Hell’s Kitchen Renovation: Carving Out a Bedroom in a Living Room
In this Hell’s Kitchen renovation, a couple transformed their 1-bedroom apartment into a two-bedroom home by enclosing a new guest room and future nursery with switchable glass walls. The remodel aimed to preserve natural light and city views while adding custom storage.
- Homeowners: A young couple who had just bought a 1-bedroom apartment posted their project on Sweeten to tailor the space to their needs
- Where: Hell’s Kitchen, New York
- Primary renovation: A new second bedroom, planned as a guest room and future nursery, was created within the living area and enclosed with framed, switchable glass walls and a glass door. It also added custom storage and built-ins to conceal HVAC units.
Balancing privacy and daylight needs
What do you do when your home renovation plans seem to be creating one problem, while solving another? This week, we have a great example of how an architect in our network was able to help a couple of new homeowners choose the best, personalized solution for their space. Andrew Mikhael Architect recently completed this renovation in Hell’s Kitchen, where the biggest challenge came in weighing the options of privacy & daylight penetration.
The homeowners, a young professional couple, called Andrew last summer, just after closing on their 972 sqft, 1-bedroom flat. The plan for their new space was to add a second bedroom which would be used as a guest room, and soon, a nursery. The new bedroom would be built into the living room which created one primary dilemma — in order to block out the new space, they’d be enclosing nearly half of the windows that let light into the home’s open living, dining & kitchen spaces.
The solution they found working with Andrew meant that the couple wouldn’t have to compromise either privacy or sunlight penetration in building the new bedroom.
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New bedroom layout and storage solutions
Andrew’s floor plans show how the designer sectioned off the corner space for the ~100 sqft bedroom. Andrew also worked with the homeowners to design custom built-ins for storage in their master bedroom, as well as storage enclosures for the home’s less-than-attractive HVAC units (–also known in the industry as ‘blowers’).
The right-hand corner of the space is where the new bedroom would be built, and, as you can imagine, putting up walls here seemed to present a challenge for the deep space by eliminating the natural daylight & sweeping city views through those windows.
Switchable glass for light and privacy
The solution? Switchable glass! Here, we’re looking into the renovated space to see that the new enclosure was built with glass walls & a glass door, which allows the homeowners to take advantage of both the light & city views, despite the added enclosure. Sweeten brings homeowners an exceptional renovation experience by personally matching trusted general contractors to your project, while offering expert guidance and support—at no cost to you. Renovate expertly with Sweeten
Looking all the way to the back of the bedroom, we also get a glimpse of the new custom storage units that were built-out to conceal the unsightly HVAC blowers and provide much more functional storage space.
What about privacy in the glass bedroom? The clever use of ‘switchable’ glass takes care of privacy as well; the technology behind the glass allows it to switch electronically from transparent to opaque at the flick of a switch, or on a dimmer.
Here’s a cool gif to illustrate what the glass can do:
Looking toward the room from inside the main living space, this image shows the glass walls with one side ‘on’ and one side ‘off’
Inside the room, with the white glass walls ‘on,’ there is enough privacy for a guest to feel comfortable in the space.
Back in the living room, the framed glass panels don’t take away from the family’s decor style, which is contemporary with a neutral palette.
A custom wardrobe in the master bedroom
Inside the master bedroom, Andrew also designed this floor-to-ceiling, custom wardrobe in stained maple. The his/hers wardrobe unit connects around the room with a built-in corner desk — a great place to do some work, or just take in the view!
Nice work & many thanks to Andrew Mikhael Architect!
We can help plan your renovation
Find endless home renovation inspiration, detailed guides, and practical cost breakdowns from our blogs. You can also post your project on Sweeten today and get matched with our vetted general contractors and get estimates for free!
Frequently asked questions
Switchable glass is glass that can electronically change from transparent to opaque for privacy and light control. It works by using built-in technology that responds when you flip a switch or adjust a dimmer, changing how much you can see through it.
Yes, you can install switchable smart glass on some existing windows. A professional can review your existing frames and recommend the best installation approach for your home.
Yes, you can see out of switchable glass when it is in its clear setting. When it is switched to its opaque setting, it blocks views through the glass so the room feels more private.
Yes, switchable glass is generally more expensive than standard clear glass. Homeowners usually treat it as a premium feature in the budget, similar to other high-end finishes.
No, custom wardrobes are not cheap. They are tailored to your room and storage needs, so the design work, materials, and installation typically cost more than ready-made options.
