Photographer: Alex Staniloff
Steve Friedson, founder of New York City-based Nest Inc. Fine Interior Contracting, kept the kitchen color palette neutral to ensure the design would still look fresh as trends and style change in the years to come.
The program was straightforward and characteristic of many Manhattan spaces: Redo the layout to optimize functionality and implement a complete facelift to give the kitchen a high-style look. A specific request from the homeowners was to improve the storage design. The old kitchen cabinets had cavernous drawers, but the clients found it hard to organize their cookware and dishes.
Photographer: Alex Staniloff
Although the cabinets were proactively ordered a year in advance, a dimensional discrepancy required some onsite carpentry to correct. The fit to the walls was off by about half an inch. To correct this condition, the Nest crew retooled the door fronts and panels adjacent to the built-in wall ovens, refrigerator and undercounter microwave.
Photographer: Alex Staniloff
The wide faces of the lift-up doors work better with the dimensions of the cabinet module than would swing doors. They also provide the full access to the interior storage the homeowners desired.
Photographer: Alex Staniloff
The primary bath was also upgraded. The large lighted mirror brings much-needed illumination to the room.
In the design phase, Friedson took the precaution of ordering the custom cabinets a year in advance, storing them offsite until construction was slated to begin.
A few key items were ultimately snagged in the supply chain: Some appliances and imported stone were late to arrive. There were also occasional labor interruptions because personnel tested positive for COVID.
“The highlight of this job was working with these great clients who were patient, thoughtful and relaxed throughout the entire process,” said Friedson. “I consider them my friends.”