This Gramercy Home Chose Hickory Flooring to Add Warmth
Mimi’s new one-bed, one-bath apartment in Manhattan’s neighborhood of Gramercy checked off quite a few boxes. But revamping an outdated bathroom and installing new hickory wood flooring would just be the start to making the 600-square-foot home the way she wanted.
With an architect’s plans in hand, she needed help getting over the hump of the process of finding a general contractor. Mimi found one at Sweeten, a free service matching renovators with vetted general contractors, who turned the drawings into reality, including a walk-in closet and an 18-foot-long bookshelf.
Read on to see how she managed to get everything done even as she went on vacation.
- Homeowner: First timer Mimi posted her Gramercy apartment remodel on Sweeten
- Where: Gramercy, Manhattan, New York
- Primary renovation: Replaced the original parquet floors with hickory wood flooring, added a custom floor-to-ceiling bookshelf and media center, and turned a dingy space between the bedroom and bathroom into a walk-in closet. The bathroom also got a gut renovation with new tile, updated lighting, a larger mirror, and a refreshed tub.
- Homeowner’s quote: “I was especially glad I found a contractor I could trust because I had actually preplanned a three-week-long vacation overseas before I knew I was going to be in the middle of renovations. I was a bit nervous leaving right in the middle of all of the construction, but my Sweeten contractor gave me a lot of confidence that the project could proceed without me.”
Guest blog post by homeowner Mimi
Finding the right apartment to make her own
I had been looking for quite a while—nearly a year, on and off—before I found my apartment. For the longest time, I only viewed turnkey apartments because I was intimidated by the idea of renovating my own space and didn’t even know where I’d start. But no space had the exact features I was looking for, so I had to expand my search.
Finally, I found an apartment that felt like the right size and fit for me living as a single twenty-something in the city—great neighborhood and convenient to work, plenty of light (very important since my previous apartment was on the second floor and never saw any direct sunlight), previously renovated kitchen, and a good amount of closet space. There were just a few features I wanted to update before I moved in: the bathroom was old and hadn’t been touched in at least a decade, and I wasn’t a fan of the original ‘70s parquet floors.
I had also been dreaming for years of having enough bookshelf space in my apartment to hold all the books I want to accumulate and, of course, I had to have a walk-in closet.
Planning the layout and finding a contractor
I put in an offer that was accepted shortly before Thanksgiving, so I knew that the closing process might take a while, given the upcoming holidays. Because of that lag, I was anxious to get the renovation plans approved by the co-op board prior to closing so that I could start construction as soon as closing occurred.
I decided to work with architect Liz Mickey, AIA, to help me visualize and design the new layout of the apartment, as well as draw up floor plans so I had something concrete I could submit to the co-op board. She gave me some great ideas, so by closing, I had a very solid idea of how I wanted the apartment to look before I moved in. 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
At that point, I hit a bit of a wall. Though I had a clear vision of the renovations I wanted, I was still very intimidated by the process of finding a general contractor, especially with the number of renovation horror stories I had heard from friends and while browsing online. I ended up coming across Sweeten through its blog while I was searching for both décor inspiration and renovation budget costs in the city. I decided to give it a shot and posted my project.
The process of being matched with and choosing a contractor on Sweeten felt seamless—I found someone who understood what I was looking for and was eager to make my vision come to life. The Sweeten contractor I chose helped me design and create my dream floor-to-ceiling bookshelf and media center, which spanned the entire length of the dining and living room wall—an impressive 18 feet of bookshelf space, which I expect I won’t be able to fill for many years.
Swapping parquet for hickory wood flooring
I already knew before moving in that I wanted to replace the original parquet floors. Since I wasn’t a fan of them, changing the flooring was one of the updates I had in mind from the start. The hickory wood flooring changed the look of the apartment right away.
With the same flooring running through the living area and into the bedroom and closet, the apartment feels more connected from one space to the next. It also adds a darker base that stands out against the built-in bookshelf, lighter walls, and white trim.
Refreshing the bathroom and adding a closet
Between the bedroom and the bathroom, a dingy closet space was converted into a walk-through closet with pocket doors to help save space and make sure the small bathroom didn’t feel cluttered. Since all the fixtures in the bathroom looked quite old, I decided on a gut renovation of the bathroom with new tile, and a much larger and brighter mirror, and a lighting fixture.
The only minor hiccup came when my super informed me I wouldn’t be able to replace the old cast-iron bathtub because of how it was connected to the downstairs apartment; we decided to just use a bathtub liner instead, so the tub would be refreshed and feel as new as the rest of the bathroom.
I was especially glad I found a contractor I could trust because I had actually preplanned a three-week -long vacation overseas before I knew I was going to be in the middle of renovations (and ended up breaking my phone two days in!). I was a bit nervous leaving right in the middle of all of the construction, but my Sweeten contractor gave me a lot of confidence that the project could proceed without me.
So I picked out all of the finishes I wanted, ordered the fixtures, packed my bags and left right in the middle of the project. Sure enough, by the time I got back, the job was nearly complete!
I almost can’t believe how easy the process was, especially being able to leave for such a long time and come back to a nearly finished apartment, which was everything that I had hoped for. I moved in just a couple of weeks after I came back from vacation, and have had so much fun continuing to decorate the space and make it my own. It really is everything that I hoped for in my first apartment!
Thank you, Mimi, for sharing your story and your new home!
Ready to start your own renovation journey?
Post your project on Sweeten for free and make your dream home a reality. Sweeten puts you in control of your renovation, from finding the perfect contractor and gathering design inspiration, to using cost guides to plan your budget wisely. Renovate expertly with Sweeten.
Renovation materials
LIVING ROOM RESOURCES:
- Malibu wide plank hickory wood flooring in Scripps stain; BEHR bookshelf paint in English Channel Eggshell, #PPU14-19; BEHR wall paint in French Silver, #PPU18-05; Home Decorators Collection’s Palermo Grove gilded iron chandelier over dining table: Home Depot.
- Bookshelf: Custom by contractor.
BATHROOM RESOURCES:
- Carrara wall and floor tile: Stone Tile Depot.
- GrohFlex Cosmopolitan shower system in StarLight Chrome; Kohler Levity 60″ x 62″ Semi-frameless sliding tub door in silver with handle, #1000715289; Glacier Bay 1-piece 1.1 GPF/1.6 GPF high-efficiency toilet, #635675; Pegasus 48″ x 26″ medicine cabinet with beveled mirror, #1002545569: Lithonia Lighting 4-light chrome 4K LED vanity light, #206970480; Wall paint in BEHR English Channel Eggshell, #PPU14-19: Home Depot.
- Orren Ellis’ Prado 24″ wall-mounted sink /vanity set: Wayfair.
BEDROOM RESOURCES:
- Closet: Custom work by contractor.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, hickory wood is good for flooring because it is a hard, durable wood that holds up well to everyday wear. It also has strong natural grain variation, which can add warmth and character to a space.
Hickory is a hardwood, not a softwood. It comes from a hardwood tree and is known for its strength, which is one reason it is often used for flooring.
A pocket door is a sliding door that disappears into a compartment inside the wall when opened. It helps save floor space because it doesn’t need room to swing in or out.
