$685K Chelsea Micro Apartment Was Renovated to Maximize Space and Design

If you’re going to live in a really small apartment, you may as well get it custom designed to maximize as much space as possible. Such is the case with this very cozy one bedroom at 221 West 21st Street, a nondescript five-story co-op building in Chelsea. This unit has been gutted, renovated and redesigned by MySuites & Co., a boutique real estate and design firm based in Soho, and furniture and textile designer Nightwood New York. The result–the Chelseagold. MySuites says it feels more like a 700-square-foot apartment than a 500-square-foot pad, and we think the charming interior design almost makes up for the lack of space.

The goal was to take this prewar apartment and create an airy and bright layout without compromising the historic details. The living room still has a wall of exposed brick, likely painted white to make the space feel brighter, and a decorative fireplace. No room for a table in here, but at least you can fit a regular-sized couch and set up a little TV corner. Full wall shelving adds some extra storage space.

A long wooden bar with a mirror behind it is kind of a genius idea when it comes to small spaces. The bar allows for some seating and an extra place to put things, while the mirror helps the entire apartment feel a little larger. The lighting is by Restoration Hardware.

One major downside? The open kitchen does not have a full stove or fridge, although there is a dishwasher. And more open shelving to help with the obvious lack of cabinet space.

The bedroom is separated from the rest of the apartment by a white curtain. There’s not much room for anything besides a queen bed, but the wood pallets and mirror on the back wall, as well as the built-in bedside lighting, give it a boost of personality.

And one nice, surprising perk here? There’s a very decently sized walk-in closet — because one must take storage space very seriously when redesigning a tiny apartment.

After selling last summer for $415,740 (probably pre-renovation) it hit the market last fall for $725,000, never sold, and is now trying again at $685,000. Can a well-designed, small space that’s in a great area of Chelsea sell for that much? Only time will tell.

[Listing: 221 West 21st Street, #4D by MySuites & Co.]

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Photos courtesy of MySuites & Co.