In redesigning their East Side apartment, these kitchen owners had a high-end hotel in mind. “They wanted a clean look and a contemporary, uncluttered feel and they wanted to use it for entertaining,” said designer Toni Sabatino of Toni Sabatino Style. “It was meant as a pied-à-terre for the owners and out of town guests.”
The original shaker cabinets were replaced with cherry, flat panel doors and shaker glass. “The cabinet choice really was driven by the floor, which is a beautiful herringbone mahogany,” explained Sabatino. “I felt that the flat panel door style mixed in with the shaker glass would really give me that clean, luxe feel that I was looking for.”
The dark Caesarstone countertop correlates with the simple steel pulls. “What I think of as contemporary is warm, clean lines and user friendly,” said Sabatino. “Modern to me was the movement when things became more austere and less ornate.”
“The backsplash is a fiery gold glass tile, because I wanted there to be a little bit of visual drama,” said Sabatino.
“Trying to make a place where you could have breakfast in a New York City apartment kitchen was a bit of a challenge,” Sabatino said. By removing the previous bar, she created a space for a bistro table and a five-piece hanging glass fixture. “We wanted [the bistro table] to be more conversational.”
“I had to come up with something that I thought would be good for the people and the usage as kind of a backdrop to what would happen in there,” explained Sabatino. “There’s not any particular noteworthy inspiration in there other than sunshine and gold.”
The highlight of the dining room is the chandelier. “I really wanted to make it some kind of a statement in the dining room with the lighting because we’re opening the space,” said Sabatino. Two-toned wood furniture complements the herringbone floor but does not compete with the chandelier for attention.