Renovated New York Apartment. A Liveable Basement

Loft conversions (or apartments to the British) are becoming really popular across USA at the moment, and while good architecture should never be the most extravagant of designs (but instead just 'good, functional design'), have you ever wondered how the homes that are located in the basement of city townhouses or terraced streets are actually liveable?

Designed by Yoshihara McKee, this home in New York's Chelsea neighbourhood has seen all of its partitions made full height and vast windows have been installed along it's street-facing openings and in the angled skylight at the back of the residence. Found in a densely populated area, light is obviously at a premium, yet SATORI & SCOUT reckon you should totally follow suit if your domestic lifestyle is similar to this home owners.

Prior to renovation, a series of internal walls in this home meant little more than much of the space being dark and uninviting. With the home offering a generous array of ductwork and air-conditioning units across the ceiling, "...we proposed to eliminate all full height walls and take full advantage of the limited light by creating a continuous flow of space, and allowing the light to travel deeply into the interior," Yoshihara McKee explained.

With a resulting set of brighter spaces, the apartment was divided into private and communal areas, all in all creating an area for dining and entertaining close to the entrance, while having the bathroom as the home's central feature. Perhaps an odd room-type to be located centrally, the bathroom has been housed in a box to also incorporate the kitchen at the centre of the floor plan. With the bathroom's box being shorter than the ceiling height, the shape features triangular slots for light to enter and suchlike rotated geometries continue within the design of the bathtub, vanity unit and cabinet.

In a similar fashion, a zigzagging partition to designate the bedroom is also found to be shorter than the ceiling and this too has been finished with glass, enabling light to travel from the living area into the bedroom. With all walls white, surfaces are paired with light wooden flooring to keep the interior as bright as possible, and all in all, SATORI & SCOUT reckon this home must be one of the cleanest-designed basement 'lofts' around.

Discover more about the home's designer at YoshiharaMckee.com.