great small scale job of on his own. Pity Wacko ( I mean Waco) is so far from here, I'd love to go there to take a closer look at it.
Hey David you've just got to get a Facebook account to leave comments and follow us on there. You'll find lots of the other bloggers on there as well.
Hah, a lot you know. I've had one for a couple of months now, I'd had to start it in order to continue following a string that petered out on me eventually. It's come in handy a time or two since then. It's still rock bottom basic but, thus far anyway, it's been too useful to end it. For now. And I did log in before attempting to comment and the comment section disappeared. Since I was then at a point where I was considering holding a gun to my CPU, it was time to back out and rethink. The afore-mentioned tactic has worked well for me in the past but, since this was a web issue, I thought it would be counter productive this time. Oh well.
love the clean look–very nice to see how a tiny house lifestyle can accommodate a family.
A thought/concern–hand rail for the steps to the bed/loft?
Love the Peonies, too.
Hand rail is a good idea… I guess they are confident with their climbing skills lol